49 Mind-Bending Historical Photos That Will Make You Feel As If You've Just Time Traveled
1.This letter confirming a soldier was missing in action during WWII is super sad but also interesting to see. Even more interesting? It turns out this man was a prisoner of war. He was released and lived until he was 83.
2.Speaking of prisoners of war — this is a self-portrait a North Vietnamese war prisoner drew in 1969. He gave it to an American patrolling a prisoner of war hospital.
3.In honor of the Olympics, here is the first Olympic torch. It's from the 1936 Berlin Olympics, where the first Olympic torch relay was held.
4.We usually use Y2K to refer to fashion now, but remember when it referred to everyone freaking out that computers would completely glitch out when the year changed to 2000?
5.These antique spice jars look a littleeeee weird now.
6.Though blush from the '50s looks pretty much the same.
7.These 1878 doodles are actually strangely comforting to me because they show that not much about human nature has changed in the last 146 years.
8.These 1925 solar eclipse glasses also make me feel weirdly connected to the people of the past, especially because NYC saw a huge solar eclipse not too long ago.
9.These Air Force goggles from WWII still have dirt on them.
10.This is what a 1944 Oscar nomination looks like.
11.Here's a draft notice for the Vietnam War.
12.And this is a booklet given to American soldiers during the Vietnam War.
13.God, I wish people had Twitter during this.
14.This person's grandpa kept a record of the places he lived, his salary and job, and the number of girls he dated, and it's a wild snapshot of the 20th century.
15.This pay stub for $19.80 — for 40 hours of work — makes me feel grateful for our salaries now (though this is a little over $300 a week, adjusting for inflation).
16.Here's what an honorable discharge from the Civil War looks like.
17.And here's what an undesirable discharge looks like from the Vietnam War.
![Official military document titled "Undesirable Discharge" certifying that David [Last Name Hidden] was discharged from the U.S. Army on December 29, 1971](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/sySiQcbELZLrYObbC9jBsg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTEyMDU-/https://media.zenfs.com/en/buzzfeed_articles_778/8684637d0b034563d3dde705012ad834)
18.Here's an identity card from a war prisoner in Normandy during WWII.
19.Here's a pocket knife from the Gulf War that warned owners against anthrax, as the US government feared anthrax would be used as a biological weapon against soldiers.
20.Here's a flyer from 1851 warning formerly enslaved people about slave catchers.
21.Here are immigration forms from the 1950s...which look weirdly familiar.
22.Did you know licenses used to be printed on cloth, at least in England? Here's one from Halifax from the 1920s.
23.In case anyone thinks vaccine cards are a new thing, here's one from the 1940s.
24.Looking forward to the DNC in a few weeks? Well, here's what a ticket looked like in 1932.
25.This old letter from the '40s signed "Heil Hitler" is superrrr weird to see.
26.As is this passport from 1938 with a Nazi stamp on it.
27.This is what Confederate money looked like.
28.This is an example of a Civil War-era envelope.
29.And here's what a Civil War-era coin looks like — this one's from 1863.
30.This 1906 birth certificate (reprinted in 2005) is super weird to see, especially because the birthplace is listed as "on the water coming over."
31.Here's what 1944 war ration books looked like during WWII.
32.This is a handmade diploma a prisoner of war in a Nazi camp was given when he was finally transferred out.
33.Here are what WWI medals looked like.
34.If you thought Marilyn only looked perfect in glamour shots, here's a regular old fan photo of her from the '50s.
35.This person was lucky enough to find a handwritten letter from King George from 1918, sent to a WWI veteran. It reads: "The Queen and I wish you God-speed, a safe return to the happiness & joy of home life with an early restoration to health. A grateful Mother Country thanks you for faithful services. George R.I."
36.Here's a newspaper from after JFK was killed.
37.And here's a 1969 newspaper right after the moon landing.
38.Relatedly, this person's grandpa was apparently friends with two of the most famous astronauts to exist.
39.Here's a 1959 letter from then-Senator John F. Kennedy, who replied to a woman's request to grant leave to one of her brothers for her wedding.
40.And here's a 1955 letter from Richard Nixon, back when he was Vice President.
41.This wallet is basically a time capsule from the '80s.
42.These wallet contents from a man killed in action during WWII are, on the other hand, very sad to see.
43.Here's an American flag with only 48 stars before Hawaii and Alaska became official US states in 1959.
44.This Japanese map of South America from 1932 shows Japanese perceptions of the continent in an interesting and slightly racist way.
45.This USA citizenship certificate from 1929 lists a woman's race as "Hebrew."
46.Here are first-aid tips from the 1940s — which are mostly still useful, except where it advises treating a sleeping pill overdose with coffee and any other poisoning with mustard, soapy water, and egg whites.*
*Egg whites and milk actually do delay absorption in cases of mercury poisoning, but the effect is only temporary, and you definitely still need medical attention.
47.This machine was almost certainly used for shock therapy in the 1970s.
48.Here's an 1899 certificate of US citizenship — in which this person renounces their allegiance to Austria's emperor.
49.And finally, did you know some dog tags from WWI were made of asbestos? Here's what they looked like.
