LIFE

LIFE’s Favorite Ice Skating Images

December 19, 2025 by Bill Syken

In 1968 figure skater Peggy Fleming graced the cover of the Feb, 23, 1968 issue of LIFE after winning a gold medal at the Winter Olympics at the age of 19. One of Fleming’s competitors gushed to LIFE that “Everything Peggy does is pure ballerina.”

The phrase “pure ballerina” is not just a tribute to Fleming but also to ice skating itself. It is the rare sport that demands of both athleticism and artistry.

Images of Fleming are included in this gallery of LIFE’s favorite ice skating images, appearing alongside other skaters of great accomplishment. Barbara Ann Scott, a champion skater from Canada, was a particular fave of the magazine in the 1940s Two-time Olympic champion Dick Button, who would later become a television commentator, is shown making great leaps during his competitive years.

Some of the photos are set at competitions. Others take place in public rinks, including two in New York City— at Rockefeller Center and also at Wollman Rink in Central Park.

Also included are pictures of some anonymous skaters whose movements across the ice made for pretty pictures. if you look at the credits you’ll see the names of some of LIFE’s star photographers—Alfred Eisenstaedt, Ralph Morse, Peter Stackpole and many others. The talent attracted to these assignments underlines the visual appeal of a sport that was also an art form.

Five-time world champion skater Carol Heiss performed at Wollman Memorial Rink in Central Park, New York City, 1955..

Ralph Morse/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Ice skaters in Switzerland, 1948.

Walter Sanders/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

British figure skater Graham Sharp at the Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, 1948.

Mark Kauffman/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Tenley Albright, an Olympic gold medalist, performed a frog jump, 1956.

Peter Stackpole/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Dick Button at a figure skating competition in Stockholm, 1947.

Tony Linck/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Dick Button, 1947.

Tony Linck/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstuch

Dick Button at a figure skating competition, 1947.

Tony Linck/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Dick Button competed at the 1948 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland.

Mark Kauffman/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Barbara Ann Scott at the world figure skating championship in Stockholm, 1947.

Tony Linck The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Barbara Ann Scott at the world figure skating championships in Stockholm, 1947

Tony Linck The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

The husband-and-wife team of Narena Greer and Richard Norris skated with The Ice Follies, 1947.

Gjon Mili/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Figure skater Johnny Lettengarver, a member of the U.S. Olympic team, 1948.

Mark Kauffman/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Skaters performed at an ice show at Madison Square Garden, 1948.

Gjon Mili/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Austrian ice skating champion Melitta Brunner practiced in St. Moritz, 1934.

Alfred Eisenstadt/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

A skating waiter delivered drinks at the Grand Hotel, St. Moritz, 1932.

Alfred Eisenstaedt—The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

U.S. skater Peggy Fleming won a gold medal at the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France.

Art Rickerby/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

A figure skater made a leap that mimicked the statue of Prometheus at Rockefeller Center in New York, 1942.

Wallace Kirkland/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Like Seeing Old Friends: Images From the ’90s Golden Globes

December 11, 2025 by Bill Syken

Looking at red carpet photos of years past is a surefire way to trigger memories. Those memories can be as small as remembering the way an actress wore her hair, or as deep as recalling the days when stars who who are longer with us were young and healthy.

Looking at this photo gallery of images from the Golden Globe Awards in the 1990s might trigger such memories as:

—When the TV show Melrose Place, starring Heather Locklear, was America’s guilty pleasure.

—When Seinfeld was America’s top comedy—and in one episode Jerry lied about watching Melrose Place.

—When Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman were married. And how Kidman, who towers over Cruise in our photo, commented about being able to wear high heels again after the couple had divorced.

—Hugh Grant and Elizabeth Hurley in their dating years (and though the two are long separated they are reportedly still close friends).

—Speaking of old friends, we have Lisa Kudrow, Jennifer Aniston and Courtney Cox on the carpet as well. While often nominated, Friends took home only one Golden Globe (Aniston in 2003) and the beloved sitcom generally earned greater recognition at other awards shows.

—And seeing Christopher Reeve walking the red carpet in 1993 might conjure up all sorts of thoughts about the man who became a spinal cord injury advocate after a 1995 horse riding accident left him paralyzed. Reeve, who died in 2004, remains the embodiment of Superman for people of a certain age.

These stars all walked the red carpet at the Golden Globes because their performances made an impression on people, and those impressions remain. Which is as rare and meaningful as any award.

