Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
82 Fascinating Things People Found From 200 Years Ago That Bring History To Life
Every day, we come across little pieces of history without really thinking about how different the world looked a few generations ago. A building might still stand where it did centuries ago, a book may survive on a library shelf, or a painting might preserve a moment that would otherwise have been forgotten.
But seeing something that dates back exactly 200 years can make the past feel surprisingly close. Suddenly, people, places, events, and everyday objects from another era are right in front of us, offering a glimpse into a world that looked very different from our own.
That is exactly what the Reddit page 200 Years Ago is all about. Each day, people share a painting, print, letter, book, event, or another piece of history from that exact date 200 years earlier. Here are some of the most fascinating examples shared on the page, and they offer plenty of reasons to pause and take a closer look.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
21st Of June 1826. The Battle Of Diros - The Elderly And Women (‘Amazons Of Diros’) Defend Themselves Against An Ottoman Offensive In Greece
RELATED:
#2
"Moonrise By The Sea" By Caspar David Friedrich, Completed "Before November 1822"
Janissary35680 10 hours ago (edited)
One of my favorite artists. Best known perhaps for ""Wanderer above the Sea of Fog". Accompanying pic: My edited version
#3
26th Of December 1825. The Decembrist Revolt - Liberal Russian Soldiers And Nobles Attempt To Overthrow The New Tsar Nicholas I And Create A Constitutional Monarchy
#4
"Portrait Of Lady Maria Conyngham" By Sir Thomas Lawrence, Painted In 1825
#6
25th Of 1824. French King Louis XVIII's Funeral Ceremony Is Held (Pictured: His Funeral Chariot)
#8
22nd Of June 1826. The Panama Congress Opens In Panama City, Calling For A League Of American Republics, With A Common Military And Parliament
#9
Thomas Lawrence- "The Red Boy", A Portrait Of Master Lambton, Eldest Son Of John Lambton, 1st Earl Of Durham, C. 1825
#10
A Woman In A Walking Dress For November 1822
#11
12th Of September 1826. "Sketch For An Al-Bum-"
#12
20th Of March 1823. "A Gallic Beauty"
#13
John Constable, "Cloud Study 4 July 1822" Oil On Paper Mounted On Canvas. Inscribed On The Back With A Transcription Of The Artist’s Inscription: ‘Hampstead July 4 1822 Very Fine And Hot Wind. W Clouds Very High And Climbing’
#15
3rd Of September 1826. The Uss "Vincennes", Commanded By William Finch, Leaves New York City To Become The First U.S. Warship To Circumnavigate The Globe
Janissary35680 9 hours ago
Laid down in 1825, her service history included a mission to prevent the Republic of Texas from invading Mexico and a rebuffed attempt to establish US diplomatic relations with Japan. She was decommissioned, recommissioned, and decommissioned several times. Her role as a US Navy asset did not end until 1867. Details at Wikipedia: USS Vincennes (1826)
#16
1st Of December 1825. 29-Year-Old Nicholas Becomes The New Russian Tsar, Sparking Fears In Europe Due To His Expansionist Views
#18
1822. John Martin – "The Destruction Of Pompeii And Herculaneum"
#19
18th Of July 1822. The Body Of English Poet Percy Bysshe Shelley Is Washed Up On The Beach Near Viareggio. His Boat, The "Don Juan", Had Sunk In A Storm. His Body Is Cremated On The Beach In The Presence Of Lord Byron And Edward John Trelawny (Painting By Louis Édouard Fournier, 1889)
Janissary35680 10 hours ago
Byron and Trelawny at the inquest: "That's our story and we're sticking to it."
#21
4th Of March 1826. The Massachusetts Legislature Granted A Charter For The Granite Railway, Widely Recognized As The First Commercial Railroad In The United States
#22
September 27, 1821. A Rebel Army, LED By Agustín De Iturbide, Enters Mexico City To Declare Mexico's Independence From Spain
#23
27th Of September 1825. England Launches The First Public Steam Railway - Carrying Passengers And Freight Between Stockton And Darlington
#25
1823. "A Collision At The Halpoort In Brussels (Alcohol Smuggling)" Painting By Constantinus Fidelio Coene
#27
[30 January 1826] The Menai Suspension Bridge Between Mainland Wales And Anglesey Opens. It's One Of The World's First Major Suspension Bridges
#28
1822. Charles Willson Peale – "The Artist In His Museum"
Janissary35680 9 hours ago
"Come up and see my etchings. What? No, really. Paintings too. See?"
