Page 84 – LIFE

A True Passing Fad: Castro Caps for Children, 1959

January 18, 2023July 24, 2015 by

If you were to observe a group of children playing war today, you might see them launching make-believe drones and deactivating imaginary IEDs. If you watched the same activity in 1968, you might have seen them parachuting out of cardboard-box helicopters or tossing plastic grenades. But in 1959, kids playing war were pint-sized guerrillas wearing flat-brimmed army hats and Castro beards made of dog fur.

In the spring of 1959, Fidel Castro was settling into his new role as Prime Minister of Cuba. Castro and his 26th of July Movement the revolutionary army named for the 1953 attack that began the Cuban Revolution had overthrown U.S.-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista and were now looking to implement a socialist agenda for Cuba. Meanwhile, in the U.S., a toy manufacturer was capitalizing on the news with a brand new product, as LIFE explained:

The hairy specter which once haunted Fulgencio Batista in Cuba is rising again incongruously to startle parents in the U.S. The latest novelty for moppets is a battle cap with fur chin strap which will turn any youngster, male or female, into a miniature version of Fidel Castro’s Cuban rebels.

Looking back on those days with the benefit of hindsight, the photographs of carefree youngsters take on a more sinister tint. To those who regard Castro as a totalitarian strongman with no concern for human rights, these images are disturbing: laughing children, ignorant of what was really going on in the world, costumed as a man who was busily tightening his control on a terrified nation. And the children may seem no less naive to those who view Castro as a hero dedicated to the fight against inequality and imperialism.

When LIFE published a selection of these photos in 1959, it was undoubtedly intended as a lighthearted story about children mimicking the serious business of adults in a complicated world. Castro was a mere two months into a half-century regime for which there were still high hopes, and the controversial policies he would implement in the ensuing decades were still unwritten history.

Liz Ronk, who edited this gallery, is the Photo Editor for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter @lizabethronk.

Catro-bearded babes in the woods

Ralph Morse The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

See Photos of Machu Picchu Before It Became a Major Tourist Attraction

January 14, 2020July 24, 2015 by

Machu Picchu had been around for hundreds of years before July 24, 1911, when Yale historian Hiram Bingham ascended to the ancient site led by a local farmer, Melchor Arteaga, and a young boy named Pablito. Still, many reacted to what Bingham told the world about as if the ruins had suddenly appeared out of thin air.

Bingham saw only a fraction of Machu Picchu that day, as so many of the ruins were obscured by centuries of lush overgrowth, But they had been there since the 15th century, when the Incas built a city for purposes still debated today. Many believe it was a royal retreat for the emperor Pachacuti and his entourage, while others maintain it was a temple honoring the divine landscape on which it sits.

Whatever Machu Picchu’s origins, Bingham’s broad announcement of its existence brought with it mixed outcomes. The beauty and the fascinating history of the place created a major attraction which draws more than 1 million visitors a year. That popularity has posed to a grave danger its existence.

When LIFE’s Frank Scherschel trained his lens on Machu Picchu and the surrounding areas in 1945, the erosion and degradation that tourism has brought to the site were still decades away. The photographs he made are quiet and majestic, devoid of people and imbued with a sense of awe at the remains of a once magnificent city.

Liz Ronk edited this gallery for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter @lizabethronk.

The Inca Ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru, 1945

Frank Scherschel The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Square pegs along inside of roof of Machu Picchu temple were possibly used to tie on the roof beams.

Frank Scherschel The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

The village pictured above was discovered in 1941 and given the name Winay Wayna, the name of a local red flower meaning Eternal Youth. Near the ruins of Machu Picchu along the Urubamba River, it housed 500 people of the supervising class, in two living levels (left and upper right) between which were about 20 terraces on which potatoes were grown.

Frank Scherschel The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

The cave entrance into the so-called “Princess Tower” was fitted with highly polished masonry. Fine workmanship indicates it was for royalty.

Frank Scherschel The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

A bath at Machu Picchu, at lower left. The “tub” is about a foot deep. The water ran down a shallow channel which can be seen cutting under the wall at the extreme lower left.

Frank Scherschel The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Trapezoidal entry doors at the Incan ruins of Machu Picchu, 1945.

Frank Scherschel The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

The Inca ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru, 1945

Frank Scherschel The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

The stairway at the left is cut into the solid rock, all hard granite.

Frank Scherschel The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

The staircase leading up the Machu Picchu, 1945.

Frank Scherschel The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

In the foreground is a sundial; visible on the mountaintop is the faint remains of a village.

Frank Scherschel The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

A view showing the temple with the altar. Partway up the hill is the sundial.

Frank Scherschel The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

The Temple construction at Machu Picchu, 1945.

Frank Scherschel The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

The train arrived in the village of Machu Picchu, the railroad’s terminus, 1945.

Frank Scherschel The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

See Photos of Disneyland When It Opened in 1955

January 19, 2023July 17, 2015 by

If a dream is a wish your heart makes, then Disneyland was, as LIFE declared one month after it opened on July 17, 1955, “the stuff children’s dreams are made on.” The brand new park featured a Frontierland complete with Davy Crockett museum, an Adventureland with hydraulically operated jungle animals and, of course, Sleeping Beauty’s castle, which would soon include a model torture chamber.

The $17 million park, built on a 160-acre site, was “the most lavish amusement park on earth,” but its opening day was a disaster. Traffic was backed up for hours, delaying celebrity guests. The temperature crept above 100 degrees, causing heels to sink into soft asphalt, while a plumbers” strike decommissioned all water fountains. Oh, and there was a gas leak, too. Practically everything that could go wrong, did go wrong.

