If you were anything like me as a kid, you probably didn’t pay close attention in history class. Memorizing dates and names seemed like such a bore, and my teachers could not manage to get the importance of the subject through my thick skull. But now that I’m an adult, I am fascinated by learning more about the world’s past, so I’m doing everything I can to catch up on those lessons I slept through via “Daily Dose Of History” pics.
Lucky for me, there are plenty of online resources available to increase my historical knowledge, including the Historic Daily Dose Instagram page. Below, we’ve gathered some of our favorite posts from this page dedicated to ensuring you don’t become Vitamin-History deficient. Be sure to upvote the ones you find most interesting, and feel free to pass them along to your friends and family! (H/T)
01. I Truly Think This Photo Speaks For Itself. This Was What Job Hunting Was Like In The 1930s
02. Venus The Bulldog, Mascot Of The Destroyer Hms Vansittart
03. William Harley And Arthur Davidson, 1914
Your Daily Dose of History is the perfect place to start if you want to refresh or expand your knowledge of the world’s past. The account has been posted over 600 times and has amassed 11.6k followers. From photos of The Great Depression to heartbreaking pictures from war zones, these images are not always easy to see. Still, they’re important reminders of past events that should never be forgotten. And if you’re wondering why you need a daily dose of history in the first place, Making History writes on their site, “It is not just useful, it is essential.”
“Understanding the linkages between past and present is basic for a good understanding of the condition of being human,” Making History explains. “All living people live in the here and now, but it took a long unfolding history to get everything to NOW. And that history is located in time-space, which holds this cosmos together and frames both the past and the present.” Without studying history, we would have little to no context for ourselves and everything we experience. History is a living, breathing subject that we should all be invested in studying.
04. This Photo Shows What New York Looked Like Back In 1903
05. A 106-Year-Old Armenian Woman Shows That She’s More Than Capable Of Defending Her Home, 1990
06. African American Soldiers Of The Us Army 41st Engineers During The Color Guard Ceremony At Fort Bragg, North Carolina
According to a study conducted by the American Historical Association, some of the top reasons the public cares about studying history are a desire to be more informed about past events, finding learning about past events entertaining, and the belief that experience and knowledge about history are essential to share with children. Unfortunately, 8% of the survey’s respondents were not interested in learning about past events. This may have something to do with the fact that most Americans’ educational experiences regarding history have heavily relied on learning names, dates, and facts rather than asking questions.
91% of Americans believe that fact-based education discourages students from learning more, which I wholeheartedly agree with. Nobody, especially kids and teens, want to be forced to memorize facts without understanding why they’re essential. So it’s no wonder many of us must make up for the lack of historical knowledge we gained in school as adults. That’s where Historic Daily Dose comes in, dear readers. We hope you’ll learn something from this list that will inspire you to ask more questions!
07. Seeing How Many People You Could Pack Into A Phone Booth Was What Teens Did Before The Internet, 1959
08. This Is Queen Elizabeth During Her WW1 Service
09. A Police Officer On A Harley-Davidson Transports A Prisoner In A Mobile Holding Cell (1921)
Having a more significant curiosity about the past might even mean you’re more interested in civic engagement. The American Historical Association found a link between those interested in being more informed about the history and those who want to share that information with children and those involved in community problem-solving. An even more vital link was found between those who value historical knowledge and those who participate in volunteer work. It seems like the more we understand the past, the more we care about taking care of the future of our world and making it a better place, as well.
10. A Lucky British Soldier Smiles As He Shows Off His Damaged Helmet, 1917
11. This Is What Some Of The World Leaders Looked Like As Children
12. There Have Been Several Movies About German Submarines And How They Looked Back In The Day, But Here Is An Actual Photo Taken From 1918
In a previous A&D article, we contacted Susan and Beckett, co-hosts of The History Chicks podcast, to hear why they believe remembering our past is so important. Their show shines a light on some of the fascinating women in history who are often overlooked, so the co-hosts shared how it came to be in the first place. “We launched the show in 2011 after Beckett realized there were not only no podcasts on a subject she wanted to learn about (Gilded Age Heiresses), but there were none about Women’s History in general,” they previously told us. “Uttering, ‘How hard could it be?’ she contacted Susan. Twelve years later, we laughed because we knew the answer to her question was, ‘Pretty darn hard, starting with a nearly vertical learning curve.'”
13. I Thought This Was A Pretty Cool Photo. Pictured Below Is An American M3 Lee Going Airborne On An Obstacle Course
14. On September 3, 1967, Or “H-Day” As It Was Called, Sweden Planned To Switch From Driving On The Left Side Of The Road To The Right Side. This Is What Happened
15. This Photograph, Taken In 1942 By Life Magazine Photographer Gabriel Benzur, Shows Cadets In Training For The U.S. Army Air Corps, Who Would Later Become The Famous Tuskegee Airmen. The Tuskegee Airmen Were The First Black Military Aviators And Helped Encourage The Eventual Integration Of The U.S. Armed Forces
“Our favorite part of studying history is discovering the interconnectivity of it all,” Susan and Beckett shared. “That people in history aren’t all that different from us, they just lived in different times, and those times (and people) connect to modern-day in the most interesting ways.”