Actress Julia Roberts holding her Golden Globe Award for best actress in a musical or comedy for “Pretty Woman,” 1991.

DMI

(L-R) Actors Jodie Foster, Al Pacino (holding his award for “Scent of a Woman”) and Patrick Swayze in the press room at the Golden Globe Awards, 1993

DMI

Jerry Seinfeld and Julia Louis-Dreyfus holding their awards in Press Room at the 1994 Golden Globe Awards.

DMI

Tom Cruise with Nicole Kidman at the 1995 Golden Globe Awards.

DMI

Friends co-stars Lisa Kudrow, Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox at the 1996 Golden Globe Awards.

DMI

Jason Priestley, star of “Beverly Hills 90210,” in the press room at the 1992 Golden Globe Awards.

Actor Val Kilmer at the Golden Globe Awards, 1994.

DMI

Actor Brad Pitt holding his supporting actor award for his performance in “12 Monkeys” at the 1996 Golden Globes.

DMI

Winona Ryder at the 1994 Golden Globes, where she won best supporting actress for her role in “The Age of Innocence.”

DMI

Actress Helen Hunt at the Golden Globe Awards, 1994.

DMI

Actress Heather Locklear at the 1996 Golden Globes.

DMI

Actress Halle Berry in the press room at the 1997 Golden Globe Awards.

DMI

Rupert Everett and Julia Roberts, co-stars in “My Best Friend’s Wedding,” at the 1998 Golden Globe Awards.

DMI

Actors Gina Gershon and David Spade at a 2000 Golden Globe Awards party.

DMI

Eddie Murphy and wife, Nicole Mitchell, at the 1997 Golden Globe Awards.

DMI

Bruce Willis and Demi Moore at the 1997 Golden Globe Awards.

DMI

Actors Hugh Grant and Elizabeth Hurley at a Golden Globe Awards pre-party, 2000.

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(L-R) Model Claudia Schiffer and actress Elizabeth Hurley at a party before the 2000 Golden Globe Awards.

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Tom Cruise at the 2000 Golden Globe Awards.

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Christopher Reeve and wife Dana at Golden Globe Awards, 1993

DMI

A Battered Town Welcomes A Savior

December 2, 2025 by Bill Syken

Americans who are not all that well versed in history may only know Charles de Gaulle as a man with an airport in Paris named after him.

But if you want to know why that airport is named for him, take a look at the photograph of a group of young girls assembled in the square of a bombed-out French town. Look at the hope they have, despite the rubble surrounding them.

The photo was taken was June 14, 1944. That is eight days after the D-Day invasion began the process of liberating Western Europe, and six days after a June 8 attack that devastated Isigny, destroying about sixty percent of the French town.

They girls assembled because people in Isigny had been told, with only a half-hour’s notice, that Charles de Gaulle was coming. De Gaulle was the leader of Free France, which formed after Paris fell to the Nazis in 1940. He had been directing a government-in-exile from Great Britain for the four years since then, but his arrival in Isigny was part of his return to his home country to establish a new French government.

When he arrived De Gaulle told residents of the war-ravaged town, “I am very happy to see the dear and bruised population of our town of Isigny gathered here, I know what suffered Isigny. It is the sufferings that each parcel of France will have to pass before reaching liberation. But I know, like you, that this test will not be useless. It is because of this ordeal that we will make the unity and the greatness of France. I want you, with me, to have a feeling of hope in your heart, and to sing the Marseillaise “

In its July 3, 1944 issue LIFE covered De Gaulle’s return to France and his visit to isigny with photos by staff photographer Frank Scherschel that showed both the leader of the resistance and the hope that his presence inspired.

The magazine’s story duscussed the political aspects of the moment, because de Gaulle’s actions were more welcome locally than they were among France’s allies, who felt it was too soon to establish a new French government. But while U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt was irked, the people of France were overjoyed. LIFE’s ended with a quote from a French playwright, Henri Bernstein, saying of De Gaulle, “Let me tell you, this is not going to make him unpopular among the French.”

De Gaulle not only served as head of France’s provisional government for three years, but would also come back to serve as President of France from 1959 to 1969, before his death in 1970.

The people of Isigny hastily gathered to welcome Charles de Gaulle after the recently bombed town learned that the leader of Free France was on his way for a visit, June 14, 1944.

Frank Scherschel/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

People gathered to welcome the return of Charles de Gaulle to France during World War II, June 14, 1944.

Isigny & De Gaulle – Photographs of Italian civilians during WWII

People in Isigny, France, gathered on short notice for the arrival of Charles de Gaulle as he re-established the government of France during World War II, June 14, 1944.

