1.
Let’s hope this emergency drinking water from the Cold War era doesn’t make a comeback when we enter the collapse of American society (or have we already?).
2.
These might soon look familiar to us, too.
3.
On a lighter note, here’s the book you see during the opening credits of Snow White. Yes, it’s a real book, and yes, it’s still around!
5.
The demonstration of portable computers from the ’80s is super funny to see, considering what we would consider portable computers now.
6.
Computers were even more bulky in the 1970s.
7.
Old ads are always super fascinating to me — like this 1942 ad encouraging carpooling.
8.
Ever wonder how old playing cards are? Here’s the oldest surviving complete set — from the 1400s.
9.
Did you know that the Allies used inflatable tanks in WWII to A) make it seem like they had more tanks than they did and B) hide the fact that they were preparing to invade Normandy on D-Day?
10.
Here’s another GIF showing how light — yet realistic — they were.
11.
I feel like not enough people realize that the true horrors of the concentration camps were mostly revealed at the end of/after the war.
12.
Perhaps this doesn’t feel all that old, since the KKK is unfortunately still around, but this letter from the KKK to a man who damaged their sign in protest still feels like a cool bit of history.
13.
Here’s what a purple heart from WWII looks like.
14.
This has got to be one of the weirdest cereal box prizes of all time – it’s a Lone Ranger Atomic Bomb ring from the ’40s that is actually radioactive.
15.
Radioactive items were actually not all that uncommon back in the day. Uranium was used in the glaze on these plates, for example.
16.
It was also fairly common for uranium glass to be used in the 1800s and early 1900s, especially when it came to perfume bottles. The glass actually glows under a UV light.
17.
I bet when you think of Tokyo, you imagine crowded streets of neon signs flanked by huge skyscrapers — which is why it’s wild to see this photo of Tokyo featuring the famous Tokyo Tower surrounded by one and two-level houses.
18.
Did you know the US made a special edition of the dollar coin from 1979-1981? The other side featured Susan B. Anthony — making it the first US coin to feature a real historical woman.
19.
Old newspapers have always been such an interesting snapshot of history to me, and this Washington Post issue is no exception. It’s especially heartbreaking to see the death count listed as “hundreds” rather than the actual thousands.
20.
This newspaper from 1945 is a fair bit happier.
21.
In an even lighter newspaper snapshot, it’s fun to look back and see the movie ads from this 1980 paper.
22.
Being a pharmacist sure has changed a lot — here’s a look at a bunch of bottles from a pharmacist from the ’50s.
23.
What kind of stuff might a pharmacist or doctor give you in the early 1900s? Well, cocaine, for starters.
24.
Another treatment for coughs was heroin. Yep, HEROIN.
25.
NYC subway cars looked superrrr different in the ’80s.
26.
This is what a document proving a formerly enslaved person was free looked like before the Civil War.
27.
This list of job requirements for a woman are genuinely pretty sad to look back on now.
28.
This German copy of Faust also makes me sad. It was found in the trenches in 1918, and its owner likely died.
29.
Have you ever seen a gun that started an entire world war? Now you have!
30.
It’s super weird to see telegrams, considering all the ways we have to communicate quickly and efficiently from almost anywhere now. This notice of a woman’s death feels especially impersonal.
31.
It also feels weird to look back on old campaign items. “I like Ike” feels a little less memorable than Make American Great Again, if I’m being honest, as much as I hate that slogan.
33.
I’m not as shocked that we never learned about this CIA-issued toolkit for spies that can be hidden in your butt in case of capture.
34.
These hourly pay rates for railroad workers in the US in 1923 are…sad to see now. Though, to be fair, $1.22 is around $23/hour today.
35.
TIL in London in the ’40s, they would do gas exercises for civilians to prepare for gas attacks from Germany.
36.
I also learned that some planes had WICKER seats back in the day??? Oh, and check out the first example of an in-flight film.
37.
One more thing I learned today? Due to high inflation during the Civil War, people began hoarding their coins, leading to a huge shortage. Businesses began issuing tokens made of copper instead, which were used by customers in place of real money.
38.
The contents of the wallet of a man killed in WWII are a fascinating yet heartbreaking snapshot of life back then.
39.
Here’s a drawing from a Vietnamese prisoner of war from 1969 that also makes me sad.
40.
This lighter from a soldier in Vietnam is also super sad to me.
41.
As is this letter a soldier in Vietnam sent home on his birthday.
42.
On a lighter note, this letter from John Steinbeck to Marilyn Monroe made me laugh — though it’s unconfirmed if it’s real (it was found in Monroe’s possessions, though!).
43.
This photo of kids engaging in remote learning — over the radio — from 1937 (due to the polio epidemic) makes me feel weirdly connected to the past.
44.
This old smoking ad is very, very ironic, considering what we know now.
45.
As a huge LOTR fan, I’m super jealous of this fan who wrote to Tolkien in 1959 and actually got a letter back.
46.
This letter from then–President Bill Clinton to a 10-year-old who wrote him is less cool but still interesting.
47.
This photo from Afghanistan of female medical students — and a female professor — is very, very sad to see now.
48.
This passage from an 1800s book that offers a treatment for masturbation — including cutting your hair short and sleeping on a hard bed and pillow with ice on your neck — is kind of disturbing.
49.
Seeing anything that still exists from hundreds of years ago also makes me feel super connected to the past — like this graffiti stating the date (the day of the battle of Bunker Hill) in this old house in Massachusetts.
50.
Similarly, check out this cannonball still stuck in a wall from the Revolutionary War!
51.
You can still see bullet holes from World War II in this courtyard in Germany. Cool, right?
52.
I also have a niche interest in old versions of brands that are still around today. Check out these crayons from the early 1900s!
53.
Ever wonder what a license for sex work from the 1800s looked like? Here ya go!
54.
How about a reference letter from the 1800s?
55.
This is what a WWI victory medal looks like. These were given to members of the US who fought in the war.
56.
Here’s what a Red Cross pin from WWII looks like.
57.
This is far more recent, but these cell phones from the ’90s are super funny to see now.
58.
And it’s laughable now that a 9-gig hard drive cost over $4000 in the ’90s.
59.
This countdown to y2k is also funny to see.
60.
It’s always weird to see things manufactured in countries that don’t exist anymore. Like these cigarettes from the Soviet Union.
61.
And this knife from Czechoslovakia.
62.
This stuffed animal from West Germany is similarly odd to see now.
63.
This Australian passport from when Australia was still under British jurisdiction is also very strange to see.
64.
And finally, this corn husk doll this person’s grandmother made when she was young is actually super impressive, and I can’t believe it lasted this long. Who needs Barbies when you have one of these?
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