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People Are Sharing ‘Then And Now’ Pics On This Page To Show How Time Changes Things (30 Pics)
Rephotography is the act of taking a photo of a place that has already been photographed some time ago. While being a challenge for the photographers to recreate all the angles as close as possible to the original, these images also speak wonders about the passage of time.
Whether we're looking at expanding cities or melting glaciers, these side-by-side comparisons tell fascinating stories about the state of the world we live in as well as humanity's abilities to create and destroy.
A few subreddits -- most notably, r/OldPhotosInRealLife -- have created huge archives of these photos, so we're inviting you to take a look at some of the most fascinating ones.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
My Grandfather And I In Tokyo, 73 Years Apart
Looking at some of these photos, human progress seems self-evident. 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.
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#2
The Arctic 103 Years Ago Compared To Today
The Human Development Index utilizes four key metrics: 1) life expectancy at birth – to assess a long and healthy life,
2) 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.
#3
Chichen Itza 1892 And 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.
#4
Bike Ride In Berlin Kreuzberg ( ~1985 / 2018 )
#5
Utrecht, Netherlands 1982 vs. 2020. They Converted The Highway To A Canal
#6
The Shambles In York (UK) Inspiration For Diagon Alley From Harry Potter. Late 1800s And Today
#7
Bishan Park, 30 Years Apart. Top Pic, 1988. Bottom Pic, 2020
#8
World War I Trenches
#9
Moscow Pictures 20 Years Apart
#10
The Flatiron Building, New York (1917 And 2012)
#11
Atomic Bomb Dome - 75 Years Later
ProductofNZ 5 years ago
They left it largely untouched. There is still masonry debris surrounding the building. It is theorized that the atom bomb detonated above this building as the walls were not blown out by a horizontal blast wave but rather a vertical force that caved in the roof.
#12
The Banyan Tree In Maui. Top Photo Taken By My Grandfather While He Was Stationed There During Wwii. Bottom I Took Without Knowing His Photo Existed
#13
The Changing Face Of St Bartholomew-The-Great's Gatehouse In Smithfield, Which Was Built In 1595 And Some Point Bricked Over. It Was Bombed During A Ww1 Zeppelin Raid Knocking Off Some Bricks Revealing Its Tudor Half-Timbered Facade. It Was Restored To How It Looks Today. 1916 vs. Now
MrTree1779 5 years ago
I've always loved timber framing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timber_framing
#14
My Hometown, Approx 100 Years Ago vs. My Pic From Last Week.... Not So Much Has Changed...
Louloubelle 5 years ago
Weird when you think that roads in cities were dirt then. I realize that if I think about it, of course they were, but it's just difficult to look at with 21st century eyes and wrap your head around the actuality of seeing it.
Gin 5 years ago
They weren't dirt, they were cobblestoned. We still have 200+ year old cobblestoned streets in the old town of my city. If the street needs renovations, the stones are dug up, the street leveled, and the same stones are placed tightly again. Sometimes a new asphalt is placed on top of the cobbled street (not in old town, obviously), because the cobblestones make a really tought base.
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Oskar vanZandt 5 years ago (edited)
I do wish city planners had put more emphasis on public transport and put in more tram lines... would definitely be an improvement in many city centers.
Martin Saunders 5 years ago
I don’t suppose it occurred to anyone that taking away the tram systems around the country might be a bad idea. Now, they spend millions putting them back again!
Wyndmere 5 years ago
Where are the rounded bushes/trees behind the square brick wall in the second frame. There are seen in the top frame, and again in the bottom frame?
SoozeeQ 5 years ago
@Wyndmere, the top photo was taken 100 years ago. The second photo is this year. The bottom photo has been photoshopped to blend the two.
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Mel Schmidt 5 years ago
I like it a lot too Tia. That is a real blessing to get to come home and it is still home and not some place you do not even know anymore.
Martha Higgins 5 years ago
Happy to see the street cars still there. I love them, so practical!
Gail McFadden 5 years ago
Your hometown looks like what I imagine a real hometown to look like. It's peaceful and beautiful!
#15
My Great Grandfather And I Trained At The Same Location, Exactly 100 Years Apart. He Left For France Shortly After This Was Taken In 1917
#16
Singapore 2000 vs. Now
#17
1920 / 2020 . San Francisco, Ca
Maria Vasilieva 5 years ago
I have a whole book "then and now" about SanFrancisco ... the city went through several fires, earthquakes, and boom of Silicon Valley and ... it still keeps a lot of Victorian charm mixed with hipster style graffiti. It's so different, I love SF
#18
Early Los Angeles Compared To 2001
#19
The Former Island Of Urk - The Netherlands 1930 vs. 2020
ProductofNZ 5 years ago
History: A Dike was added in 1939 and later, land reclamation took place. No more Island of Urk.
#20
From Fascism To Kebabs, Durham 1934 vs. 2020
#21
Buckhurst Hill Station (London Underground Station) - (1875 - 2020)
#22
University Of Montana ~150 Years Apart
#24
The Trams They Are Changing ( 1990 / 2018 )
#25
1820 Industrial St, Los Angeles
#26
I Just Made This To Show Just How Much Melbourne's Skyline Has Grown In 20 Years...
