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People Are Sharing ‘Then And Now’ Pics On This Page To Show How Time Changes Things (40 New Pics)
The subreddit r/OldPhotosInRealLife is pretty much the closest thing we have to a time machine. Its 596k members are constantly comparing past and present through rephotography — the act of taking a photo of a place that has already been photographed before. The end result is like a portal, fusing together two different periods.
After we at Bored Panda published our first story on this online community, we've kept an eye on it and quickly realized that its earlier posts weren't a fluke. From overgrown Machu Picchu in 1915 compared to the site in 2020 to visitors in The Metropolitan Museum Of Art in 1910 and 2019, r/OldPhotosInRealLife consistently features interesting angles, presenting things in a different perspective to the one we're used to.
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#1
The Big Oak; Thomasville, Ga (1895/2020)
RELATED:
#2
My Family Farm C.1900/2000. It Was In Our Family For 125 Years. My Childhood Bedroom Window Is In The Top Center. It Was Also My Father’s And My Grandfather’s Bedroom
As I wrote in my previous piece, most of these photos portray not only the passage of time but human progress as well. City skylines keep expanding, people within them switch from horses to cars... But that's just the visuals. How do we actually calculate our advancement?
For this task, many use the Human Development Index (HDI). The HDI provides a single index measure to capture three key dimensions of our development: a long and healthy life, access to knowledge, and a decent standard of living.
#3
Ancient Greece Before And After Excavation
Debbie Barnes 4 years ago
You would never have thought that nature would completely cover a Colosseum to that extent. You can almost hear the roars of the crowds and imagine scenes from a different world..
#4
Craftsmanship
The Human Development Index utilizes four key metrics:
- life expectancy at birth – to assess a long and healthy life,
- expected years of schooling – to assess access to knowledge for the young generation, 3) average years of schooling – to assess access to knowledge for the older generation, 4) gross national income (GNI) per capita – to assess the standard of living.
#5
Here Is My Great Great Grandfather’s Nashville House In 1896, Two Years Before My Grandfather Was Born. This Picture Has Always Been In The Family Of Course, But Only Today Did I Use Google Maps To Look Up The Address And Find It How It Looks Today. I’m Thrilled That I Found It
#6
The Golden Cross Inn, Coventry. 1819 vs. Now
In 2019, the United Nations Development Programme used the HDI to find out which countries are the most developed. The first place went to Norway, Switzerland came in second, and Ireland was third. The US tied the UK for the 15th spot.
Naturally, the HDI -- just like most similar metrics -- has been criticized. Mostly, for the alleged lack of consideration of technological development or contributions to human civilization. But it remains one of the most used measures worldwide to calculate how advanced countries are. Until rephotography takes over!
#7
Visitors In The Metropolitan Museum Of Art, Viewing Painting (Emanuel Leutze’s Washington Crossing The Delaware - 1851) 1910 And 2019
#8
The Berlin Wall Fell 31 Years Ago Today!
Dynein 4 years ago (edited)
To this day, the position of the wall is marked on the ground all the way from one end to the other. By the more noteworthy places there are information boards. If you ever go to Berlin and want to get a broader picture of the town, I recommend a Berlin Wall hike - take public transport to one end of the Berlin Wall (Memorial or East Side Gallery), then follow the line on the ground all the way to the other end. Takes you to all kinds of places, from famous landmarks to back alleys. It's a day trip, but if you don't mind walking and love to explore for the sake of exploring, it's really worth it.
#9
Hiroshima 75 Years Ago
#10
Machu Picchu, Peru. 1915 & 2020
#11
Amazing Looking Home Restored In Detroit. 1993 And Now
#12
Czech Out Prague 1910 And 2020
Couch potato 4 years ago
The first photo is what claustrophobic people wished it looked like in the second photo
#13
Milan, Italy 1950s And 2021
DarkAngelNic 4 years ago
Well years ago there was no or barely any regulation on emissions like there is now. That is why there is a damn hole in the ozone layer that is slowly repairing.
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Katinka Min 4 years ago
Ah, the good old days. When our grandparents coul barely breahte their air.
Kathryn Baylis 4 years ago
Just look at the difference catalytic converters and unleaded gasoline have made. Imaging how much better it’ll be when we go totally electric!
