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An iconic 1945 photo shows American soldier Ivan Babcock jokingly wearing the Crown of the Holy Roman Empire.

The photo was taken inside a mine in Siegen, Germany, which the Nazis had used as a secret storage facility to protect precious works of art from bombing.
April 1945, near the end of World War II. Babcock wrote in his diaries that he wore the crown as a joke, despite sensing the object's incredible historical significance.

The Crown of the Holy Roman Empire. The relic, also known as the Reichskrone, is one of the most important jewels in European history. It was probably made in the 10th century (circa 962 AD) for the coronation of Otto I.