We’re rapidly approaching the new year, pandas, and for most of us, this is a time to look forward. In January, I’m going to start journaling every day, stop ordering takeout and make sure that I call my family at least once a week!

But it’s always a good time to take a peek back on the past too. So today, we’ve got a list of photos that might make you feel like you’ve stepped foot into a time machine. We took a trip to the Historical Capsule subreddit and gathered some of their most fascinating pics below. Enjoy scrolling through these blasts from the past, and be sure to upvote the pics that you find most intriguing!

#1 Picture Of A Brother And Sister In Chicago, 1945

Image credits: zadraaa

#2 In The 1930s, A Bank Robber Named "Pretty Boy" Floyd Was Known For Destroying Mortgage Papers On Heists, Freeing Hundreds Of People From Property Debt

Image credits: WorldofJedi727

#3 Anna Coleman Ladd, An American Sculptor Who Turned Her Skill To Make New Prosthetic Masks For Those Injured In The Trenches Of World War One

Image credits: zadraaa

The Historical Capsule subreddit has been around for less than a year, but it has already amassed an impressive 316K members. According to the group’s “About” section, members are invited to “explore fascinating old photos and videos that tell stories from days gone by, share and discuss moments that shaped history, [and] join us in celebrating the beauty of the past, one snapshot at a time.”

This community is filled with photos from past generations that might teach you more about the world your grandparents grew up in or what it was like to go grocery shopping a century ago. Even if you’re not a history buff, I’m sure you can appreciate the beauty of these photos and the fact that they’ve been preserved for so many years!

#4 Roman Monument For A Lap Dog- Inscription Says "In This Place Lies A Little Dog After An Accomplished Life, And Sweet Honey Covers His Body . His Name Was Fuscus, And He Was Eighteen Years Old. Barely Could He Move His Limbs In His Old Age . . ."

Image credits: RomanVsGauls

#5 A U.S. Serviceman Shelters A Young Injured Japanese Boy From The Rain In Saipan In July, 1944

Image credits: zadraaa

#6 It Is Quite Astounding To See The 600-Year Progression From Ancient Greek Sculptures!

Image credits: flirtydarlingfun

We’re big fans of sharing historical photos here at Bored Panda, so it’s actually not the first time we’ve featured this subreddit. And when it comes to why it’s so important to take time to look back on the past, Linked Frame notes on their blog that photography has completely changed our perception of the past.

Before we had access to photos, everything we knew about history came from stories from family members and teachers, artwork and books. Being able to see what people, places and things actually looked like has given us a much deeper understanding of those times. And we shouldn’t take advantage of that; we should continue looking through the photo albums of the past!

#7 A Young Barack Obama Spending Time On The Beach With His Grandfather. 1963

Image credits: zadraaa

#8 A Buddha Statue In Afghanistan Before Its Destruction In 1992

Image credits: zadraaa

#9 Gazes From Greek Statues, All Around 2,000 Years Old. The Different Eye Colors Were Achieved By Using Paint Or Different Colored Gems

Image credits: zadraaa

Photography has also become an incredibly important tool for social change. Once images started appearing in the news, we weren’t able to turn away from atrocities. And people suddenly had a better understanding of important cultural moments. It’s one thing to know that people were starving during the Great Depression. It’s another, much more heartbreaking realization to see photos of emaciated children and struggling mothers. 

#10 Pouring The Foundation Of The Eiffel Tower, 1887

Image credits: zadraaa

#11 East German Soldier Helps A Little Boy Sneak Across The Berlin Wall, August 13, 1961

Image credits: funkitxo

#12 Late 19th Century Portrait Of A Father And His Daughter

Image credits: zadraaa

Of course, photography also helps us understand ourselves! Societies and cultures are constantly changing. But if you can look back on what your ancestors looked like and how they celebrated holidays, you might be able to put the puzzle pieces together and figure out where your own traditions came from. At the same time, these photos can be saved for future generations to see as well, so your great-great-great grandchildren will be able to understand where they came from too.  

#13 A Fashionable Baby Stroller In West Berlin, C. 1950

Image credits: zadraaa

#14 One Cowboy And One Cowgirl From The 1880s

Image credits: zadraaa

#15 Marine Private First-Class Jerry W. Garner Of Mississippi, 19, Wears The Helmet That Saved His Life When His Gun Team Assaulted An Enemy Position 10 Miles South Of Da Nang, 1969

Image credits: ZERO_PORTRAIT

Viewing a powerful photo can even be an emotional experience. Perhaps you see an image of an important historical moment that you vividly remember witnessing on the news or hearing about while sitting in the office on your lunch break. When we see photos of these moments, we can instantly be transported back to them and filled with the same emotions we felt back then, whether that was fear, elation, devastation, etc.

