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We explore the past to understand the present. And pictures can help us tremendously. However, even though textbooks and other sources use images to illustrate the history they're talking about, we often focus on the written content instead.

Now don't take this as a critique of the practice, but let's switch things up a bit and take a look at the Instagram account 'Vintage Daily.'

It shares lesser-known visuals to shed new light on people and events from earlier times, providing a sneak peek into moments that might've been forgotten had it not been for photographers who decided to immortalize them.

More info: Instagram

#1

Mother And Daughter In New York City, 1970

Mother And Daughter In New York City, 1970

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

Afro! 😍😍 I used to have hair as thick as the mum's (okay, not as long, but longer than the girl's) and I would just comb out and go, feeling like a goddess. Now, I have dreadlocks and gee, am I slaying it. Enjoyed the Afro, now enjoying the dreadlocks.

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#2

The Beauty Of A Woman

The Beauty Of A Woman

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

Very nice, but! Let a child run its fingers through your hair? Do not! Those dirty, always moist, sticky little fingers are going to pull every time.

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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?"

#4

“I Showed Freddie A Picture Of Marlene Dietrich From Shanghai Express And He Loved It.” – Mick Rock (Freddie Mercury And Queen Photographed By Mick Rock, London, 1974)

“I Showed Freddie A Picture Of Marlene Dietrich From Shanghai Express And He Loved It.” – Mick Rock
(Freddie Mercury And Queen Photographed By Mick Rock, London, 1974)

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#5

I Love Audrey So Much. Seeing Her Smile Literally Brightens Up My Day

I Love Audrey So Much. Seeing Her Smile Literally Brightens Up My Day

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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."

#6

RuPaul And Nirvana Backstage At The Mtv Music Awards, 1993

RuPaul And Nirvana Backstage At The Mtv Music Awards, 1993

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#7

Protest

Protest

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

Us conservatives decided that they have the power to control wombs. How we love the sweet smell of American freedom....

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#8

Audrey Hepburn And Her Dog Mr. Famous Photographed By Sid Avery, 1957

Audrey Hepburn And Her Dog Mr. Famous Photographed By Sid Avery, 1957

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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."

#9

Marilyn Monroe And Jane Russell On Set Of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, 1953

Marilyn Monroe And Jane Russell On Set Of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, 1953

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#10

Sophia Loren Photographed By Ormond Gigli, Circa 1955

Sophia Loren Photographed By Ormond Gigli, Circa 1955

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

That's it? That's all the armpit hair she had? I have to shave my pits or unleash the friggin cousin It that lives there.....

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#11

Queen On The Set Of The “I Want To Break Free” Music Video, 1984

Queen On The Set Of The “I Want To Break Free” Music Video, 1984

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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.

#13

A Crow Lighting The Cigarette Of Tippi Hedren On The Set Of “The Birds” (Dir. By Alfred Hitchcock), 1963

A Crow Lighting The Cigarette Of Tippi Hedren On The Set Of “The Birds” (Dir. By Alfred Hitchcock), 1963

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

I met a smarter one. Dropped my cigarette. Hadn't lighted it yet. He ruined it. Okay okay I quit.

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#14

Marlene Dietrich Kissing A Soldier Returning From Wwii, 1945

Marlene Dietrich Kissing A Soldier Returning From Wwii, 1945

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

I wonder if the soldiers holding her up from below are even happier than the guy getting kissed? Yes, I'm a dirty old man

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#16

Hedy Lamarr In Ziegfeld Girl, 1941 directed By Robert Z. Leonard

Hedy Lamarr In Ziegfeld Girl, 1941
directed By Robert Z. Leonard

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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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#19

The Man Who Fell To Earth, 1976

The Man Who Fell To Earth, 1976

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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.

#21

Johnny Depp And Kate Moss Photographed By Annie Leibovitz, 1994

Johnny Depp And Kate Moss Photographed By Annie Leibovitz, 1994

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

I always forget they dated. Winona forever is the one I always think of

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#22

Susan Sarandon At Cannes, 1978

Susan Sarandon At Cannes, 1978

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

Star quality. If I wore that outfit, people would assume I was having a breakdown.

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#23

Mott Haven, New York City, 1979 photographed By David Gonzalez

Mott Haven, New York City, 1979
photographed By David Gonzalez

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#24

Cher, Elton John And Diana Ross At The Rock Music Awards At The Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, 1975

Cher, Elton John And Diana Ross At The Rock Music Awards At The Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, 1975

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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, don't worry. You're not wasting your time. You're growing in more ways than you might think!

#25

Amy Winehouse For The Sunday Telegraph Magazine In 2004

Amy Winehouse For The Sunday Telegraph Magazine In 2004

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Kelzbelz79
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

She was an amazing and talented young woman, gone too soon. 😢

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

She looks so amazing without the tower on her head...sweet sad girl

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

I saw her from the front row of the MTV Movie Awards, in what was her first televised performance in the US. One of the most amazing performances I've ever seen, and one of my favorite memories. RIP Amy, thank you for giving us all the experience of a lifetime that night.