#29
September 1826. The First Issue Of Lydia Maria Child's "The Juvenile Miscellany", A Magazine For Children, Is Published In Boston. Becoming "So Popular That Children Used To Sit On Their Doorsteps Waiting For The Mail Carrier To Deliver It," It Lasts Until 1834
#31
1822. Pierre Révoil – "Mary, Queen Of Scots, Separated From Her Followers"
#32
26th Of October 1825. Breaking: The Erie Canal Opens, Providing Passage From Albany, New York To Buffalo And Lake Erie
#33
January 1822. Delegates To The National Assembly Of Epidaurus
#34
1826. The World's First Permanent Photograph, View From The Window At Le Gras, Was Captured By Joseph Nicéphore Niépce. Due To The Extremely Long Exposure Time, Likely Lasting At Least Eight Hours Or Even Several Days, No Specific Month Or Day Was Recorded
#35
18th Of August 1825. Upon Simón Bolívar's Arrival To La Paz, There Was A Demonstration Of Popular Rejoicing. Such A Fervent Demonstration By The People Touched Bolívar, Who Called The New Nation His "Predilect Daughter" And Was Called By The Peoples Of The New Republic Their "Favorite Son"
#36
17th Of September 1825. A Cartoon From The Northern Looking Glass (September 17, 1825 Edition) Showing A Skeleton Doctor Touring A Hospital Ward, In Which Skeleton Nurses Are Tending To The Mortally Ill
#37
23rd Of April 1823. London: Twelve Fully-Licensed "Cabriolets", Built By Mr. David Davies, Were Placed On The Streets. They Were Announced As Being "Introduced To The Public In Honour Of His Majesty's Birthday." (London Cab Of 1823, With Curtain Drawn)
#38
1st Of November 1822. Sydney, Australia: The Wearing Of A Log And Chain Is Introduced As Punishment For Convicts In Work Gangs
David Paterson 13 hours ago
Wow! I wasn't expecting one on this list from Australia in the 1820s.
#40
19th Of December 1825. First Of The Annual Royal Institution Christmas Lectures In London, A Tradition Which Is Still Continuing Two Centuries Later
Wonky Donkey 9 hours ago
You may notice that the audience is mostly made up of children. Michael Faraday founded the Christmas lectures as a way to inspire and educate young people. Even today, the studio audience tickets are only for 11-17 year olds.
#42
January 1823. "The Blue Devils - !!" Print By George Cruikshank
#43
23rd Of August 1822. "King George, At A Military Review On Portobello Sands, 23 August 1822" Painting By William Turner
Janissary35680 9 hours ago
From "Where's George?", the predecessor of and inspiration for "Where's Wally?" (AKA Waldo in North America.)
#44
1826. Eugène Delacroix – "Greece On The Ruins Of Missolonghi"
#45
21st Of December 1825. Wiltshire, England: Fonthill Abbey Is Destroyed When The Great Tower Collapses
#47
12 August 1821. The Newly Crowned King George Iv Of The United Kingdom Lands At Howth To Become The First Monarch To Pay A State Visit To Ireland Since The 14th Century. (George Iv On Board The 'Lightning', The First Post Office Steam Packet To Dublin, 12 August 1821)
#48
1st Of September 1826. Plate From "La Belle Assemblée", Or "Bell's Court And Fashionable Magazine Addressed Particularly To The Ladies"
Serena Myers 2 hours ago
These dresses are gorgeous, but definitely 'of their time'. Imagine having to dress up in all that gear for a trip to the post office. (The oldest operating post office in the world opened in Sanquhar, Scotland, in 1712, by the way) These days, clean knickers, trousers, socks, shoes, and a jumper for a 3 minute walk to the post office. So much less fuss! x
#49
12th Of August 1825. Simón Bolívar Enters Bolivian Territory. From That Day, By Virtue Of The Decree That Proclaimed Independence, He Became The 1st President Of Bolivia
#51
July 28, 1821: Peru Declares Its Independence From Spain
#52
April 1823. "Cupid In Hyde Park.-" Print By Robert Cruikshank
Chaos Pandas Unite 5 hours ago
Hmm, I’ve always pictured Cupid quite differently. I wonder if it’s more like ‘Cupid’s influence’ if this fellow is going courting.