#16 "Ex-Campus Writer Hits The Big Time". A Picture Of Steven King From 1975

Image credits: zadraaa

#17 Tippi Hedren, Renowned For Her Role In The Birds, And Her Husband Noel Marshall Lived With Their Daughter Melanie Griffith And A 400-Pound Lion Named Neil. 1971

Image credits: zadraaa

#18 Daguerreotype Of A Young Lady With Great Hair. It Must Have Taken Hours To Style It. Photo From The Late 1890s

Image credits: zadraaa

One important point that Linked Frame brings up on their blog is that, nowadays, we rarely see any photos that haven’t been manipulated, or at the very least, edited. And what’s worse is that we sometimes can’t tell the difference between a photoshopped image and something that was snapped right from a camera. 

Old photos are magical in the way that they just are. Sure, we can colorize them or attempt to make the images clearer. But we know that women weren’t edited to have smaller waists, and cities weren’t photoshopped to look more appealing. 

#19 Images Of Life Across Iran In The 60s And 70s Portray A Vibrant Kingdom Ahead Of The 1979 Islamic Revolution

Image credits: zadraaa

#20 A 12-Year-Old Jodie Foster With Her Body Double And Sister, Connie, On The Set Of ‘Taxi Driver’, 1975

Image credits: zadraaa

#21 Bedouin Girl With Face Tattoos In Al-Karak, Jordan, 1907

Image credits: zadraaa

Living in this day and age, we are extremely privileged. We all have the opportunity to create our own, personal photo archives in our phones and on our social media accounts. But because of that, we have a responsibility to share what we want future generations to be able to see. Have you ever considered the fact that your grandchildren may be able to hop onto Facebook and see photos of you at your high school prom? It’s probably a good idea to look at your pages and make a decision about what you really feel comfortable with others seeing. 

#22 Representatives Of The Health Corps Interview Rural Village Women, 1970s. During The Latter Half Of The Pahlavi Era, Iranian's Women's Literacy Rates Improved At A Rate Of 15% Per Decade, And The Number Of Women Enrolled In Higher Education Increased 1500%

Image credits: mrhuggables

#23 Miss Universe, Miss Germany And Miss Sweden In A 1957 Photo

Image credits: zadraaa

#24 British Civilians Take Cover From German Bombs In Aldwych Tube Station In London During The Blitz, 1940

Image credits: zadraaa

We hope you’re enjoying this scroll through the past, pandas. Keep upvoting the pics that you find especially captivating, and let us know in the comments below what your favorite images from the past are. Then, you can find another Bored Panda list featuring this same subreddit right here!

#25 A Pair Of Hammerhead Sharks Depicted In The “Oki National Products Illustration Notes” During The Edo Period In Japan, 1735

Image credits: zadraaa

#26 In 1953, The 634-Foot-Long (193m), 70- Foot-Wide (22m) Marine Angel Transited The Chicago River

Image credits: zadraaa

#27 Three Successive Telegrams That My Great Grandma Saved (1944-45): That Her Youngest Child Is Mia After His B17 Was Shot Down Over France, That He Is A Pow Of The German Government, And Finally, That He Has Been Liberated By The Allies. 4th Photo Is Him With His Siblings ~1930 (In The Striped Suit)

Image credits: RPnina

#28 Finding Some Shade In France. An Autochrome From 1910. (An Original Color Photograph)

Image credits: zadraaa

#29 Passengers Boarding The British Airship R101. (Cardington, England, In The 1920s.)

Image credits: zadraaa

#30 Bmw Isetta Microcar. Germany 1955

Image credits: zadraaa

#31 Early Photographs Show The Mickey Mouse Club From The 1930s

Image credits: WorldofJedi727

#32 An 11-Year-Old Girl In Ghor Province, Afghanistan Sits Beside Her Fiancé, Estimated To Be In His Late 40s, At Their Engagement Ceremony Shortly Before The Couple’s Marriage In 2005

Image credits: zadraaa

#33 Two Girls Pose With Their Dead Mother, While A Victorian Father Mourns His Baby. The Woman On The Right's Cheeks Have Been Tinted While Her Deceased Toddler Remains Pale

Image credits: flirtyhottiefun

#34 Soviet Union Red Army Infantry Marching Through The Main Street Of Kiev, Ukraine, Following The Liberation Of The City From German Forces. 1943

Image credits: zadraaa

#35 Inside A German Ub-110 Submarine (The Control Room). C. 1918

Image credits: zadraaa

#36 Jane Mansfield, Husband Mickey Hargitay And Family In Positano, Italy. (Early 1960s)

Image credits: zadraaa

#37 Chernobyl Disaster Liquidators On The Roof Of Reactor No. 3, 1986. Photo By Igor Kostin. The White Stripes At The Bottom Of The Photo Were Due To High Radiation Levels

