Nostalgia can be a powerful thing. We've all heard people say things like, "Things were different back then" or "When we grew up back then...." But it can be pretty easy to forget about many of the not-so-wholesome trends and ways of life that were considered normal only 50 or 60 years ago. And that's why we've gathered all kinds of rarely-seen vintage media from that era that reflect the reality of the good ol' days. Keep scrolling for retro photos and ads that show history from a new perspective.
What They Meant When They Said "Fun for the 'Entire' Family"
There's a general theme among many of the photos on this list, and that theme isn't too hard to figure out. Gender roles were much different even a couple of decades ago, and it wasn't hard to find advertisements similar to this one. This is an early advertisement for Milton Bradley's classic Battleship game. The ad shows a father and son playing the game at the kitchen table, but the mother and daughter are suspiciously absent.
They're absent from the fun for the "entire family." Instead, they can be seen washing the dishes in the background. Historically, that was where women were expected to spend most of their time.
One Ahead-Of-Her-Times Woman Had Something to Say About This Car Ad
This is a good one to start out with because while a lot of the ads and photos on this list reflect popular views from a different era, not everyone shared those views. This graffiti on a billboard advertisement in the U.K. is a perfect example of that. The vintage advertisement would not doubt be considered sexist by today's standards, and apparently, it was also considered a bit sexist even by standards back then.
The ad says, "If it were a lady, it would get its bottom pinched." To which a justifiably angry woman responded, "If this lady was a car, she'd run you down."
Back in 1962, Workers Competed in "asbestos Shoveling Competitions"
Today, it's common knowledge that asbestos is extremely dangerous. However, it used to be hailed as a miraculous material and used in everything from cigarette filters to roofs. This vintage photo was taken at an asbestos shoveling competition in the town of Wittenoom in the Pilbara region of Australia. At the time (1962), there was an asbestos mine there, so it was common for workers and their families to be exposed to the material.
Today, the area is deemed contaminated and unlivable. Historically, the surrounding town had around 20,000 residents living there at its peak. More than 2,000 of those residents have since succumbed to asbestos-related diseases.
"Undercover" New York Police In 1969
This photo is pretty funny. In 1969, New York was seeing a spike in attacks on women, so police went undercover in drag in order to try and catch the criminals. However, from the looks of this vintage photo, not everyone was fooled. The two women in the background are obviously wondering what's going on here. It's also good to note that this was a historical time when drag wasn't widely accepted.
So, that could also help explain why the two women have such perplexed looks on their faces. Reportedly, this tactic did help clamp down on violence and crime, though.
Old Lysol Ad Encouraged Women to Use It for Feminine Hygiene
If you needed any more proof that things were different back in the day, then look no further than this old historical ad from Lysol. The company is still around today, but they aren't putting out ads like this anymore. It tells the story of a wife who won her husband back after using Lysol... for feminine hygiene. Today, we know that this kind of stuff is actually pretty unhealthy.
We also know that ads like this are outdated and that nobody should be put in a position where they're expected to try and "win back" their significant other back.
This Toy Set Would Never Fly Today
Here's another photo that shows just how drastically things have changed in the last 50 to 60 years. It used to be okay for companies to sell children's toys like the one pictured here. Historically, even after toys like this were removed from shelves, it wasn't uncommon to see characters smoking in cartoons or candy cigarettes being sold on supermarket shelves. Today, such things would be virtually unthinkable.
The toy set in this photo also includes batteries, which is pretty weird to see, considering you have to buy your own no matter what kind of toy you buy today.
Mama Was Shocked, to Say the Least
Countries around the world celebrate Mardi Gras or Carnival in some form or another, but not everyone is familiar with Sydney, Australia's take on the holiday. In that country, Mardi Gras is used as a sort of Pride celebration. The celebration started in 1978, although this photo was taken in 1994. The woman looks like she's a bit surprised to see some of the attire worn by local revelers.
By the time this vintage shot was taken, the Sydney Mardi Gras had been going on for a couple of decades, so this shouldn't have come as that much of a surprise.
The Peak of 1908 Humor: This Postcard Labeled "striking Beauty"
Who knew people in the 1900s had a sense of humor? When we think of that time in history, we usually think of stuffy personalities and all kinds of formalities. However, this postcard proves otherwise. It shows a woman punching a man in the face, probably for something he said, with the words "A striking beauty" written at the bottom. It's a pun, and not a bad one at that.
Of course, the guy in the photo isn't the greatest actor, but he probably had to maintain that pose for a while until the camera was able to capture him.
1970 Furniture Piece Has More Functions Than We Ever Thought Possible
You'd be forgiven for not knowing who Lester Walker is since he's not exactly a household name. However, he was and still is a famous designer and architect. In the 1970s, he designed this vintage piece of furniture. It's supposed to easily transform into a couple of different things, from a picnic table to a bar. Walker is still known for his great use of space and multi-use design.
That said, we're not really sure why this never caught on because it seems like it would be a hit, especially in today's era of tiny houses.
These "Baby Cages" Were Once an Acceptable Way for Babies to Get Some Fresh Air
Some of the vintage photos on this list are of things that we could totally see hanging around until today. However, this is not one of those things. This photo was taken in 1937, and it shows what's called a "baby cage." These were designed to allow babies to get some fresh air if they lived in larger apartment buildings, and it's not hard to see why they're still not around today.
This particular photo was taken in 1937, which is probably when these things were around. We can't imagine that they were in use much later than that.