Giamaica 4 years ago
the first picture is in the 60s or later for sure, in the 50s we didn't have that much of cars in the street and also the 500 giardiniera (second car from right) was built in the late 60s
José Costa 4 years ago
True, Giardiniera was from 1960~68. Plenty of them around still, as functioning collectors pieces, going in Netherlands between 10 to 15 thousand Euros depending on the condition.
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Martha Higgins 4 years ago
Love the vehicle-free pedestrian zone that is there now. The Duomo di Milano is gorgeous
TheFakeSteveRogers 4 years ago
Wait a Second. Tuk-Tuk Autos? In Italy? Surprising! The Most common transport in India is a Piaggio Auto-Rickshaw, as we call in India.
José Costa 4 years ago
Not a tuk-tuk at the time. Guess where the Piaggio originally comes from... Still very much used all over Italy. Convenient for many one-person businesses, especially in the smaller towns with plenty of narrow streets. It's essentially a modified Vespa scooter. Italians are quite fond of the Ape (bee) and its mother Vespa (wasp) 😁. Check wiki images
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Luna 4 years ago
Because that area is now a "zona pedonale", cars aren't allowed there.
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Paloma Vita 4 years ago
My maternal grand-father was from Milan... I love the ethereal vibe of the first pic and wish the second one also had sunlight. But a wonderful cathedral in all ages.
Sheila Stamey 4 years ago
That's where they clewnrd the buildings because of the smog buildup, a few years ago, correct?
#14
Hick's Court, St Ives, England - 1888 And Today
#15
English Tank In The Streets Of My Town, 1945-2021
#16
Town Square In Uelzen, Lower Saxony, Germany- During The Battle Of The Rhine, April 1945 And 2021
#17
Van Gogh’s ‘Cafe Terrace At Night’ From 1888 And Present
#18
Today vs. Childhood Memory
Debbie Barnes 4 years ago
That is literally the nearest you'll get to a time machine. I love this..
#19
In 2005, Some Friends And I Found The Road To Jabba's Palace Off Twenty Mule Team Canyon In Death Valley, Ca
#20
Church St. Martin In Cologne, Germany 1946 And 2021
#21
Theodore Roosevelt Would Be Proud
Kathryn Baylis 4 years ago (edited)
You can actually see where some parts of the falls have worn away in 115 years. Not a huge amount, but noticeable if you look close enough.
#22
Curtiss C-46 Commando, One Of Pablo Escobar / Carlos Lehder’s Drug Smuggling Planes Near Norman’s Cay In The Bahamas, After 35 Years Submerged In Saltwater
#23
The Royal Crescent, Bath, UK. 1829-2020. Built 1774
#24
The Main Entrance To The City, York, England 1865 - 2015
#25
It Hasn't Changed Much In 157 Years, Aside From The Platform Height And Electrification. The World's Oldest Undeground Station, Baker Street! *saxophone Plays In The Distance*
Roxy Eastland 4 years ago
It's easy to criticise the London Underground, e.g. why isn't it running 24 hours a day in this day and age? So it's worth being reminded just how old it is and what the expectations were when it was built. It doesn't have double tracks, so one can keep the service running while the other is being maintained at night, because no one in 1863 anticipated hoards of people wanting to travel around London at 3.30am
#26
Court Of The Lions, Granada, Spain - 1840 And Today
#27
Abandoned Restaurant In Petrópolis, Brazil (1960's And 2013)
#28
The Royal Mile, Edinburgh, Scotland - C.1847 And Today
#29
Unfinished Manhattan Bridge In 1908 And Now
#30
Buenos Aires, Argentina [1925, 1980, 2002, 2021]
![Buenos Aires, Argentina [1925, 1980, 2002, 2021]](https://www.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/before-after-old-photos-real-life-45357-61518e2e37dd5__700.jpg "Buenos Aires, Argentina [1925, 1980, 2002, 2021]")
#31
Kraków, Poland (1939 And 2010s)
Kathryn Baylis 4 years ago (edited)
So happy they kept the electric trolleys, instead of converting to stinky busses.