Image credits: Lahinaca

#38 Portrait Of Big Foot, A Yankton Sioux Warrior. United States, Around 1870

Image credits: MunakataSennin

#39 The Goodwin Family, All Eight Members Tragically Perished In The Sinking Of The Titanic, 1912

Image credits: zadraaa

#40 The Golden Arrow Was The Car That Set A Speed Record Of 372.46 Km/H, 1929

Image credits: sdfewfw

#41 A Doll Dealer From London, 1920s

Image credits: AmaraDream31

#42 Farah Pahlavi, Former Empress Of Iran (1959–1979), Celebrated For Her Elegant Style That Blended Persian Heritage With Western Influences

Image credits: zadraaa

#43 Teen Girls Having Fun At A Pajama Party In The 1950s

Image credits: zadraaa

#44 "Taking The School Bus In West Linn, Oregon, 1904."

Image credits: zadraaa

#45 Venice Beach California Is 1976

Image credits: zadraaa

#46 Mars Selection Box From Christmas 1971 Containing A Mars Bar, Twix, Treets, Milky Way, Marathon, Spangles And Treets

Image credits: zadraaa

#47 Men Traveling On A Harley-Davidson Motorcycle With Sidecar In Liège, Belgium, 1925

Image credits: zadraaa

#48 "Train Your Moustache" - An 1891 Advertisement From The Strand Magazine

Image credits: zadraaa

#49 Street Trading Of Debris From The Berlin Wall In West Berlin. 1990

Image credits: zadraaa

#50 In 1994, 26-Year-Old Model Anna Nicole Smith Married 89-Year-Old Billionaire Oil Tycoon J. Howard Marshall II. Despite Their 63-Year Age Difference, Smith Claimed Their Relationship Was Built On Genuine Love

Image credits: zadraaa

#51 Frenchmen Trying Coca-Cola For The First Time, 1950

Image credits: zadraaa

#52 A Klm Flight In 1950

Image credits: MeeranQureshi

#53 Hydrogen Bomb Explosion Crater. USA, Nevada 1967

Image credits: Aserinaca

#54 Giant Inflatable 'Pinocchio' From The 13th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade In New York City, 1937

Image credits: zadraaa

#55 A Ford Model A Pick Up Waits For A Train To Pass At A Railroad Crossing, 1930

Image credits: zadraaa

#56 Photographer Margaret Bourke-White Taking A Photo From The Top Of A Building In 1935

Image credits: zadraaa

#57 Soldiers Join Locals For The Fall Grape Harvest In Riquewihr, France, 1939

Image credits: Pvt_Larry

#58 Eye Clinic In Tainan, Taiwan, 1962

Image credits: zadraaa

#59 A Bicycle-Powered Gas Station In An Area Left Without Electricity After A Connecticut Hurricane, 1938

Image credits: rfrdgfyfh4r5t4

#60 A Western Tourist Who Paid To Take A Photo With A Samurai Armor On (1890). Probably The First Documented Weeb In History

Image credits: MatteoFire___

#61 A Man In A Cangue In Shanghai, Circa 1870. The Cangue Was A Device That Was Used For Public Humiliation And Corporal Punishment In East Asia Until The Early 20th Century

Image credits: zadraaa

#62 Three United Airlines Stewardesses. Check Out The Specifications For Their Profession. 1948

Image credits: Ebonystealth

#63 Valentine Tapley, Vowed In 1860 To Never Cut His Beard Again If Abraham Lincoln Was Elected President. Here He Is,in 1896

Image credits: MeeranQureshi

#64 Standing Under The Gallows Where He Will Be Hanged In A Few Short Moments, Stjepan Filipovic, Leader Of A Group Of Partisans, Calls Upon The People To Fight The Traitors Of Their Homeland. Valjevo, Serbia, May 22nd, 1942

Image credits: ZERO_PORTRAIT

#65 George And Willie Muse, Two African American Brothers Who Were Kidnapped As Children In 1899 And Forced To Perform As Sideshow Attractions Because They Were Albinos

Image credits: zadraaa

#66 The Remains Of The Kindergarten Classroom After The Chernobyl Disaster 1986

Image credits: Knotera1

#67 Psychiatrist Wilhelm Reich Declared The Existence Of A Universal Healing And Revitalizing Force, Called Orgone, And Created Devices, Such As This Booth, To Capture And Administer It. He Was Fined And Eventually Jailed In 1957

Image credits: ZERO_PORTRAIT

#68 A Man And A Lion Share A Look At The Woodland Park Zoo Feline House. Seattle, 1951

Image credits: doritosteelcage

#69 Krispy Kreme In The 1960s

Image credits: brolbo