“The Chernobyl disaster was a catastrophic nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukrainian SSR, which was under the direct jurisdiction of the central authorities in Moscow. An explosion and fire released large quantities of radioactive contamination into the atmosphere, which spread over much of Western USSR and Europe. It is widely considered to have been the worst nuclear power plant accident in history, and is one of only two classified as a level 7 event on the International Nuclear Event Scale (the other being the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster)”. – Wikipedia (Photos by Alexandr Strannik, August 1986; Source: LiveJournal)

Wildlife photographer Danté Fenolio has headed into areas untouched by sunlight – deep seas, caves and underground – and found creatures that are exploding with colour. Here: The golden harlequin toad has vanished from the wild, and only a small number live on in captivity. A fungus caused them, and many other amphibians, to die out in their home in Central America. (Photo by Danté Fenolio/The Guardian/Johns Hopkins University Press)

Normally, pictures can be worth a thousand words but these images of some horrifyingly brilliant face paint art will give you the shivers. The fascinating photographs will make your head spin and your stomach churn as the life-like illustrations leave you shocked. Nikki Shelley, 34, from Rugby in Warwickshire, has built a career out of face painting after she started practicing on her children. Here: The Devil inside by Nikki Shelley. (Photo by Nikki Shelley/Caters News)

Rebecca Luo stands in a casket that was being used for people to take photographs during the International Edgar Allan Poe Festival and Awards on Sunday October 03, 2021 in Baltimore, MD. The writer died in Baltimore in 1849. His death is still clouded in mystery.(Photo by Matt McClain/The Washington Post)

Sophie Weissenberg, of Germany, grabs her ankle after being injured while warming up for the women's heptathlon 100-meter hurdles at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Thursday, August 8, 2024, in Saint-Denis, France. (Photo by Ashley Landis/AP Photo)

Internet personality Brock Davies and American TV personality Scheana Shay attend the 2024 People's Choice Awards at Barker Hangar on February 18, 2024 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by AFF-USA.com/The Mega Agency)

A cosplayer dressed as Domino attends 2019 Comic-Con International on July 20, 2019 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Quinn P. Smith/Getty Images)

With temperatures soaring and summer well underway, countless Americans will be spending their Independence Day weekend at the beach. Here we revisit some classic images from the turn-of-the-century to the 1930's of vacations by the sea, from Coney Island to Santa Monica.