Some parents also expressed dismay at the prices. “Disney had expected that $2 would see a child through enough of his $17 million wonderland, but mothers said twice that was needed to keep any enterprising small boy pacified,” LIFE wrote. Today, admission for a child under 10 is $93 not including the Mickey ears, Frozen wand or Goofyroni & Cheese.

But, said those mothers back in 1955, “as they emerged spent and spinning… it was probably well worth it.”

Liz Ronk, who edited this gallery, is the Photo Editor for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter @lizabethronk.

Correction, Aug. 10, 2018:
A caption in the original version of this gallery misstated the name of a train ridden by Mickey Mouse. The photo shows the Disneyland Railroad, not the Dumbo-inspired Casey Jr. Circus Train.

Disneyland 1955

Loomis Dean The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Disneyland 1955

Allan Grant The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Disneyland 1955

Loomis Dean The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Disneyland 1955

Allan Grant The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Disneyland 1955

Loomis Dean The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Jackson Hole in its Dude Ranch Days

November 27, 2019July 10, 2015 by

The Jackson Hole valley today is a major hub of tourism in the American West: skiers in the winter, national park-goers in the summer and mountain lovers all year round. But long before the word “resort” became associated with the peaceful Wyoming locale its primary tourism draw was its dude ranches. Back then, its cowboy bars served actual cowboys, its main street was paved with dirt and its vast expanses were more populated with bison than with people. In 1948, LIFE photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt captured the region’s quiet, dramatic beauty in vivid Technicolor, preserving it on film for posterity.

Liz Ronk edited this gallery for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter @lizabethronk.

Jackson Hole 1948

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Young cowgirl Esther Allen trout fishing in String Lake. Teton Mountains behind.

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Jackson Hole 1948

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Jackson Hole, Wyoming, 1948.

Alfred Eisenstaedt/The LIFE Picture Collection © Meredith Corporation

Guests sitting around fireplace and listening to live music at Bearpaw Dude Ranch. Jack Huyler, the son of the owner, is playing guitar. Jackson Hole, Wyoming, 1948.

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Room full of patrons gambling at The Cowboy Bar. Gambling was permitted during tourist season. Jackson Hole, Wyoming, 1948.

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Jackson Hole 1948

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Highway 189 entering Jackson Hole, Wyoming, 1948.

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Jackson Hole 1948

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Jackson Lake and Grand Teton Mountain Range seen from the Ranch owned by Mr. and Mrs. Berol. Jackson Hole, Wyoming, 1948.

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Jackson Hole 1948

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Moose feeding in stream, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, 1948.

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Entering Jackson Hole from the east along the Blackrock Creek with the Grand Tetons in the background. Jackson Hole, Wyoming, 1948.

Alfred Eisenstaedt The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Satchel Paige When He Pitched for the Black Yankees

December 10, 2019July 9, 2015 by

Leroy “Satchel” Paige spent two decades pitching in the American Negro leagues before Major League Baseball, in 1947, began to integrate its ranks. When Paige debuted with the Cleveland Indians in July 1948, he was not only among the first black players in the league; he was also, at 42, the oldest rookie in the Major Leagues.

LIFE profiled Paige in 1941, years before joining Major League Baseball was a glimmer of a possibility. At that time, Paige pitched as a freelancer, working for whichever team would pay him the best fee. Major League pitchers, the magazine pointed out, typically played every fourth game, but Paige “pitches three games a week all season, winning most of them.”

Paige drew crowds thanks to his supreme talent—Joe DiMaggio said after facing him in a 1936 non-league game that Paige was the greatest pitcher he had ever batted against—and his outsize personality also attracted fans. He was a showman and a storyteller, bestowing playful nicknames upon his pitches (a changeup was a “two-hump blooper” and a medium-speed fastball was a “Little Tom”). And his performance seemed unaffected by his eating habits, which had him, reportedly, “consuming great quantities of ice-cold pop and hotdogs just before pitching.”

In 1971, Paige—who played his last game at the age of 59—became the first Negro leagues player inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Liz Ronk edited this gallery for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter @lizabethronk.

Paige, here suiting up for the Black Yankees of the Negro Leagues, reared way back when he threw his best pitch, known as the cannonball.

George Strock The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Paige played some boogie woogie on the piano for his teammates.

George Strock The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Paige was as popular with the kids as boxer Joe Louis or dancer/actor Bill “Bojangles” Robinson.

George Strock The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Paige liked to drive big, fast automobiles, and his cars were usually bright red.

George Strock The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Paige was tough to beat on the baseball diamond but more prone to defeat at the pool table.

George Strock The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Paige’s wife, Lucy, was from Puerto Rico. They met while he was playing ball there. She didn’t speak English well at the time of the photo, and Paige knew only limited Spanish.

George Strock The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Paige got shined, clipped and manicured on three sides at once.

George Strock The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Paige, who hopped from team to team during his Negro Leauges career, warming up before a game.

George Strock The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

The One Vintage Beach Accessory That Needs to Make a Comeback

August 7, 2021June 26, 2015 by

Outside of the Olympics and synchronized swimming competitions, it’s fairly rare to see swimming caps these days. It’s rarer still to see swim caps that give the illusion that the bather has two faces. But these poolside headpieces were all the rage in 1959, when LIFE featured them in a fashion story photographed by Ralph Crane called “Two-faced Swimmers in Crazy Caps.”

The caps were invented by a Long Island housewife, Betty Geib, to amuse her children. After they flew off the rack at a church bazaar, she started a new business, Betty Darling, selling her wares for $3 to $6. The serpent, kitty and sunflower designs, LIFE assured its readers, “are guaranteed to turn heads.”

Liz Ronk, who edited this gallery, is the Photo Editor for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter @lizabethronk.