30 Of The Best History Memes For Anyone Wanting To Learn More About Our Past (New Pics)
History does not deserve to be seen as one of the boring subjects of the humanities, bottom mark. Time and again, we see it repeating itself, for better or worse, and its relevance is not just time-defying, it’s literally time-defining.
The corner of Reddit known as History Memes is on a mission to ignite and spread people’s interest in historical knowledge with a miscellaneous and fun twist. The result is hilarious lighthearted memes about the past that put it in a whole new perspective.
With a whopping 5.3 million members, the History Memes community stands as a powerhouse of Reddit and you can totally see why.
So pull your seat closer and enjoy the newest batch of history memes below, before checking out more of them in our previous articles here, here and here.
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That Giant Thermonuclear Reactor In The Sky Makes Life Possible But Hear Me Out About That Jesus Guy
Allow me to enslave and eventually annihilate you for that snappy comment, in the best tradition of the civilized world.
Impressive
It’s no secret that the internet is a notorious meme-making machine. Everything is turned into a meta joke here – from politics to celebrity gossip, from mishaps to… history. And when it comes to the latter one, the History Memes community on Reddit needs no introduction. Created in 2012, ten years later, it has turned into an impressive internet powerhouse with a whopping 5.3 million members.
And while there’s no doubt that history aficionados are not just aware, but most likely engage in this community by sharing history-related memes and jokes, the question remains if academics are just as excited. After all, memes are always on the verge of not being taken too seriously, and history is one hell of a serious nut to crack.
Where’s The Love?
They were part of the British Empire, Britain got the credit. I'm not downplaying a thing, India's contributions in the war were stellar, but being part of the British Empire it was under the British flag and the British military. They weren't an independent nation at the time, and this was an important part of the reason why there were calls for India's independence after the War.
Money Doesn’t Buy Happiness
I’ll Drink To That
Charles: refuses to leave the ship until everyone evacuates like a true captain, gets trapped, survives, ignores possible psychological traumas from the Titanic, continues to be a hero in WWII
So to find out an expert’s take on history memes, we reached out to Darren R. Reid, a historian and lecturer at Coventry University, the Department of International Studies and Social Science. Reid not only didn’t condemn history memes but even praised them for being a great way to learn about the past. “They help communicate complex ideas in a really compelling and interesting way. And like all memes, they are also great fun!” he said.
My Cat Is Gonna Be An Olympic Athlete
The 70s Were A Weird Time
Olga Of Kiev's Bloody Revenge Would Make A Good Movie
When asked if he has noticed any changes in the ways lecturers and teachers teach their students history these days, Reid confirmed that’s absolutely the case. “At Coventry University, where I work, we even integrate content creation into the degree. Students can stage exhibitions, they can make documentaries,” Reid said.
He added that “it's a really exciting way of exploring the past - and sharing your ideas about history with the world.”
Indiana Jones And The Misappropriation Of Cultural Artifacts
In The Aftermath Of 9/11, Rescue Dogs Were Becoming Noticeably Depressed Because They Were Only Finding Dead Bodies In The Wreckage. Rescue Workers Tried To Make Them Feel Better By Hiding Beneath The Rubble & Letting The Dogs Find Them So They Would Think They Saved Someone
IBMs machines helped to trace jewish people, Henry Ford was an antisemite who received german decorations.....
And supplied the gas chambers with Zyklon B - a business they still continue by supplying US executions.
Load More Replies...Ask everyone about the salary! Talk about it! Discuss it! Make differences visible.
Load More Replies...well, it is not a surprise that german companies were involved in ugly things in WWII....
Load More Replies...Both Ford and GM built military trucks in Germany throughout the war, and before the USA entered the war in 1941, these operations were not separated from the main American business. Ford Germany employed slave labour during this time and the American HQ had full knowledge of it.
What Ford knew was that their German operation used "prison labor", which, by the way, was legal in the US at the time and is still legal in some states today (ever heard of a "chain gang"?) It was not until after the war that the reality of those "prisoners" was discovered. No one knew what Germany was really doing until the discovery of mass graves and concentration camps in mid 1944/early 1945, long after all business with Germany had ceased. EDIT - clarification. Saying "no one knew" what Germany was doing is an oversimplification. Plenty of people knew, especially the perpetrators and victims, but outside of Germany, no one believed what was happening until they were confronted with the reality and scope of it, especially after Auschwitz.
Load More Replies...I read how Henry Ford gave black people unheard of opportunities and thought, wow, that was geeat and really forward thinking of him. Then I read how he treated the Jews and thought, how did he get it so wrong.
I am in no way defending the actions of some of these companies, but there is a lot of hindsight is 20-20/Monday morning quarterbacking here. A lot of what these companies did, they did before there was a "World War". People forget, the war in Europe was raging long before the US was involved, so there was no restriction on US businesses selling products to either side (which they readily did). Additionally, all of the worst Nazi atrocities that we now know about were undiscovered and little more than rumor, often dismissed as wartime propaganda, until nearly the end of the war, long after embargoes had already stopped a lot of these businesses from working with Germany. So were these businesses responsible for providing products and assistance to the Nazis and Axis powers? Absolutely. Were they aware their sales were assisting in the genocide of a people? No, not likely. Would knowing have changed anything? Who knows, but I'm sure there are lots of opinions.