Frank Scherschel/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Charles de Gaulle arrived in Isigny as he re-established the French government in the days following the D-Day invasion, June 14, 1944.

Frank Scherschel/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Charles de Gaulle, leader of Free France, spoke to people in the recently bombed town of Isigny, 1944.

Frank Scherschel/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

People gathered to welcome the return of Charles de Gaulle during World War II, June 1944.

Frank Scherschel/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

People salvaged furniture from their houses at Isigny during World War II, Italy, June 1944.

Frank Scherschel/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

World War II, June 1944.

Frank Scherschel/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

LIFE’s Favorite Vintage Surfing Photos

December 4, 2025November 26, 2025 by

It’s more than the sun and the sea that makes surfing pictures so appealing. It’s also that surfers just seem to be living right. It is the rare sport that is both a pastime and a way of life. There are many quotes about the unique appeal of surfing, including this one from Frosty Hesson: “If you’re having a bad day, catch a wave.” Hesson made his name as a big-wave surfer, but the sentiment can be understood by anyone who has ever taken a refreshing dip in the ocean.

The sense of people enjoying themselves by the sea is what makes these surfing photos such a pleasure, and it’s why when you look at the best-selling photos in the LIFE print store that have anything to do with sports, you find that surfing is as popular as any.

Many LIFE photographers took their turns having a day at the beach. Some of the most wonderful photos were taken by Allan Grant, more noted as a chronicler of Hollywood. But he also swung out to nearby Malibu and captured the surf culture there. This overhead shot of riders catching a wave is LIFE’s best-selling surf print.

LIFE photographers such as Ralph Crane, Loomis Dean and Frank Scherschel turned up gems as well. All these images are wonderful. Enjoy.

Surfing, Malibu, California 1961

Allan Grant/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

Surfing, Malibu, California, 1961

Allan Grant/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

Surfers, Malibu, California 1961

Allan Grant/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

Surfing, California, 1950.

Loomis Dean/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

Surfing, Lima, Peru, 1959.

Frank Scherschel/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

Surfing, Hawaii, 1959.

Ralph Crane/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

Surfing, Manhattan Beach, Calif., 1965.

Ralph Crane/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

Surfing, Australia, 1958.

John Dominis/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

Surfing, Hawaii, 1963.

George Silk/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

Surfing, Lima, Peru, 1959.

Frank Scherschel/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

Surfing, Malibu, Calif., 1961

Allan Grant/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

Surfing, Hawaii, 1959.

Ralph Crane/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

Surfing, Malibu, Calif., 1961.

Allan Grant/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

Surfing, Malibu, California, 1961.

Allan Grant/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

Sixteen-year-old Kathy Kohner (the real-life inspiration for the character of Gidget) rode a wave, Malibu, Calif., 1957.

Allan Grant/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

Surfing, Malibu, California, 1961

Allan Grant/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

Surfing, San Onofre, California, 1950.

Loomis Dean/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

Surfing, Lima, Peru, 1959.

Frank Scherschel/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

The beach scene at Lima, Peru, 1959.

Frank Scherschel/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

Surfing, Malibu, California, 1957

Allan Grant/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

Surfing, San Onofre, California, 1950

Loomis Dean/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

Surfing, San Onofre, California, 1950.

Loomis Dean/Life Pictures/Shutterstock

Cowboy Life in the Australian Outback

November 25, 2025 by Bill Syken

The cowboy is one of distinct characters of American life. And while their numbers have been dwindling for ages— in 1949 LIFE ran a memorable story on the vanishing American cowboy—today movies and TV shows with Western themes have never been more popular.

And it’s worth noting that while cowboys are original to America, versions could be found on other continents. In 1967 LIFE wrote the frontier people of the Australian Outback. The story appeared in a double issue devoted to what LIFE termed “The Wild World.”

To the reckoning of LIFE editor Don Moser, the Outback was even more rugged than the Old West. Here’s how he put it:

The Outback of Australia is a frontier, and the men and women who live in it are frontiersmen just like those who opened the American West—cattlemen, prospectors, professional hunters. But their frontier is harder than ours ever was. It is, God knows, beautiful, but without prettiness—the austere beauty of light and space, of harsh country and big sky. There are vast red deserts, bizarre hills and strange ridges, chasms and gorges, dry riverbeds of white sand, and above all, endless miles of blank, brutal land.