#27
Dresden In Ww2 vs. Dresden Now
#28
The Development Of This City In Georgia
#29
Hollywood Sign, Los Angeles, USA
Michelle Line 5 years ago
According to Wiki: "In 1949, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce began a contract with the City of Los Angeles Parks Department to repair and rebuild the sign. The contract stipulated that "LAND" be removed to spell "Hollywood" and reflect the district, not the "Hollywoodland" housing development."
#30
Subang Jaya, Selangor. 44 Years Apart
Jaded Queen 5 years ago
the damage it does to nature in name of development. No body ever think about eco-friendly alternatives until it's too late. No problem if built fewer buildings and established greenery . It is such a wasted opportunity. There could be a large area of lush green . But noooo .Places like California and Australia have burned due to contribution by all over the world. And still only wildlife nd plantlife suffers largely. They have bleed the earth. Humans will pay with their burning and blood. Earth demends your head . Die disgusting selfish people . Suffer horribly
#31
Nuremberg, Germany 1936 vs. 2020
#32
260-268 Elizabeth Street New York Tenement Building A Century Apart. The Life Stories That Building Holds!
#33
Glittertind, Norway (1902 vs. 2020)
#34
Building A Streetcar System In 1911 That No Longer Exists Today - Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan
#35
Taal Volcano, Philippines. Before And After The Eruption
#36
Growing Up We Could See Farmland For Miles. Now We Look Out At A Neighborhood Staring Right Back At Us
#37
Castro St, San Francisco, Ca. 1940s And Now. Pics From Cable Car Museum Twitter.
#38
North Side Of Chicago, Il. 1890 vs. 2020
Aunt Messy 5 years ago
Is it the same location? Because that's the corner of Lawrence and Damen, near where I live. There's no way to know if that's the same place because there are no landmarks..... Many of the buildings in the area date from before WW1. In the 1880s and 90s, people were building summer cottages (cottage meaning large five and six bedroom houses) in the area to get out of the city in the summer.
#39
San Diego, California: 1927 vs. 2020
#40
Chicago 1930s vs. Chicago Modern Day, Specifically Looking A Tribune Tower
#41
Stolen Parts ( 1991 / 2018 )
#42
The Notorious Görlitzer Park In Berlin ( 1987 / 2019 )
#43
Boston 1904 /2010 (Current Photo By Me, Guessing At The Date)
#44
Inside The Death Zone ( 1990 / 2018 )
#45
1965/2017 - Water St, Lancaster Pennsylvania
Add New Image
What do you think ?
Kathryn Baylis 5 years ago
Hate to say it, but in some of the places where development has exploded, I find myself liking the older pictures better. Less claustrophobic. However, when progress means more trees, less dirt and decay, architectural treasures uncovered and restored to their full grandeur, and a park that has grown up beautifully, I prefer the newer pictures.
B 5 years ago
And that's "civilisation" for you right there: no more trees, no more space, too many people. Well done humans, well done.
Kathryn Baylis 5 years ago
@John L The indigenous tribes of the Amazon Basin are actually doing the planet a great favor by not wanting outsiders there. I don’t want outsiders there either. I want it left alone. The more slash and burn destruction that region suffers, the more the rest of the planet suffers. You think climate change is bad now? Burn down the Amazon Forest and see just how bad it can get.
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Dorothy Cloud 5 years ago
Very Very interesting. But, so many of the pictures were just sad. Overbuilt & ugly.
Florence Hastings 5 years ago
Most of the pictures about cities and towns make me sad. I see nothing to be prowd of only evidence of human folly and distain for the land.
MiniMaus 5 years ago
So for all those people who are commenting that the "today" picture shows ruined land... where would you put today's population?
Scyth 5 years ago
Does that mean you're sexually active right now? (Joking I know it's a bot)
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Kathryn Baylis 5 years ago
Hate to say it, but in some of the places where development has exploded, I find myself liking the older pictures better. Less claustrophobic. However, when progress means more trees, less dirt and decay, architectural treasures uncovered and restored to their full grandeur, and a park that has grown up beautifully, I prefer the newer pictures.
B 5 years ago
And that's "civilisation" for you right there: no more trees, no more space, too many people. Well done humans, well done.
Kathryn Baylis 5 years ago
@John L The indigenous tribes of the Amazon Basin are actually doing the planet a great favor by not wanting outsiders there. I don’t want outsiders there either. I want it left alone. The more slash and burn destruction that region suffers, the more the rest of the planet suffers. You think climate change is bad now? Burn down the Amazon Forest and see just how bad it can get.
Load More Replies... Dorothy Cloud 5 years ago
Very Very interesting. But, so many of the pictures were just sad. Overbuilt & ugly.
Florence Hastings 5 years ago
Most of the pictures about cities and towns make me sad. I see nothing to be prowd of only evidence of human folly and distain for the land.
MiniMaus 5 years ago
So for all those people who are commenting that the "today" picture shows ruined land... where would you put today's population?
Scyth 5 years ago
Does that mean you're sexually active right now? (Joking I know it's a bot)
Load More Replies...
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