After a week of grisly headlines, sometimes we need to just bask in the beauty of everyday people. Few things conjure up more joy than summer. Whether it’s going to the beach (when it’s allowed), cooling off at the pool or dancing at a block party, we’ve always found ways to celebrate while the sun is shining. Join us as we take a trip down memory lane and revisit the smiles, ice cream cones and swimsuits of yesteryear. 

 

New York City

Three young girls pose on Bond Street in 1974. (Danny Lyon/National Archives)

Kids beat the heat at Koscuisko Pool on July 4, 1974. (Danny Lyon/National Archives) 

Another scene at Koscuisko Pool in summer 1974.  (Danny Lyons/ National Archives)

Three boys clown for the camera in Lynch Park in 1974. (Danny Lyons/National Archives) 

Two Lynch Park-goers in 1974. (Danny Lyons/National Archives) 

Kids play at Jacob Riis beach in 1974. (Danny Lyons/National Archives)

Chicago

Girls cool off with the fire hydrant in the Woodlawn section of Chicago in June 1973. (John H. White/NARA via The Atlantic)

Participants in the Bud Billiken Day Parade along Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd in August of 1973.  (John H. White/NARA)

Hundreds turn out for the annual Bud Billiken Day Parade along MLK Drive. (John H. White/NARA)

Swimmers beat the heat on Lake Michigan in August 1973. (John H. White/NARA)

A family enjoys a picnic at 12 Street Beach on Lake Michigan, August 1973. (John H. White/NARA)

 Los Angeles

Verna Williams and partner at Santa Monica Beach in 1931. (Courtesy of Shades of L.A.)

A Samoan family in Carson in 1971. (Courtesy of Shades of L.A.)

Students celebrate the last day of school at Hoover Street School in 1976. (Courtesy of the Los Angeles Public Library)

Teachers on the last day of school in 1967. (Courtesy of the Los Angeles Public Library)

          Miss Watts 1967 and her court wave to the crowd. (Courtesy of the Los Angeles Public Library )

San Franciso

Two men hit the San Francisco streets in the 1970s. (Courtesy of Carlotta Boettcher)

Ice cream time in the 1970s. (Courtesy of Carlotta Boettcher)