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Through history, we learn how past societies, governments, cultures, and technologies were built, how they operated, and how they have changed over time. This knowledge can then help us to get a more detailed picture of where we stand today and what to expect from the future.

But time is precious, and you don't always get the chance to dissect a book on what shaped the present. Luckily, though, the internet has more to offer than just pdfs. It also has plenty of jpegs.

Continuing from where we left off last time, we at Bored Panda put together a new collection of posts from the subreddit r/HistoryMemes and the Instagram account History in Memes. You get to see the first pig to fly, poke fun at Americans naming their cities, and much, much more. Enjoy!

But why bother with history in the first place? Well, Peter N. Stearns, a professor at George Mason University, said that it's vital to our lives even though we like to live in the present and plan for the future.

"In the first place, history offers a storehouse of information about how people and societies behave," Stearns wrote. "Understanding the operations of people and societies is difficult, though a number of disciplines make the attempt. An exclusive reliance on current data would needlessly handicap our efforts. How can we evaluate war if the nation is at peace—unless we use historical materials? How can we understand genius, the influence of technological innovation, or the role that beliefs play in shaping family life, if we don't use what we know about experiences in the past?"

#3

When Your Joke Backfires And You Accidentally Advance Women’s Rights

When Your Joke Backfires And You Accidentally Advance Women’s Rights

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#4

Major W

Major W

historyinmemes Report

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Fat Harry
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Giving away land..." imagine that these days. I feel so sorry for Gen Z and millennials with the cost of houses today.

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#5

I Love A Nice Vase

I Love A Nice Vase

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engineer_nope.avi
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

1. And they still haven't returned that f*** ton of c**p. / 2. I mean, who doesn't appreciate a nice vase?

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The professor highlighted that some social scientists attempt to formulate laws or theories about human behavior but even these recourses depend on historical information, except for in limited, often artificial cases in which experiments can be devised to determine how people act.

"Major aspects of a society's operation, like mass elections, missionary activities, or military alliances, cannot be set up as precise experiments. Consequently, history must serve, however imperfectly, as our laboratory, and data from the past must serve as our most vital evidence in the unavoidable quest to figure out why our complex species behaves as it does in societal settings."

This, fundamentally, is why we can not stay away from history, Stearns said. "It offers the only extensive evidential base for the contemplation and analysis of how societies function, and people need to have some sense of how societies function simply to run their own lives."

#8

Joe Bless

Joe Bless

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The second reason history is inescapable as a subject of serious study stems from the first. "The past causes the present, and so the future," Stearns said. "Any time we try to know why something happened—whether a shift in political party dominance in the American Congress, a major change in the teenage suicide rate, or a war in the Balkans or the Middle East—we have to look for factors that took shape earlier."

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Sometimes fairly recent history will suffice to explain a major development, but we often need to backtrack more to identify the causes of change.

"Only through studying history can we grasp how things change; only through history can we begin to comprehend the factors that cause change; and only through history can we understand what elements of an institution or a society persist despite change."

#11

Father Of John Wick

Father Of John Wick

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engineer_nope.avi
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Don't forget he also used to volunteer for the Finnish Army during the Winter War and then joined the RAF to fight the Axis. The dude is borderline a legend.

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#12

I Still Do This

I Still Do This

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Wilko Lunenburg
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Tell Boris Johnson and henchmen to try debating sober, it might help.

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Stimpy
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I bet this was sometimes tweeked to " just debate it multiple times drunk"

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Paul Davis
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They should add the idea sounding good when you're on LSD, too. Then again on Angel Dust.

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Rosie Hamilton
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

They do... that's what Wine Friday was really about! Which of course makes it completely justified 😜 /s

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Brian bell
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This sounds like a good idea... but I'd better take a few drinks and give it a re-think...

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T5n
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I was to try this. Can we please adopt this process?

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Amy S
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

But everything sounds like a good idea when I am drunk

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#13

Pretty Straightforward

Pretty Straightforward

historyinmemes Report

History well told — either through text, pictures, or any other medium — is beautiful. Many historians know the importance of dramatic and skillful writing (as well as of accuracy). They understand that with proper form they can transform a seemingly "dry" unappealing story to something that deeply moves the general public.

