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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.

#1

typahine Report

#2

That Giant Thermonuclear Reactor In The Sky Makes Life Possible But Hear Me Out About That Jesus Guy

That Giant Thermonuclear Reactor In The Sky Makes Life Possible But Hear Me Out About That Jesus Guy

TheloPoutso Report

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

Allow me to enslave and eventually annihilate you for that snappy comment, in the best tradition of the civilized world.

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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.

#4

Where’s The Love?

Where’s The Love?

historyinmemes Report

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

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.

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#6

I’ll Drink To That

I’ll Drink To That

historyinmemes Report

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

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

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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.

#7

My Cat Is Gonna Be An Olympic Athlete

My Cat Is Gonna Be An Olympic Athlete

historyinmemes Report

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#9

Olga Of Kiev's Bloody Revenge Would Make A Good Movie

Olga Of Kiev's Bloody Revenge Would Make A Good Movie

Thiaski Report

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.”

#10

Indiana Jones And The Misappropriation Of Cultural Artifacts

Indiana Jones And The Misappropriation Of Cultural Artifacts

Hot-Abbreviations658 Report

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#11

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

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

TheEliteKoala1 Report

#12

historyinmemes Report

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

IBMs machines helped to trace jewish people, Henry Ford was an antisemite who received german decorations.....

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

Forgot about Bayer, who did drug tests on concentration camp prisoners...

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

And supplied the gas chambers with Zyklon B - a business they still continue by supplying US executions.

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

well, it is not a surprise that german companies were involved in ugly things in WWII....

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

Fanta was created by the german branch of Coca-Cola after they couldn't get the ingredients for the original coke anymore.

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Scp_049
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

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.

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Esme love and squalor
Community Member
1 year ago

This comment has been deleted.

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

I knew about Ford (check out Charles Lindbergh btw) but not these others. Wow.

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

It’s OK to ask anyone their age or salary. People don’t have to answer. But I like the 3rd one…

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

Companies that HQ'd in other countries, helping their country is not the same as US companies helping the Nazis.

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Bobby S.
Community Member
8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

BMW was only allowed to continue operating as an automotive manufacturer after signing an agreement not to build planes anymore after the war because their planes were built so well, they were taking out US military war planes in droves.

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

So, Nestle's been a villain for a very long time. Boycott Nestle!

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

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.

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

" 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 "

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

don’t ask what Nestle is doing right now while you’re at it…

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

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.

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

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.

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

What did they do? (I think for coke it’s because used to have drugs in it)

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

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.

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

BASF didn´t get away, it was part of IG Farben that got a trial at Nuremberg.

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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.”

#13

Why Did Anyone Ever Think Sleeveless Leather Tops Were Used As Armour Back In The Day

Why Did Anyone Ever Think Sleeveless Leather Tops Were Used As Armour Back In The Day

Haryn1910 Report

#14

Oh Yeah It's Museum Time

Oh Yeah It's Museum Time

Robden25 Report

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Serial pacifist
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1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Colonial Brits: Well, then, take the whole bloody construction to Britain, don't leave the sole statue sitting there in London all alone, incomplete!

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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.

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#17

Max Planck Was One Of The Founders Of Quantum Physics

Max Planck Was One Of The Founders Of Quantum Physics

Abschori Report

#19

Ahh S**t Here We Go Again

Ahh S**t Here We Go Again

BKergin Report

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

He exists! There aren't many George Jetsons out there but he must be one of them.

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#20

No Fun

No Fun

historyinmemes Report

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

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.

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#21

historyinmemes Report

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

Except the Romans lasted much, much longer. We're less of a fall from grace and more of a kamikaze into the nuclear plant on bring your own stick of dynamite day.

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#24

Here Comes The Sun

Here Comes The Sun

Cleverjoseph Report

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

The Spanish sacrificed their entire civilization in the name of their "Spanish" god instead.

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#28

Imperialism Wasn't Invented By The White Man Yo

Imperialism Wasn't Invented By The White Man Yo

reddit.com Report

#29

Guess How They Call It?

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.)

Krepard Report

#30

No One Is Your Enemy In Geopolitics

No One Is Your Enemy In Geopolitics

Manchest_hair-united Report

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