What We Loved This Week, Jan. 15 – 21

Published January 20, 2017

Obama then and now, vintage celeb selfies, the Obama girls' first White House experience, gay life in the 1960s, the worst U.S. presidential inaugurations.

Obama

Andrew Harnik / AP, Emmanuel Dunand / AFPApril 14, 2008; March 28, 2016.

Barack Obama, Then And Now

Looking Left

Charles Dharapak / AP; Mandel Ngan / AFP / Getty Images via The Atlantic; ATI CompositeJanuary 28, 2010; December 13, 2016.

On Friday, the nation will say farewell to Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States. While time always manifests itself in the form of wrinkles and greying hair, its effects are always much more pronounced on the head of the Executive Office. Barack Obama, leaving the Oval Office this week, offers an apt case study on the subject.

For more photos, head to The Atlantic.

Obama Flags

Jae C. Hong / AP; Kevin Lamarque / Reuters via The Atlantic; ATI CompositeApril 29, 2008; February 16, 2016.

Vintage Photo Booth Selfies Of Iconic Figures Before They Became Famous

Monroe

Vintage EverydayMarilyn Monroe, age 12.

Today, both photographing oneself and sharing that photo could not be easier. In decades past, things were just a little bit different and selfies, as it were, weren’t quite so easy to come by.

And that’s precisely what makes these rarely-seen photo booth images of iconic figures — before they even became famous no, less — so remarkable.

See more at Vintage Everyday.

Elvis Teenager

Vintage EverydayElvis Presley, age 16.

Davis

Vintage EverydayMiles Davis, age 9.

The Obama Daughters’ First White House Visit

Bush Obama1

Joyce N. Boghosian / White House Photo via TodayA then seven-year-old Sasha Obama slides down the banister in the White House Solarium.

After eight years under constant global attention, President Barack Obama’s daughters Malia and Sasha are approaching a major life transition as their family leaves the White House.

Despite its many perks, being a “first daughter” is not always easy and few people understand what the experience is like. That’s why George W. Bush’s daughters Jenna and Barbara offered Malia and Sasha some advice and encouragement in a letter this week.

It’s not the first time that the Bush twins have helped the Obama girls. Jenna Bush Hager also released photos of when they first welcomed the girls — and an excerpt of the letter she and Barbara penned then.

“Many people will think they know him, but they have no idea how he felt the day you were born, the pride he felt on your first day of school, or how much you both love being his daughters,” the Bush twins wrote in 2009. “So here is our most important piece of advice: remember who your dad really is.”

Bush Obama2

Joyce N. Boghosian / White House Photo via TodaySasha Obama enjoys the White House movie theater.

Obama Bush3

Joyce N. Boghosian / White House Photo via TodayJenna Bush introduces the Obama girls to the White House staff.

author
All That's Interesting
author
A New York-based publisher established in 2010, All That's Interesting brings together subject-level experts in history, true crime, and science to share stories that illuminate our world.
editor
John Kuroski
editor
John Kuroski is the editorial director of All That's Interesting. He graduated from New York University with a degree in history, earning a place in the Phi Alpha Theta honor society for history students. An editor at All That's Interesting since 2015, his areas of interest include modern history and true crime.