16. Yes, Believe It Or Not, This Is One Of The Pipes That The Hoover Dam Consists Of
17. These Two Bullets Were Found After The Battle Of Gallipoli, Which Started In 1915 And Ended In 1916 During WW1
The Turks still consider their victory at Gallipoli a defining moment in the nation’s modern history. Eight years later, the Turkish war of independence broke out, led by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Ataturk was a commander at the battle of Gallipoli
18. Nikola Tesla Sitting In His Laboratory With His “Magnifying Transmitter.”
We also asked Susan and Beckett if they could share some of the most widely spread historical fallacies they were taught or have heard. “For starters, people who did Big Things usually didn’t do them alone,” they noted. “Paul Revere, for example, wasn’t the only one traveling with a message that night (and he didn’t shout ‘the British are coming because people would have just thought he was coming from a pub since everyone in the Colonies was British.).”
“Sybil Ludington did a similar ride in Connecticut, truly alone, all on a horse, and remained uncaptured, and she was only a teenager at the time,” Susan and Beckett told us. “It’s a way cooler story, but history often only remembers the people with the sizzle, or the louder mouths or, like in Paul’s case, their names rhyme with enough words for Henry Wadsworth Longfellow to write a poem about him nearly 100 years after the fact.”
19. Yes, This Is What Halloween Looked Like In The Year 1900. What Are Your Thoughts?
20. The Making Of Batman In 1966
21. A Member Of The State Militia Faces Off Against An African-American Veteran During The 1919 Chicago Race Riot. July 27, 1919
“Sometimes embellished (or truly fake) stories are remembered because they are convenient or romantic, and telling them sweetly and simply allows people to accept the behavior,” the co-hosts explained. “It makes the story less messy and less true, like the story of Pocahontas. There was no romance with John Smith. He was a scoundrel, for starters, and she was a kid when their paths crossed. She was later kidnapped by the British, forced to change her identity, ignore her Powhatan heritage, and marry a white man, but those facts are often omitted.”
“Sometimes propaganda justifies mistreatment,” Susan and Beckett pointed out. “By making someone sound of worse character than they were, it lets us think, ‘They deserved what they had coming.’ Dismissing them with a catchy, oft-repeated, and fabricated phrase like, ‘Let them eat cake,’ which Marie Antoinette never said, is very effective in reshaping history to fit a purpose.”
22. A Shell-Shocked Reindeer Looks On As War Planes Dropped Bombs On Russia In 1941
23. Pictured Below Is A Woman Wearing A Gas Mask And Pushing A Gas-Resistant Pram In England During 1938
24. Salvo The “Paradog” Completing A Parachute Jump During Training
Dogs accompanied D-Day troops dropped behind enemy lines, sniffing out mines, traps, and troops. They were given two months’ intensive training, including how to angle themselves in the air — “forepaws up and rear legs down.” On the day of the drop, some dogs had to be encouraged out of the plane with the aid of a two-pound chunk of meat
So why is it important to learn history accurately? “It’s important so that we don’t perpetuate half-truths, misconceptions, and downright lies,” the History Chicks told us. “To understand history, we have to see the whole story, not just the soundbites of history. If we repeat an oversimplified version lacking perspective and context, we only think we know the whole story but are not even close. And here’s a riddle: Can history repeat itself if the history we’re repeating is wrong and incomplete?”
25. Perhaps One Of The Most Popular Photos Of D-Day, This Helps Show The Brutality The Allied Forces Had To Endure
This photo, entitled “Into the jaws of death,” on the other hand, brings the event to life by offering the perspective of allied soldiers about to storm the beaches and make history
26. Yes, This Is What Ice Delivery Was Like In 1918
27. Pictured Below Are Us Army Rangers Awaiting The Invasion Signal Of Northern France, Also Known As Normandy, In A Landing Craft At An English Port During June Of 1944
And if you’re looking to further your history studies and correct any false tales you’ve been taught, Susan and Beckett say, “The greatest resource available to anyone is a library card. It gives you access to passionate advocates for knowledge (commonly known as ‘librarians’) and to apps like Libby, which are packed with digital resources you can access from any place you have an internet connection.”
“We think a great place to start learning history is small: with one person,” the co-hosts shared. “Learn about that person, and you will understand their times, limitations, societal challenges, geography… Their world. Learning about that world will always lead you to another.”