#53
13th Of April 1823. According To His Official Biographer, Gustav Schilling, Eleven-Year-Old Franz Liszt Gives A Concert After Which He Is Personally Congratulated By Ludwig Van Beethoven; However, There Is No Record Of Beethoven Having Attended The Concert
#54
17th Of December 1825. Crash On The London Stock Exchange Triggering One Of The First Stock Market Crises In History
#55
July 26, 1822. Revolutionary Leaders José De San Martín And Simón De Bolívar Meet In Ecuador To Discuss The Future Of South America
#56
23rd And 24th Of October, 1822. UK: The Caledonian Canal, Engineered By Thomas Telford, Is Opened Throughout, Linking The East And West Coasts Of Scotland Through The Great Glen
#57
2nd Of September 1822. Brazil: Council Of State, Brought Together By José Bonifácio And Empress Leopoldina, Recommends Independence. (Dona Leopoldina, Then Princesa Real-Regente Of The Kingdom Of Brazil, Presides Over The Meeting Of The Council Of Ministers On September 2, 1822.)
#58
[25 August 1825] Uruguay Is Declared Independent Of The Empire Of Brazil By The Thirty-Three Orientals, A Militant Revolutionary Group LED By Juan Antonio Lavalleja
#59
27th July 1825. Ten Days Out Of Moreton Bay, Australia, The "Amity" Came Upon The Wreck Of The "Royal Charlotte", And Took On Board The Survivors. The "Royal Charlotte" Had Run Aground On Frederick Reef. (A View Of The Encampment Of The Shipwrecked Company Of "Royal Charlotte" On Frederick's Reef)
#61
1822. British Engineer George Stephenson, Inventor Of The Locomotive, Finishes The World's First Iron Railway Bridge On The Stockton-To-Darlington Line In North East England
#62
23rd Of February 1823. France: Jacques-Antoine Manuel Is Excluded From The Chamber Of Deputies Because Of His Opposition To The Planned French Expedition To Spain
#64
Westminster, July 19 1821. King George Iv Is Crowned In A Lavish Ceremony From Which Queen Caroline Is Barred, Despite The Fact That She Had Demanded To Be Crowned Alongside Her Husband
#65
March 25: The Greek Revolution Officially Begins, As Bishop Germanos Of Patras Raises The Flag Of Revolution Over The Monastery Of Agia Lavra In The Peloponnese
nm 6 hours ago
25th of March is a religious holiday for the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary. The print represents a national myth created some years after the liberation of Greece, to imply that the Revolution was under the protection of Mary. In reality Bishop Germanos was at Patras the said date, according to his memoirs. The uprising unofficially started in the rugged mountains of Mani on March 17, 1821.
#67
1822. Night Of March 26: Arrest Of The Carbonari Silvio Pellico And Pietro Maroncelli, Canvas By Carlo Felice Biscarra
#68
25th Of August 1825. The Hms Fury Was Bilged In Prince Regent Inlet, Baffin Island And Abandoned
nm 6 hours ago
Bilged = accidentally run aground and damaged her underwater hull. Bilge is the lowest internal compartment of a ship, located on either side of the keel where the bottom curves up to meet the sides and where water, condensation, oil, fuel, or leaks from machinery naturally gather.
#69
16th Of May 1823. "Symptoms Of Not Having Been Often To Church. A Caution. Amen. The Psalm"
#70
Coppermine Expedition: "'canoe Broaching To, In A Gale Of Wind At Sunrise', Canada, 23 August 1821." (John Franklin's Canoes Caught By A Storm In Coronation Gulf)
#71
21st Of October 1825. Scotland: Paddle Steamer "Comet II" Sinks Off Gourock In The Firth Of Clyde With The Loss Of 62 Lives
#73
Barges Gallinipper And Mosquito Destroy Pirates, April 1823. On 8 April 1823, The Barges Uss Mosquito And Uss Gallinipper Chased The Pirate Schooner, Pilot, Off Havana, Cuba. Driving The Vessel Ashore, The Ensuing Battle Resulted In Two Pirate Fatalities And With One Being Captured
#74
15th Of June 1826. Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II Violently Crushes A Janissary Revolt, Putting An End To The Centuries-Old Institution To Replace It With A European-Style Army
Janissary35680 8 hours ago
These are the "New Army" in case anyone's wondering. The "Janissary Revolt" the caption refers to is known in Turkish history as the "Auspicious Affair". Wikipedia: Auspicious Incident. Some of the events eerily foreshadow the 1877 Satsuma Rebellion in Japan.
#76
12th Of November 1825. New Echota Is Designated Capital Of The Cherokee Nation
Janissary35680 7 hours ago
The mother of a couple of my cousins was a Cherokee woman that one of my uncles married. I vaguely remember them talking about receiving some kind of government support payment because of her ethnicity. This was back in the early 50s.