The photos by George Silk capture that world in vivid color, and Moser’s words bring to life the characters trying to make a life in the Outback. One cattle rancher, Bill Waudby, talked about the dry years he had endured. He quipped, “It’s not hard to become a cattle baron out here. It just depends on how you spell baron.”

Silk photographed a rancher named Joe Mahood while he was breaking a wild horse. Mahood is quoted as saying, “You’ve got to be as gentle as you can. But as gentle as you can is fairly rough.” Silk also documented life for Mahood’s family, which included his three younger kids receiving their school lessons over a two-way radio from a teacher who was hundreds of miles away. Talk about your remote learning.

The Mahood family’s nearest neighbor was 120 miles away. But seven-year-old Tracy Mahood told LIFE she had no interest in moving. “There are too many people in the town, there’s not enough space to wander, and you don’t get goannas there.”

The frontier spirit could not be summed up any better.

A stockman broke an untamed horse at a ranch in the Australian Outback, 1966.

George Silk/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Joe Mahood, a rancher in the Australian Outback, gets a recently broken horse used to a saddle blanket, 1966.

George Silk/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

After five hours of struggle, Australian horse farmer Joe Mahood sat on top of exhausted horse he has finally tamed, 1966.

George Silk/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Joe Mahood, a rancher in the Australian Outback, posed with his three youngest children; his teenage daughter moved away to go to school, because there were none nearby,1966.

George Silk/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Five-year-old Jim Mahood received his school lessons over two-way radio while growing up on his father’s ranch in the Australian Outback, 1966.

George Silk/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Five-year-old Jim Mahood ran in the tall grass around his father’s ranch in the Australian Outback, 1966.

George Silk/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Bill Waudby learned through hard experience that running a ranch in the Australian Outback meant weathering some dry years, 1966.

George Silk/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Battered hands fashion a popper on the Australian Outback, 1966.

George Silk/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

George Girdler, professional hunter of wild horses, in the Australian Outback, 1966.

George Silk/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

George Girdler, professional hunter, played with a foal in the Australian Outback, 1966.

George Silk/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

George Girdler, professional hunter, in the Australian Outback, 1966.

George Silk/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Wild horse hunter George Girdler roared off on motorcycle with his dogs trailing behind in Australia, 1966.

George Silk/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

The sand hills of the Simpson Desert in central Australian, 1966.

George Silk/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Cowboys in the Australian Outback, 1966.

George Silk/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

In the Australian Outback a stockman worked with one of his horses at dawn, 1966.

George Silk/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Meet Peter, the Pelican Mascot of Mykonos

November 19, 2025 by Bill Syken

Since the 1950s the Greek island of Mykonos, a popular tourist spot, has had a mascot that is as beloved as it is peculiar-looking.

He is a pelican named Petros, also know as Peter. He first came to Mykonos when a local fisherman found the wounded bird and brought him home for nursing. Peter soon became a local character on the tiny island, which is only 33 square miles in size.

Photographs taken by LIFE photographer James Burke in 1961 show Peter amusing beachgoers on the shore, cavorting about town and spending time with a fisherman. Because Burke’s photos were taken for a story that never ran in LIFE, we can’t be sure if that fisherman is the one who rescued Peter. But that would make sense because the two seem awfully attached to each other. In some photos Peter and the fisherman are nose-to-beak.

As a pelican, his long beak is Peter’s most distinctive physical characteristic. Pelicans, with their particular shape, are excellent fishing birds who thrive near water, so an island in the Aegean sea was an ideal place for Peter to make a home.

Peter died in 1985 after being hit by a car, and one obituary hailed him as “the world’s most famous pelican.” By then the bird had become ingrained in Mykonos’ identity, and several pelicans were brought in to replace Peter, including one that was donated by former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.

So visitors to Mykonos today can still take photos with a friendly pelican.

Peter, a pelican who had been found wounded and then nursed to health on Mykonos, became the Greek island’s mascot, 1961.

James Burke/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Peter, who had been found wounded and then nursed to health on Mykonos, became the Greek island’s mascot, 1961.

James Burke/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Peter, a pelican who had been found wounded and then nursed to health on Mykonos, became the Greek island’s mascot, 1961.

James Burke/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Peter the Pelican napped while standing on the island of Mykonos, 1961.

James Burke/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Peter, a pelican who had been found wounded and then nursed to health on Mykonos, became the Greek island’s mascot, 1961.

James Burke/Life Picture Collection/Shutterstock

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Meet Peter, the Pelican Mascot of Mykonos

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