Iraq's second largest city, Mosul, is locked under the rule of extremists from the Islamic State group trying to purge it of everything they see as contradicting their stark vision of Islam. A trove of photographs now housed at the Library of Congress offers a glimpse of a different Mosul – before wars, insurgency, sectarian strife and now radicals' rule. The scenes were taken in the autumn of 1932 by staff from the American Colony Photo Department during a visit to Iraq at the end of the British mandate. (Photo by AP Photo)

Four pillars of light from the 4 Laser Guide Star Facility on ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) are shown reaching into the Chilean night sky in this image from ESO Photo Ambassador Fred Kamphues, on September 2, 2016. The lasers are a key part of the adaptive optics system on the VLT. Adaptive optics allows astronomers to drastically reduce the atmospheric distortion present at even the best sites in the world for astronomy, including Paranal in Chile, the home of the VLT. (Photo by F. Kamphues/ESO)

An amateur artist has created a series of hilarious images combining iconic film scenes with everyday locations all over the world. History teacher Francois Dourlen, from Cherbourg in France, has used stills of pop culture everything – from cult movies to old faithful TV favorites like The Simpsons and Baywatch, to new hits Minions – to bring this unique artwork to life. (Photo by Francois Dourlen/Exclusivepix Media)

A Chinese woman wears a mask to protect from particles blown in during a sandstorm as she walks in the street on May 4, 2017 in Beijing, China. Sandstorms are common in northern China during the spring season and are caused when heavy winds from Mongolia in the north brings sand and pollutants that can blanket Chinese cities and cause air quality to deteriorate. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

People walk along the Dune du Pilat (Dune of Pilat), the tallest sand dune in Europe, in La Teste de Buch, near Bordeaux, France, June 15, 2016. The dune has a volume of about 60,000,000 m³, measuring around 500 m wide from east to west and 2.7 km in length from north to south. Its height is currently 110 meters above sea level. (Photo by Sergio Perez/Reuters)

Undated handout photo issued by Guinness World Records of Fabio Reggiani from Italy who has made it into the Guinness Book of World Records for constructing the worlds largest rideable motorcycle measuring 5.10 meters (16ft 8.78 in) from the ground to the top of the handlebars. Six times larger than a normal motorcycle, it's 10.03 m long, 2.5 m wide, and weighs approximately 5,000 kg (5 tonnes). (Photo by Guinness World Records/PA Wire)

A car made from parts taken from used vehicles is shown in street Hefei, Anhui Province in China, on Oktober 21, 2013. The machine, which reaches 60 km/h, is the brainchild of self-taught inventor Zhu Runqiang. (Photo by Reuters/China Daily)

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A large sand sculpture is seen at the site of Yokohama Sand Art Exhibition – Culture City of East Asia 2014 on July 16, 2014 in Yokohama, Japan. Producer and sand sculptor Katsuhiko Chaen invited artists from around the world including South Korea and China, to recreate the World Heritage and historical buildings in China, Japan and South Korea. The exhibition will be open from July 19 to November 3, 2014. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)