TiffyTaffy
TiffyTaffy
November 19, 2024 ·  12 min read

50 Photos From “Historyfeels” That Might Teach You More About Our Past

When was the last time you had a history lesson? Perhaps it was watching a documentary or listening to a podcast centered around prominent events in the past? Or maybe you recently visited a museum that taught you more about your own country or city’s history? Regardless of how much you know about the world’s past, the beautiful thing about history is that there is always more to be learned!

If you’re interested in some photos that will give you more insight into our planet and the fascinating people in it, you’ve come to the right place. Down below, we’ve gathered some of the most captivating posts from the “Historyfeels” Facebook page that might make you feel like you’ve been transported to another time and place.

Be sure to upvote the photos that teach you something new, and feel free to share more historical fun facts you know in the comments section. Then, if you’re looking to continue your education, you can find a previous Bored Panda article featuring photos that belong in a history museum right here.

Grover Krantz Was An Anthropologist Who Donated His Body To The Smithsonian Museum To Show How Skeletons Can Be Educational Tools

His only condition was that he wanted his beloved dog next to him even after death. The museum honored his request.

Teaching Each Other Their Respective Cultures

A Statue In Istanbul To Honor Tombili, A Famous Stray Cat. Tombili Would Sit In This Position And Watch People Pass By

Although history is only what’s in the past, it’s simultaneously never ending. We could study the history of one specific place for a lifetime and still not fully understand the richness of its story, as our lifetimes are only a small sliver of time compared to how long our world has existed. And while it’s impossible to know everything, it’s quite fascinating to learn as much as we possibly can. But we don’t all have time to dedicate to reading history books and visiting museums around the world on the regular. For some of us, even just learning little bits of history on Facebook is much better than nothing.

The Historyfeels Facebook page is so great because it is so accessible. A quick scroll through their feed can teach you a wide variety of historical fun facts, and you’re likely to remember these tidbits of information because they’re always paired with a captivating image. Historyfeels has amassed 143k followers since its launch and describes itself as a page dedicated to “posting the forgotten people, events and powerful moments of history”. We hope you enjoy your scroll through this list and that you too keep these snapshots from history from being forgotten.

On August 23, 1989, About 2 Million People From Latvia, Estonia And Lithuania Formed A Human Chain

It united all 3 countries to show the world their desire to escape the Soviet Union and communism.

Wedding Dress Made Out Of The Parachute That Saved Her Husband’s Life In Wwii

This Mirror Portrait Was Taken 100 Years Ago In Japan

One of the most important reasons to study history is because it always inevitably repeats itself. I’m sure your teachers in school told you this from a young age, and perhaps you rolled your eyes at the implication that you could prevent the next World War or that you were responsible for keeping democracy alive. But it is important that we all understand history and how our world became what it is today. According to MOOC.org, one of the main reasons we study history is to understand how it continues to impact us nowadays.

“Take the Great Depression, for example—one of the most difficult but impactful periods in American history,” MOOC notes on their blog. “The economic crisis put almost 15 million people out of work and sent countless families into homelessness, stealing their sense of security. Many of those people would feel insecure for the rest of their lives. The government had to learn how to help. This effort gave rise to Social Security, federal emergency relief programs, and funding for unemployment efforts. These changes continue to make life more secure for millions of Americans. Society today comes from hundreds and thousands of actions like these. The more you learn about how these things happened, the better you understand real life.”

Marilyn Monroe Visiting Injured Troops In Japan In 1954. Unfortunately For This Soldier, He Had A Broken Back And Had To Heal Facedown

1954 Camper With A Detachable Boat That Doubles As The Roof

Royal Portuguese Reading Room, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. It Opened To The Public In 1883

MOOC also explains that history is not simply a study of others, it’s a study of us. We’re not so different from our ancestors, and by viewing them as “others”, we risk feeling like we’re immune from making the same mistakes they did. But as Spanish philosopher George Santayana once said, “Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it.” The people who came before us shaped our world, created the societies we live in and gave us the traditions we continue to uphold or decide to challenge today. Understanding history also allows us insight into why some societies thrive while others fail, why humans have gone to war so many times and how we have changed society for the better. Without taking time to analyze the past, we would never have innovation or make improvements.   

