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50 History Memes That Make Even The Most Serious Students Laugh Like Court Jesters
History is often seen as a serious field for curious minds to ponder—and it certainly is. But once you remember that humans have always been wonderfully unserious, and have proven it over and over throughout the centuries, it suddenly becomes a great source of humor too.
Especially when the past gets turned into memes. One brilliant place for that is Medieval Memelord on X (formerly Twitter), a page that shares clever and funny posts not only about the Middle Ages, but practically every era in between. Scroll down for their best memes.
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There’s something oddly satisfying about getting a history meme. It makes you feel like you’ve unlocked a tiny achievement—oh, I know what that’s about. And when the joke flies over your head, someone in the comments usually swoops in with an explanation that sends you down a rabbit hole of new discoveries. Either way, you learn something. But have you ever stopped to think about how history even became a discipline in the first place?
#4
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 1 week ago
Pretty sure Germany is gonna be on the good guys side in WWIII though.
The word history goes back to the Ancient Greek term ἵστωρ (histōr), which referred to a wise or knowledgeable person. From that came ἱστορία (historiā), meaning knowledge from inquiry. The word later appeared in Latin as historia and then entered Middle English through Old French. At first it meant any kind of story, both real and fictional, but over time it became tied to studying the past in a more intentional way.
#8
Before writing existed, people relied on oral traditions. These early stories often mixed real events with mythology, like the Epic of Gilgamesh or Homer’s Odyssey. The arrival of written texts created opportunities for more detailed accounts. Greek writers played an important role here. Herodotus collected accounts of different cultures and tried to understand why events happened, while Thucydides focused on political and military decisions with a more analytical approach.
#10
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 1 week ago
The past s***s. At least it did for about 90% of the people who lived there.
#11
Roman writers built on Greek methods. Early Roman historians organized events year by year, while later ones preferred longer, more reflective narratives. Many of these works combined factual information with commentary on leadership and character. Around the same time, another strong tradition was developing in China, where historians valued source verification and treated annals as the highest form of record keeping. Sima Qian’s Records of the Grand Historian set a standard for thorough research.
#12
Multa Nocte 1 week ago
I believe my grandfather was at least 2 years shy of the entrance requirements.
In medieval Europe, most historical writing came from monks and church scholars. They recorded chronicles, genealogies, and biographies of important figures, often shaped by religious interpretation. Similar patterns appeared in the Islamic world, where historians paid close attention to the chain of transmission to ensure reliability. Writers like al-Tabari and Ibn Khaldun produced large and influential works that looked at both events and the wider forces behind them.
The Renaissance encouraged a renewed interest in older texts and languages. Scholars examined earlier manuscripts, compared versions, and questioned inconsistencies. Printed books made historical writing more available to ordinary readers. By the Enlightenment, historians were using reason and skepticism to study society, culture, and economics, and they began comparing different civilizations in more systematic ways.
#19
Lady Eowyn 1 week ago
Say what you may, a lot of those artifacts would probably no longer exist except for being there.
In the 19th century, history became a more formal academic field. Leopold von Ranke promoted the use of primary sources and careful documentation, and universities created history departments and professional associations. Some thinkers proposed broad theories about how history works, each highlighting different forces such as economics or ideology.
#21
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 1 week ago
It's debated that that mammoths might be the first species humans drove to extinction. We are good at that sort of thing.
#23
Anyone-for-tea? 1 week ago
Is that a typo as he was 5’2 and she was 5’10 because 5’6 is 168cm or so my id card has told me for years!
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Huddo's sister 1 week ago
Cool, I'm one centimetre taller than him! (That is literally my take away from this)
The 20th century expanded the discipline even further. Historians began studying everyday life, local communities, and groups that had been overlooked, including workers, women, and colonized peoples. New approaches such as oral history, feminist history, and postcolonial history widened the scope. World histories grew in popularity again, and technological advances made large-scale data analysis possible.
#25
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 1 week ago
OOF wait until you see what we Americans did west of the Mississippi.