#32
Brihadisvara Temple, Thanjavur, India. 1798 Lithograph By Thomas Daniell And 2016. Built Between 1003-1010
#33
Arch Of Constantine In Rome, 1943 (Taken By My Grandfather), And What It Looks Like Today
#34
Stonehenge: 1877 And 2019
#35
Woodstock Festival Site- 1969 / 2020
#36
St Francis Of Assisi Church
#37
A Former Public Bath In Wuppertal, Germany, Now A Brewery And Beer Hall. 1993 vs. 2019
#38
Hong Kong’s Kowloon Peninsula 1964 - 2016
#39
Trains At Harper's Ferry, Wv In 1947 And 2021. The 1947 Image Taken By Ed Wittekind, 2021 Image Shot By Me In The Same Exact Spot
#40
Fresh Prince Basketball Court 1990 vs. Now
#41
1916 - 2016, Outdoor Theater, Bucharest Romania
#42
Cologne, Germany 1944 vs. Now
#43
Empire State Building In The 30s And Now
#44
Old House In Omaha Nebraska
Kathryn Baylis 4 years ago
Only difference, outside at least, is that there was more open land around it in 1890. Now it looks like they have neighbors.
#46
Aleppo, Syria, 2010 vs. 2020
#47
Mcsorleys Ale House NYC In The Present And 1937
#48
The Main Entrance To Tivoli In Copenhagen, Denmark. 1900 - 2018
#49
My Great Grandfather Built This House In Elizabeth Nj Circa 1900 When It Was Surrounded By Nothing But Farmland Next To How It Appears Today
#50
Xanten, Germany 1945 vs. Now
#51
Titanic Dry Dock 1912 And 2015
#52
Grand Central Terminal, NYC. 1912 Top, 2021 Bottom.
#53
Lombard Street, San Francisco, Ca 1922 - 2018
#54
Chernobyl (1984-2011)
#55
6th Century Statue "Taller Buddha" In 1963 And In 2008 After Destruction. In 2001 The Statue Was Destroyed By The Taliban
#58
Western Metal Supply Co Building, San Diego, California
Analyn Lahr 4 years ago
If that's Qualcomm Stadium as it says right there next to the US Bank sign, it used to be known as Jack Murphy Stadium or the Murph. Padres and Chargers used to play there , I believe. Then the Padres got a brand new stadium. Not long after the Chargers left San Diego. I don't know for sure but I think the fact they didn't get a new stadium too played a part. Don't yell at me if I'm wrong, I don't actually care about sports. And I don't live in San Diego anymore.
#59
My House About 100 Years Ago And This Year
#60
Lithuania. Kaunas. Street Then And Now.
Random Anon 4 years ago
This looks like a transportation terminal. Like a bus and train station. Good job preserving a piece of old architecture.
#61
1944: American Soldier Of The 5th Infantry Division In Montrabot, Normandy, France. 2020: Dave In Montrabot, Normandy, France.
#62
Sydney, Australia 1890 - 2019
#63
Caen, France- 1944 And Now.
Kathryn Baylis 4 years ago (edited)
Amazing which buildings survived and were restored. Wonder if they still show scars from the war.
#64
Bir Singh Dev Palace, Datia, Madhya Pradesh, India. 1882 And 2018. It Was Built In 1662.
Kenny Kulbiski 4 years ago
Maybe it's just the angle of the picture but there seems to be more of it now.
#65
1955-2021. Vilnius, Lithuania
#66
1911 vs. 2015. Vladimir, Russia. (Photo From 1911 Is Not Colorized, Taken By Colour Photography Pioneer Prokudin-Gorsky
Kathryn Baylis 4 years ago (edited)
The really noticeable thing about the advancement of color photography isn’t necessarily the richness of the color—-the 1911 colors are beautiful—-but the sharpness of the image. In the 1911 photo, you can see the building, but not a lot of its details, almost like it’s in a haze. Those details absolutely pop in the 2015 photo. Even the individual clouds pop, in comparison.
#67
Grangemore House, Ireland (First Photo Taken Sometime Mid-1800's)
#68
What An Abandoned Mansion Looks Like As It Deteriorates When It's Not Cared For Between 1965 And 2012
#69
Tokyo Japan 1945 vs. Now
#70
New York Harbor: Top Photo By My Great-Grandfather In 1937, Bottom Photo By Me In 2019
#71
Montparnasse Station, Paris, After A Derailment In 1895 And Present Day.
#72
Rio De Janeiro 1880 X 2020
#73
A World Heritage Site, The Old City Of Sana'a, Yemen Has Been Inhabited For More Than 2500 Years. Before And After June 12, 2015
#74
We Lost Joey Ramone 20 Years Ago Today. Here Is Ramones Pictured Outside Cbgb July 15 1975
#75
Chicago 1930s vs. Chicago Today
#76
Uschc Barque Eagle In Baltimore Harbor, 1971 & 2015
Kathryn Baylis 4 years ago
The very much needed second span of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge was still under construction then.