Photos Of A Sixteen-Year Old German Anti-Aircraft Soldier During WW2

The O’halloran Sisters, Armed With Poles And Boiling Water, Fended Off The Officers Evicting Their Family During The Irish Land War, 1889

When Both Sides Of The Eurotunnel First Met In 1990

Studying history also gives us context for the human experience, MOOC explains. Without knowing that there have been global pandemics throughout history, such as the flu pandemic during 1918-1919, we might have had no way of knowing whether or not the COVID-19 pandemic would wipe out the entire population. It would be terrifying to experience something like that without any knowledge of people living through a similar situation in the past. But thankfully, we have historical records. We know that this has happened before, and although the COVID-19 pandemic has been a tragic and frightening situation, we can find comfort knowing that other humans have been through this before. Many of them survived and learned from it, and now we will be even more prepared the next time a pandemic occurs.  

Blackfoot Native Americans Looking Out Over Glacier National Park In Montana

Reed was part of an early 20th century school of photographers (along with his better known contemporary Edward Curtis) of Native Americans known as ‘Pictorialists’. Their passion was to show the lives and culture of Native Americans which was ‘gradually vanishing’. Reed lived with and photographed the Ojibwe in Minnesota; the Blackfoot, Piegan, Flathead, Cheyenne, and Blood in northern Montana and southern Canada; and the Navajo and Hopi in Arizona

Indian Air Force Helicopter Unit 116

Urban Planning Before Autocad

If you’re interested in learning more about history, you’re lucky we live in such a technologically advanced time. Nowadays, we can research anything we want just by hopping onto the internet. And the more historical events we know about, the more we can think critically about the world’s past and how all of these occurrences tie together. MOOC notes that learning history is not simply about memorizing facts and dates, it’s about understanding why things happened. “Take the fall of Rome, for example. In the Roman Empire’s last years, the central government was unstable yet the empire continued to spend money on expansion,” MOOC notes.

Hanako Was A Koi Fish Who Died At The Age Of 226

In 1966, two of her scales were removed and extensively studied to determine her age. She was the longest living koi fish (circa 1751 – 7 July 1977)

Oldest Door Still In Use In Rome, At The Pantheon

Cast in bronze for emperor Hadrian’s rebuilding, it dates to about 115 AD. Each door is solid bronze 2.3 m wide & 7.5 m high, yet so well balanced they can be pushed or pulled open easily by one person

Afghan Streets, 1979

“Outside groups like the Huns and Saxons capitalized on that instability and invaded,” MOOC continues. “The empire had split into East and West, further breaking down a sense of unity, and Christianity was replacing the Roman polytheistic religion. When you become a student of history, you learn how to process facts like these and consider how one event affected the other. An expanding empire is harder to control, and invasions further tax resources. But what caused that instability in the first place? And why did expansion remain so important? Once you learn how to think this way and ask these kinds of questions, you start engaging more actively with the world around you.”

Siberian Unicorn, ‘Elasmotherium’, Which Went Extinct 29,000 Years Ago

Soba Noodle Delivery In Tokyo, 1935

The Arctic Ocean Photographed In The Same Place, 105 Years Ago vs. Today

One interesting benefit of understanding history that you might not have considered is that it can protect people from falling prey to conspiracy theories. The Important Site notes that conspiracy theories tend to spread much more rapidly during times of stress or chaos. But when you actually understand historical context and what is causing major changes in the world, you will know that there is not some big conspiracy behind it all. Conspiracy theories can not only be untrue, but they can also be dangerous, as they sometimes lead to real-world violence. If you have a firm understanding of history, you won’t be susceptible to falling down a YouTube rabbit hole and claiming that the world is flat or that vaccines are evil… 

Self-Defense Glove For Ladies. London, 1850

The Herculaneum Papyri Are More Than 1800 Papyri That Were Carbonized By The Eruption Of Mount Vesuvius (79 Ce)

constituting the only surviving library from antiquity that exists in its entirety. Now using new x-ray technique, these scrolls are being read for the first time in millennia

Although the internet is a treasure trove of information, one thing to be aware of when researching history online is the fact that it can be manipulated to fit an agenda. There are many things that certain groups would prefer not to remember,” the Important Site notes. “We can see this happening in places like the United States, where teaching about slavery and race has been controversial for decades. History textbooks contain multiple errors, omissions, or interpretations that downplay slavery. Recently, many states are passing laws that ban critical race theory in schools, but the definition isn’t clear and could lead to teachers being penalized for simply teaching about race. History is at the center of this culture war.” Be sure to get your information from reliable sources, and check your facts. 

Mt. Rushmore Unpresidented, 1905

 Now housed at the Vasa Museum in Stockholm, is the world’s best preserved 17th century ship

High-Rise Installer On One Of The Largest Bridges In The World, The Harbour Bridge, Sydney, 1971. The Installer’s Name Is Paul Hogan, In 15 Years He Will Be Known As “Crocodile” Dundee

Lady And Her Horse On A Snowy Day In 1899

An Open Air School In 1957, Netherlands

In the beginning of the 20th century a movement towards open air schools took place in Europe with classes taught in nature, so that students would benefit physically and mentally from clean air and sunlight.