28. The Hindenburg Disaster Occurred On May 6, 1937
The German passenger airship LZ 129 Hindenburg caught fire and was destroyed during its attempt to dock with its mooring mast at naval air station Lakehurst in Manchester Township, New Jersey, United States. Of the 97 people on board (36 passengers and 61 crew members), there were 35 fatalities (13 passengers and 22 crew members). One worker on the ground was also killed, raising the final death toll to 36
29. This Grotesque Photograph Of A Fish May Put You Off Just A Little Bit. Taken In 1903, It Marks An Important Day In The History Of Fishing
As it were – because on this day, Edward Llewellyn broke the world record for the most potent sea bass ever caught. He single-handedly caught the Mammoth fish weighing a whopping 425 lbs
History is a fascinating subject, and we’ll never run out of content to study. But for now, it’s nice to see digestible little snippets of the past through pages like Historic Daily Dose. Keep upvoting the pics you find most captivating. Then if you’re looking to continue learning about the history, you can find another A&D article featuring pics from long ago right here! We hope this list has taught you, readers, something new and that you’ve enjoyed getting your daily recommended allowance of historical knowledge.
30. The Expanding Fireball And Shockwave Of The Trinity Explosion, Seen .025 Seconds After Detonation On July 16, 1945
31. The Painting Of The Eiffel Tower In 1932
32. Yes, This Is Also What Kids Used To Do For Fun. This Photo Shows A Young Girl Riding An Alligator In The 1920s
33. This Photo Depicts Hugo Gernsback Wearing His “Teleyeglasses” In 1963
Gersnback, an inventor of such innovations as a combination of electric hair brush/comb and a battery-powered handheld illuminated mirror, is best known to science fiction fans as the founder of amazing stories magazine
34. Men Of The British Expeditionary Force Safely Arrive Home After Their Arrival In Flanders On June 6, 1940
More than 330,000 soldiers were rescued from Dunkirk in the mission code-named operation Dynamo
35. Photo Taken In January Of 1952
From Dresden’s Muenzgasse street showing people working on removing debris in front of the ruins of the Frauenkirche (church of our lady). The church was reduced to rubble during world war II allied bombings
36. There Are Several Instances Where Moms Have Tried To Sell Their Kids For Cash
This photograph dates somewhere between the late 1940s and early 1950s of a ‘for sale’ advertisement where four kids were being sold off by their parents. The man and woman were in dire poverty and had no other means of making money
37. Invented In The 19th Century, The “Mass Shaving Machine” Can Shave A Dozen Men Simultaneously
Eric Sykes, an English comedian, demonstrated the device on an unaired pilot for a TV series about 1800s innovations
38. Pictured Below Are Kittyhawk Fighters Of The American Volunteer Group Flying Near The Salween River Gorge On The Chinese-Burmese Border On May 28, 1942
39. Two German Soldiers And Their Mule Wearing Gas Masks In Wwi, 1916. I’m Not Too Sure How That Worked Out For The Mule
40. An Unidentified American Soldier, Shot And Killed By A German Sniper, Clutches His Rifle And Hand Grenade In March Of 1945 In Coblenz, Germany
41. Dr. Wernher Von Braun
An aerospace engineer that was a leading figure in Nazi German rocket technology, and then United States rocket technology, was photographed standing in front of five F-1 rocket engines circa 1969
42. Pictured Below Is The Testing Of A New Type Of Bulletproof Vest In 1923
43. Pictured Below Is The Children’s Khorovod, Also Known As Barmaley Fountain, Located In Stalingrad
44. If You Think Something Smells Fishy, It Could Be Because This Epic Historical Photograph Features A Taxidermist’s Preservation Of The Massive Catch
This giant sea creature was caught off the coast of New Jersey in 1933. It allegedly weighed more than 5,000 pounds!
45. Over The Body Of A Dead Comrade, Canadian Infantrymen Advance Cautiously Up A Narrow Lane In Campochiaro, Italy On November 11, 1943
The Germans left the town as the Canadians advanced, leaving only nests of snipers to delay the progress
46. Pictured Below Are Men Working On M3 Lee Tanks At The Detroit Arsenal Plant In Michigan, United States. Date Is Unknown
47. Belgians Blasted This Bridge Across The Meuse River In The Town Of Dinant, Belgium, But Shortly After, A Wooden Bridge Built By German Sappers Was Standing Next To The Ruins On June 20, 1940
48. During The Invasion Of Sicily By Allied Forces, An American Cargo Ship
Loaded with ammunition explodes after being hit by a bomb from a German plane off Gela, on the southern coast of Sicily, on July 31, 1943
49. Pictured Below Is Russian Photographer Yevgeny Khaldei (Center) In Berlin With Soviet Forces, Near The Brandenburg Gate In May Of 1945
50. Nazi Motorcyclists Pass Through A Destroyed Town In France During 1940
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