"Biography and military history appeal in part because of the tales they contain," Stearns said. "History as art and entertainment serves a real purpose, on aesthetic grounds but also on the level of human understanding. Stories well done are stories that reveal how people and societies have actually functioned, and they prompt thoughts about the human experience in other times and places."

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"The same aesthetic and humanistic goals inspire people to immerse themselves in efforts to reconstruct quite remote pasts, far removed from immediate, present-day utility," the historian explained.

History also provides a bridge to moral contemplation. Studying the stories of individuals and situations they've been in the past, whether we're talking about the Queen or Heath Ledger, allows us to test our own moral sense, to hone it against some of the real complexities people have faced in difficult settings.

"People who have weathered adversity not just in some work of fiction, but in real, historical circumstances can provide inspiration. 'History teaching by example' is one phrase that describes this use of a study of the past—a study not only of certifiable heroes, the great men and women of history who successfully worked through moral dilemmas, but also of more ordinary people who provide lessons in courage, diligence, or constructive protest."

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#21

This Is Just So Bad It Might Work

This Is Just So Bad It Might Work

historyinmemes Report

History also helps people to find their identity, and this is actually one of the reasons why modern nations continue to encourage its teaching in some form.

"Historical data include evidence about how families, groups, institutions, and whole countries were formed and about how they have evolved while retaining cohesion. For many Americans, studying the history of one's own family is the most obvious use of history, for it provides facts about genealogy and (at a slightly more complex level) a basis for understanding how the family has interacted with larger historical change," Stearns said.

#22

Not Exactly The Most... Heteronormative Culture

Not Exactly The Most... Heteronormative Culture

Van-Schultz Report

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engineer_nope.avi
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The thing is that the Ancient Romans did not have a concept of gays and homosexuals. They just view that "I don't care if you are a man or woman. If you have a hole, I can have sex with you. The more I have, the more dominated I am."

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#23

Big Simp

Big Simp

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Virgil Blue
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And iirc they often had woman in their crew because they were about as dangerous as the men in fights.

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#24

Time Flies

Time Flies

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engineer_nope.avi
Community Member
1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The same can be applied to computers as well. We went from those giant computers that was the size of an entire building that can only do simple mathematical calculations to a smartphone in less than 70 years. (I know that mechanical computers that read punchcards existed much earlier but I wanna focus on the one that was pioneered by Alan Turing in the 40s until the introduction of the smartphone)

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#25

How Og

How Og

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Fred L.
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1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I´d say somewhat more original than naming new cities just New City which has been done a lot in Europe over time. For example Naples, the countless places named Neapoli all around or later Neustadt in Germany. Also Carthage in its original Phoenician, which makes Cartagena even funnier as its Roman name Carthago Nova means New New City.

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Even if we take a step back and look at institutions, businesses, and other social units, such as ethnic groups, we can see that they also use history for similar purposes.

"Merely defining the group in the present pales against the possibility of forming an identity based on a rich past," Stearns explained. "And of course, nations use identity history as well ... Histories that tell the national story, emphasizing distinctive features of the national experience, are meant to drive home an understanding of national values and a commitment to national loyalty."

So if you find yourself unable to stop scrolling through this list, relax. You're not wasting your time. On the contrary, you might be growing in more ways than you might imagine.

#26

It Really Do Be Like That

It Really Do Be Like That

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#27

Worth

Worth

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Nathaniel
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

A journalist asked them to comment and they said "Nun of your business!"

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#29

Christians Sure Are A Contentious Bunch

Christians Sure Are A Contentious Bunch

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But with that being said, there are fewer people studying the subject. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, we had 34,642 history majors in 2008. Fast forward to 2017, and the count was just 24,266. Most of that decline occurred after 2012, with a notable single-year drop of more than 1,500 between 2016 and 2017.