A Couple Of Victorian Travelers, 1890s

Maybe The Smartest People Ever Assembled In One Photo. Seventeen Of Them Are Nobel Prize Winners

Einstein is in the middle and Marie Curie two seats to the left. She won prizes in two separate scientific disciplines – still the only person have done so – 5th Solvay Conference on Quantum Mechanics, 1927. Photo was originally black and white and has been colorized

2000 Year-Old Roman Mosaic In Zeugma, Turkey

Farmers “Arrest” The Sheriff Who Was Attempting To Evict A Woman From Her Farm On Behalf Of An Insurance Company. Michigan, 1952

The Ishtar Gate, Built By The Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar II In Mesopotamia In 575 Bc

It was finished in glazed bricks mostly in blue and it was part of a grand walled processional way leading into the city. It’s now preserved in the Pergamon Museum, Berlin.

In 2010, A Family Discovered A Hidden Ancient Chappel Under Their House In Shropshire, England

Where The Great Wall Of China Meets The Sea

This Is Yuri Valentinovich Knorozov, The Soviet Ethnographer Who Deciphered The Mayan Writing System, 1980

The Inside Of A 1926 Rolls-Royce

Theodore Roosevelt’s Only Diary Entry On Valentine’s Day Of 1884, On The Day Both His Wife Alice And His Mother Martha Died, Just Hours After Each Other

This Is How The Head Of A Spear Went Through A Bone During The Roman Gallic Wars. It Still Remains In The Bone After 2070 Years

Nobuo Fujita, A Japanese Pilot, Was The Only Person To Ever Bomb The Contiguous Us. After The War, He Was Invited Back To The Same Town He Bombed (Brookings, Oregon)

Once there, Fujita offered his family’s katana to the mayor, as a token of remorse and humility.
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Hours before sunrise off the coast of Oregon in September of 1942, there was movement on a submarine. It was nine months after the attack on Pearl Harbor and a team of Japanese sailors were quickly assembling a seaplane on the deck.
Next to them was a catapult for takeoff and a crane to pick the wheel-less plane from the sea after the mission – they were going to bomb the coast as retaliation for what was known as the ‘Doolittle raids’ which had struck Tokyo months prior.
30 year-old fighter pilot Nobuo Fujita had wanted to bomb LA or San Francisco – but had been told by his superiors to target Brookings, Oregon.
Fujita would ignite the forest, engulfing a chain of towns, drawing valuable resources away from battle and inciting fear throughout the West Coast.
But Oregon conditions wouldn’t allow it. It was wet and the bombs fizzled in the damp woods.
The crew packed away the plane and headed back West.
20 years later, a group of Brookings businessmen invited Fujita back for the towns’ Memorial Day celebrations.
When Fujita arrived, he gifted his families prized 400-year-old samurai sword to the town.
Brookings and Fujita forged a bond that lasted the next 3 decades. The town made him an honorary citizen in 1997. He passed away just days later at 85 years old.
A tree had been planted in the place where Fujita dropped the bombs, his daughter spread his ashes at the location. She said she felt his soul would be flying over the forest forever.

A Boy Stares At A TV Screen For The First Time, 1948

Children At An Early 1900s Playground

Woman Taking A Selfie In 1900. The Camera She Is Holding Cost $1

The “Hasanlu Lovers” Died Around 800 B.c. And Were Discovered In 1972. They Died In What Seems To Be An Embrace Or Kiss, And Remained That Way For 2800 Years

World War 1 Observation Posts Disguised As Trees

A Child’s Carseat From 1950s

A Room From The Excavated Ruins Of Herculaneum – Destroyed During The Eruption Of Mount Vesuvius In 79 A.d

Archeologists And Workers Pose In 1894 In Front Of The Well Preserved Statue Of Antinous (130 Bc). It Was Unearthed Near The Temple Of Apollo In The Sanctuary At Delphi, Greece

A ‘Knocker-Up’ In London (1929). Before Alarm Clocks, People Were Paid To Wake Up Clients For Work By Knocking On Their Doors And Windows With A Stick

Welsh Royal Guard Falling Down Due To The Extreme Heat, None Of The Others Rescued Him To Not Break Their Rules, 1957

Written By: Adelaide Ross and Indrė Lukošiūtė
This article was originally published on boredpanda.