A “creuseur”, or digger, a plastic lantern on his head, readies to enter a copper and cobalt mine in Kawama, Democratic Republic of Congo on June 8, 2016. Cobalt is used in the batteries for electric cars and mobile phones. Working conditions are dangerous, often with no safety equipment or structural support for the tunnels. The diggers say they are paid on average US$2-3/day. (Photo by Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post)

US Army Parachute Team Golden Knights perform a precision drop to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, above West Potomac Park in Washington, DC, USA, 11 May 2023. The performance is one of many activites being held on the National Mall over three days to honor Vietnam War veterans and their families and to commemorate the 50th anniversary of when the last US combat troops left South Vietnam in 1973. (Photo by Michael Reynolds/EPA/EFE)

A small series by illustration Alex Solis remembering those things that used to rule the world.

A photographer has discovered a spectacular way of keeping warm during winter – using fire to heat up icy locations. Sam Scholes uses long-exposures to capture the movement of fire in front of ice-covered backdrops. After lighting steel wool his friend Scott Stringham swings the flaming object in order to make swirling patterns. The result of this technique – captured at Midway Ice Castles in Utah is a vibrant image with the warm light dancing across the cold scenes. (Photo by Sam Scholes/Caters News)

We place too much value into something as elusive as time. This is the lesson that Arina Pozdnyak, the creator of Perpetual Calendar, is trying to teach us. Days fly by, and even months are mere speckles of sand in an hourglass of eternity. People do not realize that the time given to us by fate cannot be measured using months or even years. It is measured using emotions and impressions. If a person lives to be 150 years old without experiencing any emotions, he might as well have lived one day, for all it’s worth. On the other hand, a person who lived an exciting, fulfilling life, read countless books and cherished every moment that he had, is actually the one who lived a longer life, even if in reality his flame was snuffed out much too soon. (Photo by Arina Pozdnyak)

A group of teachers and their student use makeshift raft as they cross the street during flood that hit Ranomeeto Barat village in Konawe Selatan, Sulawesi island, Indonesia, July 10, 2018. (Photo by Jojon/Reuters/Antara Foto)

Naked activists for animal rights, covered in fake blood, perform during a protest against the use of fur and leather, at Catalunya Square in Barcelona, Spain, December 16, 2018. (Photo by Albert Gea/Reuters)

Lydia Hassebroek, 10, uses a magnifying glass to light a leaf on fire in her backyard during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Brooklyn, New York, U.S., May 17, 2020. (Photo by Caitlin Ochs/Reuters)