#78
7th Of September 1825. The New South Wales Mounted Police Unit Forms To Protect Travellers, Recaptured Escaped Convicts And Suppress Indigenous Resistance To Colonisation
#79
Thomas Lawrence- "Portrait Of Charles X Of France", 1825
Janissary35680 8 hours ago
An ultra-royalist and radical monarchist. HIs attempts to Make France Great Again (MFGA™️) led to the July Revolution of 1830 and his abdication and exile. Wikipedia: Charles X of France
#80
30th Of August 1825. Death Of Heinrich Xv, Prince Reuss Of Greiz, Aged 74. During The French Revolutionary Wars He Became A General Officer And Saw Extensive Service. He Commanded A Corps During The Napoleonic Wars
#82
17th Of October 1825. The Port Of Galveston Was Established By A Proclamation Issued By The Congress Of Mexico
Add New Image
Explore more of these tags
What do you think ?
GayleRoberson 28 minutes ago
I am making a real GOOD MONEY (300$ to 400$ / hr )online from my laptop. Last month I GOT check of nearly 14,500$, this online work is simple and straightforward, don’t have to go OFFICE, Its home online job. At that point this work opportunity is for you. if you interested. simply give it a shot on the accompanying site….Simply go to the BELOW SITE and start your work… 𝙋𝙖𝙮𝘼𝙩𝙃𝙤𝙢𝙚𝟭.𝗰𝗼𝗺
Load More Replies... 
Susan Booth 3 hours ago
ʀᴇᴍᴏᴛᴇ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ɪꜱɴ'ᴛ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴀ ᴛʀᴇɴᴅ, ɪᴛ'ꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰᴜᴛᴜʀᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴡᴏʀᴋ. ᴡᴏʀᴋ ʀᴇᴍᴏᴛᴇʟʏ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴏᴡɴ ʜᴏᴜꜱᴇ. ᴡᴇ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴛʏᴘɪɴɢ ꜱᴋɪʟʟꜱ, ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴀɴ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴ 120ᴜꜱᴅ/ʜʀ. ɴᴏ ᴍᴀᴛᴛᴇʀ ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ. ʟᴇᴛ'ꜱ ɢʀᴏᴡ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏ ɢʀᴇᴀᴛ ᴛʜɪɴɢꜱ, ᴇᴠᴇɴ ɪꜰ ᴡᴇ'ʀᴇ ꜰᴀʀ ᴀᴘᴀʀᴛ… COPY HERE➤➤ 𝙋𝙖𝙮𝘼𝙩𝙃𝙤𝙢𝙚𝟭.𝗰𝗼𝗺
GayleRoberson 28 minutes ago
I am making a real GOOD MONEY (300$ to 400$ / hr )online from my laptop. Last month I GOT check of nearly 14,500$, this online work is simple and straightforward, don’t have to go OFFICE, Its home online job. At that point this work opportunity is for you. if you interested. simply give it a shot on the accompanying site….Simply go to the BELOW SITE and start your work… 𝙋𝙖𝙮𝘼𝙩𝙃𝙤𝙢𝙚𝟭.𝗰𝗼𝗺
Load More Replies... Susan Booth 3 hours ago
ʀᴇᴍᴏᴛᴇ ᴡᴏʀᴋ ɪꜱɴ'ᴛ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴀ ᴛʀᴇɴᴅ, ɪᴛ'ꜱ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰᴜᴛᴜʀᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴡᴏʀᴋ. ᴡᴏʀᴋ ʀᴇᴍᴏᴛᴇʟʏ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴏᴡɴ ʜᴏᴜꜱᴇ. ᴡᴇ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴛʏᴘɪɴɢ ꜱᴋɪʟʟꜱ, ʏᴏᴜ ᴄᴀɴ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴ 120ᴜꜱᴅ/ʜʀ. ɴᴏ ᴍᴀᴛᴛᴇʀ ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʀᴇ. ʟᴇᴛ'ꜱ ɢʀᴏᴡ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅᴏ ɢʀᴇᴀᴛ ᴛʜɪɴɢꜱ, ᴇᴠᴇɴ ɪꜰ ᴡᴇ'ʀᴇ ꜰᴀʀ ᴀᴘᴀʀᴛ… COPY HERE➤➤ 𝙋𝙖𝙮𝘼𝙩𝙃𝙤𝙢𝙚𝟭.𝗰𝗼𝗺
Related on Bored Panda
