People baffled at 'time traveller holding mobile phone' in 1940s beach snap – Daily Record
At first glance, the busy beach scene appears normal – but one detail has people questioning what’s really going on.
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People on social media have been left baffled after spotting a supposed 'time traveller' in a picture taken way back in the 1940s.
The busy beach snap, which was taken in Cornwall during the Second World War, is packed full of sunbathers and families soaking up the rays on deckchairs and on the sand.
It appears perfectly ordinary at first – that is, until you spot the gentleman dressed in the brown suit in the middle of the picture, as he seems to be distracted by something that wasn't invented until decades later.
The image was taken on Towan Beach, Cornwall, and posted online by Stuart Humphrys, the Mirror reports.
He tweeted: “British war workers escape to the seaside – this Cornish beach was photographed in September 1943. (It would be lovely if one of you were able to identify which beach!)”
However, users were quick to notice an unusual detail in the seemingly normal scene.
Getting the date wrong, South London History replied: “Er…is it just me or is this guy checking his phone…..in the 1950s?”
Dr Kevin Purcell added: “Good catch. It’s clearly the man in the shot is a time travelling tourist checking his mobile device. Finally the evidence we need that time travel is real. We now see things in old photos that we missed before but now we know they’re phones now that we have them.”
Gerald Jackson added: “Shows how much beachwear has changed! Jacket, tie and hat? Mind they did that when I was a kid in the 50s.” But Mr Humphrys wasn’t convinced, saying: “I think that chap is rolling a cigarette!”
This isn't the first time history buffs have seemed to notice modern touches in old pictures, art and films.
Back in 2010, someone who appeared to be using a mobile phone was caught in an old Charlie Chaplin film.
George Clarke, a Belfast filmmaker, saw the odd sight and uploaded the clip to YouTube. It shows a short clip from DVD extras included with Chaplin’s 1928 silent film The Circus. But looking closely, it appears a woman walks past nattering into a phone glued to her ear – although some argued that it was a portable hearing aid.
And even the CEO of Apple, Tim Cook, once admitted to seeing an iPhone in a 347-year-old painting called "Man Hands a Letter to a Woman in a Hall' by Pieter de Hooch.
He saw the painting at an Amsterdam museum and later said in an interview: "I always thought I knew when the iPhone was invented, but now I'm not so sure anymore."
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