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83 Old Photos Of America So Charming That You Might Wish You Could Hop In A Time Machine
Have you ever felt the ache of looking at a photograph of a place you have never been, in a time before you existed, and feeling like you have lost something anyway? Old American photos do this better than almost anything else. The chrome diners with the rotating pie displays and drive-in movie theatres with the speakers hooked over the car window- they ooze nostalgia.
The archive of vintage America is vast, and the Yesterday in America page has elected itself as a curator of the finest images. These photos were collected from across the decades, and they can trigger something inside you whether you grew up in America or not. And even more weirdly, whether you were alive or not! So, step into our time machine thread and reminisce about the good old days, regardless of whether you were part of it.
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#1
Vending Machines In 1960
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#2
International House Of Pancakes In 1968
#3
1967 Oldsmobile 70-X Toronado
Laszlo Larthlanc 3 hours ago
385 horsepower, and the first production front wheel drive car in America.
#4
Long John Silver’s Menu In The 1970s
#5
Wendy’s Tabletop In The 1980s
#6
This Dairy Queen In Charlotte, North Carolina Opened In 1947. It Is The Oldest Location Left In North Carolina And The Third Oldest In The Southeast
Tessa Dawn 5 minutes ago
This may be a dumb question, but how can North Carolina be considered Southeast?
#7
Baskin-Robbins In 1986
Googoo Gaga 10 hours ago
I want their ice cream cake now. Don 't have BR where I live., waaah.
#8
Los Angeles International Airport In The 1960s
#9
A Kitchen In The 1970s
#10
McDonald's Advertisement In The 1970s
#11
A Rum Machine In The 1950s
#12
Seattle In The 1970s Original Source Not Identified
Ervin Conn 7 hours ago
That car wash is still there AFAIK. Hard to miss a giant pink elephant.
#13
Jack In The Box In San Diego In 1952
#14
Las Vegas In The 1970s
Googoo Gaga 10 hours ago
My comedian uncle opened for some headliners in Vegas, but the city has never tempted me to visit.
#15
Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour In 1972
#16
Grocery Shopping At Piggly Wiggly In The 1960s
#18
Southwest Airlines' Stewardesses In 1971
#19
International House Of Pancakes In The 1970s
Laszlo Larthlanc 2 hours ago
They kept those copper colored coffee pots full, and at the local one it was decent coffee. Never weak.
#20
Gas Station Attendant In 1970
TheBadHalfofHel 3 hours ago
Jersey girls don't pump gas. (New Jersey is the only state in the US where it is illegal to pump your own gas.)
#21
Arby’s In 1967
#22
Burger Queen In The 1950s
nottheactualphoto 11 hours ago
Broasted chicken! The broaster was a sort of pressure cooker; hot oil under pressure. It was a product, sold to restaurants under that name.
#23
Elias Brothers Big Boy In 1967
#25
Kmart In The 1960s
Laszlo Larthlanc 2 hours ago
They were slightly cheesy in a few ways, but they were affordable and when they had various hot food items available they were pretty much a one-stop shopping center, especially if you had kids with you. A huge thumbs down to vulture capitalist Eddie Lampert for destroying K-Mart and Sear's in order to walk away grinning while counting his cash.
#26
Shopping For Appliances In 1968
Rudie Cant Fail 11 hours ago
Chances are one of those ovens is still kicking around somewhere today
#27
Boeing 307 Aircraft Operated By Pan American World Airways In The 1940s
#28
7-Eleven In 1979
#29
Denny's In The 1970s
#32
Sambo's In The 1960s
#33
Bonanza In The Early 1970s
#34
Hickory Farms In The 1970s
TheBadHalfofHel 3 hours ago
The place to buy all those 'weird relatives' a cheese and summer sausage Christmas box.
#36
1965 Oscar Mayer Commercial
TheBadHalfofHel 3 hours ago
Come on! You know the jingle just went through your mind! Sing it with me! 🎶🎵Oh I wish I were an Oscar Mayer wiener .....🎵🎶
#37
Stewardesses For Pacific Southwest Airlines In The 1970s
#38
Wendy's In 1974
#39
Jc Penney In 1972
#40
McDonald's In 1974
nottheactualphoto 11 hours ago
I worked at a McDonald's around that time. They are both missing their name tags, and both of them have obviously never worked the grill. The girls at my store did not have that strange-looking apron thing.
#42
Roy Rogers In 1969
#44
The Works Bar At Burger Chef In The 1970s
#45
1994 Denny's Advertisement
#49
Captain D's In The 1970s
#53
Grocery Shopping At Kroger In 1982
#54
Kentucky Fried Chicken In 1976
#55
Walmart In The 1970s
Geoffrey Scott 5 hours ago
Too bad there's no pic of Meijer in the 60's. Little Dutch boy mascot and all. Ours had 3- 40 yd dumpsters in the parking lot for glass, metal, aluminum recycling (Saginaw Hwy, Lansing, Mi). Mezzanine with barber shop, beauty shop, bank branch, and cafeteria.
#59
1974 Ford Pinto Advertisement
#60
Howard Johnson's Dining Room In The 1960s
#61
Shakey's Pizza In The 1970s
Laszlo Larthlanc 2 hours ago (edited)
Ours had really, really good pizza, and there were railroad tracks that ran down the middle of a major city street right in front of the restaurant. They were a spur used to deliver lumber to the big lumber yard next door. It messed up traffic beyond belief, especially during the unloading process. Big excitement for kids. :-)
#64
Waffle House In 1965
#67
Zayre In The 1970s
#68
Mervyn's In The 1970s
Laszlo Larthlanc 1 hour ago
I miss that store. Kohl's kind of filled the niche locally, but the men's clothing selection just isn't the same.
#69
Grocery Shopping At A&p In The 1970s
Laszlo Larthlanc 1 hour ago
The only one I knew of still had its original wooden floor, and the whole store smelled like freshly ground coffee when you walked in. Man, that floor was noisy!
#70
Shopping At The Mall In The 1970s
#71
Wendy's In 1974 In 1970, Wendy's Became A Pioneer With The Introduction Of The Very First Drive-Through Window (Although They Originally Called It A Pick-Up Window)
#72
Cereals From The 1960s
#73
1968 McDonald's Advertisement
TheBadHalfofHel 3 hours ago
🎶🎵Two all beef patties, special sauce, cheese, lettuce, pickles on a sesame seed bun! 🎵🎶
#75
1970s Chi-Chi's Lunch Menu
#76
Pup 'N' Taco In The 1960s
Laszlo Larthlanc 1 hour ago
OMG! I totally forgot about these! There used to be one on Hollywood Blvd, south side of the street, between Vine & Gower.
#77
Breakfast At McDonald's In The 1980s
nottheactualphoto 11 hours ago
Theses are examples of the reality looking better than the advertising picture.
#78
1964 Kellogg's Pop-Tarts Advertisement
TotallyNOTAFox 9 hours ago (edited)
Not going to lie, the old design of the boxes looks way better than what we have now
#79
S&h Green Stamps Redemption Center In 1965
TheBadHalfofHel 3 hours ago
I still can remember the taste of the S&H green stamps when you had to lick and stick in the books for Mom.
#80
Takeout From Pizza Hutt In 1976
#81
Dunkin Donuts In The 1950s
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What do you think ?
Multa Nocte (she/her 8647) 11 hours ago
I groan because I was alive for all but two or three of these and they almost all bring back memories.
Multa Nocte (she/her 8647) 11 hours ago
I groan because I was alive for all but two or three of these and they almost all bring back memories.
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