Not IBM. They kept adapting their machines that the Germans were using to keep track of the Jewish people through the whole war. This is an interesting read if anyone is interested. IBM and the Holocaust is the award-winning, New York Times bestselling shocker--a million copies in print--detailing IBM's conscious co-planning and co-organizing of the Holocaust for the Nazis, all micromanaged by its president Thomas J Watson from New York and Paris.
Load More Replies...It gets worse. Ford republished Protocols of Elders of Zion, ran an antisemitic newspaper Dearborn, and sent antisemitic literature to Hitler for "inspiration for the Nazi regime". He then used American POWs in Germany for free labor in German factories. Guy is a huge nightmare of a human.
That picture is about non-german corporations, hence no Bayer
Load More Replies...Fanta was created by the german branch of Coca-Cola after they couldn't get the ingredients for the original coke anymore.
Load More Replies...You know coca cola stopped sending the ingredients to nazi germany, right? The people of nazi germany had to make a soda out of rations, which they called fanta.
I knew about Ford (check out Charles Lindbergh btw) but not these others. Wow.
That picture is about non-german corporations. They also stood trial at Nuremberg
Load More Replies...Me drinking coke as I find this: Yea maybe I should put that down.
It’s OK to ask anyone their age or salary. People don’t have to answer. But I like the 3rd one…
Companies that HQ'd in other countries, helping their country is not the same as US companies helping the Nazis.
Load More Replies...Are you saying IBM built machines for that purpose? Are you forgetting that GM and Ford participated fully in making the US the arsenal of democracy? Didn't Alcoa produce the aluminum that went into the making of hundreds of thousands of fighters and bombers? Your response here is aggressively simple-minded.
" Beginning in 1940, with the requisitioning of between 100 and 200 French POWs to work as slave laborers, Ford-Werke contravened Article 31 of the 1929 Geneva Convention "
Wherever there is trouble in the world Nestle is always right there.......
You left out Ford. All those German movies with Ford Tri motor planes?
That picture is about non-german corporations. They also stood trial at Nuremberg
Load More Replies...ON THE GERMAN SIDE: Mercedes made the vehicles, and Hugo Boss produced the SS uniform. Fun Fact: Adidas stop producing their products to produce tanks. Adidas name comes from the first letters of one of the Dassler brothers first name (Adolf and Rudolf), and first two of last name. Hence, Adi (for Adolph) + Das = Adidas. Eventually one brother went full Hitler and the other (Rudolf) created Reebok.
Rio Tinto's status as a mainly British-owned company, located in Spain and producing pyrites—an important material for military applications—created a complicated set of circumstances for the company's operation in the 1930s and 1940s. During the Spanish Civil War, the region in which Rio Tinto's mines were located came under the control of General Franco's Nationalists in 1936. However, Franco increasingly intervened in the company's operations, at times requisitioning pyrite supplies for use by Spain and its Axis allies Germany and Italy, forcing price controls on the company's production, restricting exports, and threatening nationalisation of the mines. Although company management (and indirectly, the British government) managed to counteract some of these efforts by Franco, much of the mine's pyrite production was channelled to Axis powers before and during World War II. Nonetheless, Franco's meddling caused the mine's production and profitability to fall precipitously.
Load More Replies...What did they do? (I think for coke it’s because used to have drugs in it)
Coca Cola invented Fanta in Nazi Germany because of embargo on Coke
Load More Replies...Oh , please add those German companies who somehow got away with it and are now praised as the best examples in worldwide business... like Allianz or BASF.
BASF didn´t get away, it was part of IG Farben that got a trial at Nuremberg.
Load More Replies...And for those children who are thinking of starting a history degree, Reid assures that it is one of the best subjects you can study. “It gives you access to a nearly limitless body of knowledge and stories. There is literally something for everyone in the past. And studying it is a great and exciting honor.”
Why Did Anyone Ever Think Sleeveless Leather Tops Were Used As Armour Back In The Day
Oh Yeah It's Museum Time
Colonial Brits: Well, then, take the whole bloody construction to Britain, don't leave the sole statue sitting there in London all alone, incomplete!
Peekaboo
Meanwhile, Reid’s advice for prospective history students is to always think critically. “There is a lot of false information on the internet today. A lot of groups have tried to politicize the study of the past and that, I think, reflects how fundamentally important history is to our society,” he said.
“So to any potential student, get reading and start exploring the evidence in a critical and open way,” Reid concluded.
Today's Motivation Guys
Max Planck Was One Of The Founders Of Quantum Physics
B L O C C
Ahh S**t Here We Go Again
No Fun
Got to admire the Russians. Give them twenty thousand square miles of frozen-solid f**k-all and they'll find a way to make booze from spuds.
Clear Cache
Pot8o The Champion
Here Comes The Sun
The Spanish sacrificed their entire civilization in the name of their "Spanish" god instead.
History 101
If this is not real, then what happened? (I actually thought it happened)
History Memes Are The Future
I’ve Definitely Seen Worse
Imperialism Wasn't Invented By The White Man Yo
Guess How They Call It?
The Tomb of the Unknown R@pists (referring to the war crimes committed by Soviet Troops during the occupation of Germany.)
No One Is Your Enemy In Geopolitics
Note: this post originally had 79 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.