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.
This post may include affiliate links.
The Big Oak; Thomasville, Ga (1895/2020)
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.
Ancient Greece Before And After Excavation
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..
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.
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
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!
Visitors In The Metropolitan Museum Of Art, Viewing Painting (Emanuel Leutze’s Washington Crossing The Delaware - 1851) 1910 And 2019
The Berlin Wall Fell 31 Years Ago Today!
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.
Notice how, once western money started pouring in, the former East Germany was able to finally clean everything. Compare the condition of the Brandenburg Gate then and now.
only regret - but not really as you will learn - was that i was invited to study abroad right before this happened. it was for only a year. i had a 9 yr old son and both my mom & husband told me to go as it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. was right before i was to leave when my son came down with a cold that turned into bronchitis and then pneumonia. he ended up in hospital. although dr said he was fine and would be released in a day i cancelled my trip because i couldn't leave him, regardless of mom and hubby still being there. as i watched the fall of the wall i knew in my heart had i gone i would have been one of those people dancing at the top. he's 42 now. still wish i could have gone but also know that i would have touched down at heathrow only to turn around and come back. some things are worth not doing.
My family is from Germany. I still have 2 pieces of the wall. You can see the paint on them. Treasures!
The more walls we tear down, the more borders we open, the more we will realize how human we are.
These comments remind me of ones mentioned in the Liane Moriarty book The husband's secret
I was there for 2.5 yr.s before the Wall came down and reassigned there and saw it come down. Still have pieces of it sitting on my balcony.
I saw it when it was still up. It made a powerful impression. On the East side, the wall was painted white so that they could better see prisoners who were trying to escape. There were several sentry towers. There were also trenches in front of the wall. I don't remember how many, but I do remember that one of them had security dogs who would tear you limb to limb if you got into that trench. There was another trench that was full of live electric wires. There was barbed wire. The whole experience was surreal and had a huge impact on me. There were other things in East Germany that had a huge impact on me, but that's for a different post.
Fact. It was an accident is happened. A news reporter mistakenly said that they are letting people through and tons came down and just went for it.
I remember walking past it as a child . I didn’t understand it, until a solider with a gun told my dad to mo e along . The world became a very scary place after that .
Damn I remember this like it was yesterday. People pulling the wall down with ropes and chains. And it has been 20 years.
Hiroshima 75 Years Ago
Machu Picchu, Peru. 1915 & 2020
Amazing Looking Home Restored In Detroit. 1993 And Now
Czech Out Prague 1910 And 2020
The first photo is what claustrophobic people wished it looked like in the second photo
Milan, Italy 1950s And 2021
Hick's Court, St Ives, England - 1888 And Today
English Tank In The Streets Of My Town, 1945-2021
Town Square In Uelzen, Lower Saxony, Germany- During The Battle Of The Rhine, April 1945 And 2021
Van Gogh’s ‘Cafe Terrace At Night’ From 1888 And Present
Today vs. Childhood Memory
That is literally the nearest you'll get to a time machine. I love this..
In 2005, Some Friends And I Found The Road To Jabba's Palace Off Twenty Mule Team Canyon In Death Valley, Ca
Church St. Martin In Cologne, Germany 1946 And 2021
Theodore Roosevelt Would Be Proud
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.
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
The Royal Crescent, Bath, UK. 1829-2020. Built 1774
The Main Entrance To The City, York, England 1865 - 2015
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*
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
Court Of The Lions, Granada, Spain - 1840 And Today
Abandoned Restaurant In Petrópolis, Brazil (1960's And 2013)
The Royal Mile, Edinburgh, Scotland - C.1847 And Today
Unfinished Manhattan Bridge In 1908 And Now
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]")
Kraków, Poland (1939 And 2010s)
So happy they kept the electric trolleys, instead of converting to stinky busses.
Brihadisvara Temple, Thanjavur, India. 1798 Lithograph By Thomas Daniell And 2016. Built Between 1003-1010
Arch Of Constantine In Rome, 1943 (Taken By My Grandfather), And What It Looks Like Today
Stonehenge: 1877 And 2019
Woodstock Festival Site- 1969 / 2020
St Francis Of Assisi Church
A Former Public Bath In Wuppertal, Germany, Now A Brewery And Beer Hall. 1993 vs. 2019
Hong Kong’s Kowloon Peninsula 1964 - 2016
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
Note: this post originally had 104 images. It’s been shortened to the top 39 images based on user votes.
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.
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...
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.
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.
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... 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.