#79
Former Swimming Pool At The White House Is Now The Press Briefing Room
Kathryn Baylis 4 years ago
Jen Ptaki seems to be doing a good job of dunking certain asshole reporters there. You know, the ones who open their mouths and drop a doocey.
#80
A Landmark In My German City During The 3rd Reich vs. Now
#81
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
#82
The Castle Of Ha Ha Tonka Missouri, 1940 And 2021.
#83
Clint Eastwood As 'The Man With No Name' At Sad Hill Cemetary In Burgos, Spain While Filming The Good, The Bad And The Ugly. 1966 vs. 2020
#84
I Found The Rock In Jersey Where French Writer Victor Hugo Took This Photo Around 1852-1855
#85
Toronto And Its Cn Tower. 1974 - 2017
#86
Vilnius 80 Years Ago
#87
Lower Manhattan 1921
#88
Hollywood High School In Los Angeles In 1941 And Now
Kathryn Baylis 4 years ago (edited)
Palm tree on the right got a lot higher and probably leans a lot now** (looks like the one on the left had to be replaced recently), as did the plants on the school property (except, again, those they have been replaced). **Weird optical illusion when you look down any palm-lined street in L.A., because the taller the palm trees, the more they lean, and lean uniformly to boot. Makes you think you’re the one who’s off-kilter.
#89
These Stills From Home Alone 2
#90
Inside Bruce Lee's Apartment In Brentwood (1966 And Modern Day)
#91
Rotterdam, The Netherlands During German Occupation 1940-45 And Again Today
Kathryn Baylis 4 years ago
The bar’s still on the corner, though. Maybe under different management, and trying to appeal to a different crowd, but still there.
#92
Home Of The Wright Brothers. 7 Hawthorn Street, Dayton, Oh, USA
#93
The Corner Of 49th St & 3rd Ave, Manhattan 1940 vs. 2021
#94
Bondi Beach, Sydney. 1910 - 2017
#95
An Abandoned School In Taiwan
#96
A Crowd Of People Look Up Just As The South Tower Of The World Trade Center Collapses (September 11th, 2001)
Kathryn Baylis 4 years ago
I still choke up (not a pun, it still makes me want to cry) when I think about that day.
#97
Genesis Band At The Central Park 1973 - Present
Kathryn Baylis 4 years ago
Is it just the perspective, or has the rock been worn down by 50 years of asses sitting on it?
#98
A German Officer Among The Ruins Of Saarbrücken - 1945 / Present
ADHORTATOR 4 years ago (edited)
that's my hometown! The theater in the background was a gift from Hitler...
#99
Singapore, 1991 vs. 2018
#101
First Mcdonalds In Canada Then (1967) And Now. (2021)
#102
Tremont Street In Boston, 1890s And 2014
#103
Kent State University, Kent, Ohio (May 4, 1970 - Today)
#104
Disneyland Main Street. Anaheim, Ca. (1963/June 2021)
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Pixie 4 years ago
A lot of pictures on WW II. I posted the following text as an answer to the first of them I encountered, but wanted to say it to all of them, so I am gonna repeat myself here: >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Our ancestors (German here) had no warning, no real Idea what could happen. We today have their example what will happen if we let racist facist people get into power. I'm so scared and saddened about the growing number of people wanting to repeat this terrible piece of history.
Memere 4 years ago
And what's truly horrifying is that so many of the people in power who are heading that direction are here in my country, the U.S. The racism, misogyny, & bigotry is steadily growing at the highest levels.
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Sue Lynn Chan 4 years ago
Growing up in an heritage city, it's a shame that many of the buildings need to be demolished to gave way ugly simple building.
Pixie 4 years ago
A lot of pictures on WW II. I posted the following text as an answer to the first of them I encountered, but wanted to say it to all of them, so I am gonna repeat myself here: >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Our ancestors (German here) had no warning, no real Idea what could happen. We today have their example what will happen if we let racist facist people get into power. I'm so scared and saddened about the growing number of people wanting to repeat this terrible piece of history.
Memere 4 years ago
And what's truly horrifying is that so many of the people in power who are heading that direction are here in my country, the U.S. The racism, misogyny, & bigotry is steadily growing at the highest levels.
Load More Replies... Sue Lynn Chan 4 years ago
Growing up in an heritage city, it's a shame that many of the buildings need to be demolished to gave way ugly simple building.
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