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

I still listen and play her songs almost daily. What a talent, what a voice.

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

She and Lady Gaga look very similar in some photos. She had a great voice. So sad she died so young.

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

I loved Amy Winehouse & even saw her in concert once. Brilliant. From a recent Guardian article about Sylvia Young's theater school: Amy Winehouse was one of Young’s pupils in the 90s, so talented that she was given a part-scholarship. She was, says Young with a smile, “very naughty. I liked her tremendously.” She was also “very clever”, but it meant she often became bored ... even though the school moved her up a year. “[Amy] would upset the academic teachers, except the English teacher who thought she’d be a novelist. She seemed to be just loved. But she was naughty,” says Young. Nothing terrible, she says – things such as wearing extra earrings, which Winehouse would agree to take out, then they’d be back in again an hour later." And a Black student says, "Amy Winehouse, a few years above, was like an older sister to me. The first time I met her, we were in the girls' toilet and she went, 'If anyone says anything to you that you don't like, come and tell me.'"

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#26

Benicio Del Toro And Parker Posey Photographed By Mark Seliger, 1995

Benicio Del Toro And Parker Posey Photographed By Mark Seliger, 1995

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

While this is a great pic Im really having a hard time dealing with the fact that a pic from 1995 is considered "old". Ill be in the car

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#28

Freddie Mercury At The Nagoya Castle, Japan, 1975

Freddie Mercury At The Nagoya Castle, Japan, 1975

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#29

Casting Polaroid Of Salma Hayek, Circa 1995

Casting Polaroid Of Salma Hayek, Circa 1995

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#30

High School Fashion In 1969

High School Fashion In 1969

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#31

Leonardo Dicaprio With His Parents In 1976

Leonardo Dicaprio With His Parents In 1976

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#32

David Bowie Photographed By Steve Schapiro, 1975

David Bowie Photographed By Steve Schapiro, 1975

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#33

Brittany Murphy, 1998

Brittany Murphy, 1998

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

May she rest in peace. She was a wonderful actress. I feel she is often overlooked when people look back at great artists we lost.

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#34

Teenagers At An Elvis Presley Concert At The Philadelphia Arena, 1957!

Teenagers At An Elvis Presley Concert At The Philadelphia Arena, 1957!

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#35

Polaroids Of The Cast Of Clueless Taken By Alan Friedman, 1995

Polaroids Of The Cast Of Clueless Taken By Alan Friedman, 1995

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

Paul Rudd hasn't aged. And it's still so gutting that Brittany Murphy died. Rolling with her homies up high.

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#36

Two Women Sitting Outside On The Fire Escape In Harlem, NYC, 1978

Two Women Sitting Outside On The Fire Escape In Harlem, NYC, 1978

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#39

Roller Skating At Venice Beach, 1979

Roller Skating At Venice Beach, 1979

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Jenny K Anderson
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I wish roller skating was still considered a cool way to get around. It’s fun, easy and seems safer than dorky rollerblades (also out of vogue).

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#41

Saint Petersburg, Florida, 1973

Saint Petersburg, Florida, 1973

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

Looks like they're having fun.. I feel like a lot of people don't look like they're having fun these days.

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#42

Santa Monica, California, 1955 photographed By Elliott Erwitt

Santa Monica, California, 1955
photographed By Elliott Erwitt

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

Used as the cover of The First of a Million Kisses by Fairground Attraction

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#43

Claudia Schiffer (And Christy Turlington) At Versace After Party In Paris, 1994

Claudia Schiffer (And Christy Turlington) At Versace After Party In Paris, 1994

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Nora12
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sigh, you are making me feel so old that a picture taken the year I graduated is considered a “vintage historical photo”

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#45

Kiss By The Hotel De Ville Photographed By Robert Doisneau, 1950

Kiss By The Hotel De Ville Photographed By Robert Doisneau, 1950

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

I made a comment on this last year and I'll make it again. No one noticed as he sucked the soul out of her with a simple kiss. No one, but the woman in a trench coat, who had just kissed the man behind her. Now a void behind his glasses..."

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#46

Michelle Pfeiffer As Elvira Hancock In Scarface, 1983 directed By Brian De Palma

Michelle Pfeiffer As Elvira Hancock In Scarface, 1983
directed By Brian De Palma

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#48

“Men Don’t Protect You Anymore” Nirvana In Manhattan, 1993

“Men Don’t Protect You Anymore” Nirvana In Manhattan, 1993

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#49

“55 DSL” Dazed, March 2004 Photographed By Jamie Brunskill

“55 DSL” Dazed, March 2004 Photographed By Jamie Brunskill

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Note: this post originally had 129 images. It’s been shortened to the top 49 images based on user votes.