#26
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 1 week ago
Reminds me of an old comedy called "What did you do in the War Daddy". The American Army rolls into a town and the Italians immediately surrender and start celebrating. It's been 30+ years since I last saw it but for some reason the have to fake a battle with the Americans so they can all just chill there in this little Italian village and ignore the rest of the war.
Today, historians combine traditional skills with digital tools. They read manuscripts, analyze inscriptions, use restoration software, explore online archives, and collaborate across countries. Many collections that once required special permission can now be viewed by anyone with an internet connection. The work still reflects the original idea behind historiā: curiosity, investigation, and the desire to understand how people lived.
#28
Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa) 1 week ago
Just throwing this out there but El Cid and his whole crew were absolute screwheads who just made everything worse.
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#31
Zig Zag Wanderer 1 week ago
We managed to lose ours once in Australia. Australians have been trying to replicate this for decades....
#33
Lady Eowyn 1 week ago
Rode. He rode his horse on the road. But this is an actual quote, I'm too lazy to get my book (of quotes related to all things equine and equestrian) and find the attribution.
#34
Kristiina Männiste 1 week ago
I kinda think the one on the right is hot.... It must be time to schedule another appointment with my psychiatrist
#35
David 1 week ago
Thats bc the USSR didnt let Gagarin go on a global tour or talk to the foreign press. The KGB had to cover up the fact Gagrin was a practicing Christian who had his son illegally baptized (USSR until 18 you couldnt get baptized legally, and officially practicing Christians were not allowed security clearance. the KGB and Russian military did a lot to cover up for Gagarin bc he was that good, they knew if he went outside of Russia, he was a risk bc of his devout Christian beliefs)
#42
Lola Rocksmith 1 week ago
The Opium Wars actually were crucial in Australia's development in the 19th century
#45
Bill Swallow 1 week ago
Except the people asking "How will you enforce that?" are the first ones to say "Fark, NO! You can't have your own military! You might use them against ME!!!"
#46
Geoffrey Scott 1 week ago
Much more accurate to say we named many after the indigenous we stole it from. MANY Chippewas, an Osceola, the name Michigan.
#48
sofacushionfort 1 week ago
Plains tribes would eat the cheese formed in bison calves’ stomachs
#50
Andrew Keir 1 week ago
van loon's law claims that technology will not improve while there are sufficient slávés to do things without it. And, boy, did those Romans have slávés !
#51
Giles McArdell 1 week ago
As a Brit, I am convinced all French people speak English, they just choose not to to p1ss us off!
#52
#54
Lost Panda 1 week ago
It's interesting because Kyoto (京都) means Capital City. So when Tokyo (東京) was established from Edo, it was named East (東) Captiol (京)
#57
#62
Toasted Applesauce 1 week ago
Dante writes about Virgil tenderly picking him up and carrying him over a bridge. The entire Divine Comedy is a lot funnier read as an elaborate self insert fanfic of the Bible, Aristotle, and Greek mythology.
#65
Earonn - 1 week ago
Year 3 (4, for me): "there was a big war, and we were kinda guilty. This is what adults talk about when the say "WWII"". Year 7-8 "It's WWII, here are the names and dates of important events". Year 9/10 "Now we tell you about the Human costs and you'll visit an actual concentration camp". And It's good that way. If only Americans had listened to us when we told them where the scapegoating and glorification of 'fatherland' would lead. But, you know, they didn't need to worry, you see. They were 'better'. No dictator could ever come out of their own ranks.... And today? Hitler's paitings are bad, but not half as cringe as Trump's AI self-glorification....
#66
Zig Zag Wanderer 1 week ago (edited)
I don't think it was peasants. It was mainly the French ruling classes. That's why we eat Beef and Pork, for example, because those are French words for the animals that the peasants raised for the rulers to eat.
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Julie S 1 week ago
Glad you said that I didn't get a lot of these but didn't want to show my ignorance.
Load More Replies... Julie S 1 week ago
Glad you said that I didn't get a lot of these but didn't want to show my ignorance.
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