However, that might just be temporary. Writing for the American Historical Association's blog Perspectives on History, Northeastern University's Benjamin M. Schmidt pointed out that the history major has had low points before. The discipline weathered a significant decline between 1969 and 1985, when the major dropped by 66 percent.

(At the time, those numbers were linked to higher education’s boom in the '60s that saw the discipline's rapid expansion and subsequent bust when higher education growth slowed in the '70s.)

#32

Now That’s Cool

Now That’s Cool

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Raven Sheridan
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Let's not forget, The Great Emu War. It took place from November 1932 – 10 December 1932. Where Australia went to war with emus, and LOST!

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#33

Instant Hands

Instant Hands

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Schmidt also said that the anxiety over career prospects for history majors is probably misguided, since we know that students with history BAs disperse into a wide variety of careers.

"The increasingly common practice of lumping a wide variety of disparate fields together as STEM is probably giving students and their parents excessive expectations about the earning potential conferred by many science and technology degrees," he wrote.

"While engineers in their 20s can indeed make salaries that would make most full professors of history jealous, science, technology, and math majors are much more of a mixed bag. Extensive data ... released out of the University of Texas system do show history majors making less than most science fields after controlling for the university they attended. But they appear to make more than many other fields, including English, psychology, sociology, and even a number of biology-adjacent majors (such as zoology, ecology, and neurobiology, though traditional biology majors make somewhat more)."

#34

Fair Play

Fair Play

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Scagsy
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

A bit like a substitute coming on with five minutes to go and their team already 6-0 up. Running round the pitch at the end holding the trophy aloft.

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#35

Love Them Both Equally… Barely

Love Them Both Equally… Barely

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troufaki13
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Mine is a sassy little black creature who always meows back whenever she's told to do something useful like kill a fly

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#36

Very Realistic

Very Realistic

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#37

British Units

British Units

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Schmidt said that ultimately, the long-term state of the discipline will rest on how it adapts to a cohort of students—and their parents—who are much less receptive to arguments for the liberal arts than previous generations have been.

He noted that many departments and organizations have already worked out useful ways to articulate the purpose of the major. These are undoubtedly helping attract and retain students.

Who knows, maybe these memes will also help 'sell' history.

#38

Love To See It

Love To See It

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Leo Domitrix
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sad truth: "States' rights" go too far, and you end up with Texas. And Florida. I'm American, and I wish we'd stop the bullsh*t.

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#40

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Leo Domitrix
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

. We inherited a lot of them,from Europeans, who came to North America, and loathed Europe so much they named everything after it. There's New York, York in Pennsylvania, ther was York in Ontario, now Toronto, we can keep going, but seriously, wtf, enough, there's even a York, New York!)

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#42

She’s A Keeper

She’s A Keeper

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Party Poison
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The library burned more than once and by the time it did it was no longer the epicenter of learning in the Mediterranean world. Instead, the library slowly declined as it became less unique because other libraries amassed considerable collections. There was no great, tragic moment where countless works were all lost in an instant.That’s not how the chain of transmission breaks. See the point Literature in the article linked beneath. https://acoup.blog/2022/01/14/collections-rome-decline-and-fall-part-i-words/

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#43

What Happened To Free Speech?

What Happened To Free Speech?

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Sue Lynn Chan
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Look if all law books have jokes and pictures inside, everyone will focus

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#44

All Men Are Equal, But Some Men Are More Equal Than Others!

All Men Are Equal, But Some Men Are More Equal Than Others!

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#45

Lice At The Portuguese Royal Court = Fashion

Lice At The Portuguese Royal Court = Fashion

WinterPlanet Report

#47

Would Ya Look At That

Would Ya Look At That

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engineer_nope.avi
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It really does wonders, doesn't it? I would love to be able to go and see these locations later in my life.

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#48

Mad Respect

Mad Respect

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#49

Portuguese Drax

Portuguese Drax

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engineer_nope.avi
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Switzerland during the Medieval period vs Switzerland during World Wars in a nutshell

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#50

The Sumerians Played A Trick On Us

The Sumerians Played A Trick On Us

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Note: this post originally had 147 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.