Airline Stewardess Fashion in the 1960s Was on a Different Level
When you think of the late 60s and the early 70s, odds are you think of patterns like the ones in this photo. The vintage clothes and patterns in this photo look like they came straight out of that era. Apparently, these were the uniforms for women working on Braniff Airlines during that period. They're actually kind of cool, and they look much more comfortable than what workers wear today.
These are also a lot more vibrant and colorful. This is probably one of the few things on this list that we could see being positive if brought back.
"If You Don't Talk to Your Kid About Drugs, This Man Will"
This depiction of a dealer, found in an ad in Time Magazine, might be the most well-dressed dealer we've ever seen. Of course, this isn't what they actually looked like, even back then, but it's kind of hilarious to think that this was the media's portrayal of them at one point in history. The guy in this photo looks like he's dressed for a business meeting, not a quick trade-off in the park.
He's wearing a tie and everything. He's also got slicked-back hair like we'd imagine someone from The Outsiders having. This was probably the quintessential style back in the day, though.
Dining With Gators in 1920s Florida
There are plenty of photos on this list that don't look very safe in hindsight, but this just might be the most obvious. Apparently, you could dine with alligators at this restaurant in 1920s Florida. Amazingly, it seems like nobody was ever injured while doing this - at least not that the park reported. However, it still looks like it would've only been a matter of time.
The alligators in this photo had to be fed prior to every dinner because we don't see any other way they'd not just overwhelm the one guy standing there with a stick on the right.
Prince Skating On His Personal Tennis Court Shortly After Completing the Batman Soundtrack
It's kind of hard to understand unless you lived through that era, but Prince used to be it. He was a rockstar in his own right and pretty much the only person in the world who could get away with a photo like this. This is him rollerskating on his own tennis court in 1989. He'd done the soundtrack for Tim Burton's Batman right before this photo was taken, which is why he's wearing the bat logo.
That makes this photo doubly historical because the soundtrack for that film ended up going multi-platinum for around six weeks in a row. Prince ended up passing away in 2016.
We Just Know This Guy Would Be a Big Social Media User if He Was Alive Today
Some things change, and others stay the same. This photo was taken in the mid-1960s, and it shows a man protesting what we think is women's rights. He is obviously mad that women were being granted the same rights as men during this point in history, and while his complaints look pretty dated today, it's still not uncommon to find similar complaints by some commentators on the internet, even more than 50 years later.
However, one of the best parts about his photo might just be the look that the woman passing by in the background is giving him as she walks by.
Farm Fertilizer Ad From 1956
Even today, fertilizer is a really big business. However, it was apparently much bigger back in the day because this vintage photo isn't like any fertilizer ad we've seen recently. It shows models wearing fertilizer bags for Ortho. There doesn't really seem to be any point to the ad other than, "Hey, look at the models we have." That's okay, though; we guess that's still true of many ads today.
We've seen other ads and competitions similar to this one and from the same era. It seems like back in the day, there was a beauty pageant for just about every industry.
Vintage Ad Reminds Women They Should Always Wear Pretty Underwear in Case They Get Hit by a Car
This vintage ad is pretty hilarious but also so out of date that we didn't even get the advertisement at first. It says, "My mother always told me to wear pretty panties in case I got hit by a car," which seems incredibly random at first. However, apparently, it was a pretty common saying at one point in history. The thought was that you wanted to be nicely dressed for when the EMTs or nurses had to rip your clothes off and save your life.
So, a company called Eiderlon Panties came up with this gem of an advertisement. It's nearly incoherent now, but we're sure it sold a lot of underwear back in the day.
Car Seats in the 1940s Were Really Just About Giving the Baby a Good View
If there's one thing on this list that's been a relatively recent trend, it's car safety. Many of the safety standards that save countless lives today were only implemented a relatively short time ago. Historically, it wasn't uncommon to see things like the car seat depicted in this photo. For some reason, the designers thought that it was imperative that babies could see out of the front windshield of cars.
So, some vintage car seats were nothing more than what's depicted in this photo. We're not safety experts, but this looks pretty dangerous if something were to happen to this car.
A 1930s Ad for Ironized Yeast
Here's another pretty sexist vintage ad. This one was released in the 1930s, and there was also a male version of the ad that wasn't much better. Still, you can see from this ad and others on this list that advertisers were pretty savage back in the day. We're not really sure what ironized yeast is, but since we don't see it on store shelves today, we're pretty sure it doesn't actually work.
However, this might be the first ad we've seen for a product that's supposed to make someone gain weight and not lose it, which we guess is somewhat notable.
ABC Special Titled "the Day My Kid Went Punk" - And No, It Wasn't Satire
Back in the 1970s and 1980s, this was many parents' worst fear — their kids turning punk. So, ABC released this little gem in 1987, which was a bit late to the punk scene but still pretty hilarious. It shows a father sitting at a breakfast table with his son, who looks like he just magically changed his whole persona overnight. This doesn't have a super bad rating, so it might actually be worth checking out.
It seems to be more of a comedy than an actual sort of "cautionary tale" about a kid who goes punk. Still, the vintage ad is pretty funny and out-of-touch in today's world.
They Wrapped Babies in Cellophane to "prove Our Product Keeps Things Fresh"
Some of the ads on this list, as bad as they are, were just products of their time. However, you can't convince us that this Du Pont ad for cellophane from 1955 wasn't considered the absolute worst, even back then. Knowing not to wrap babies in cellophane doesn't seem like something we only learned relatively recently in history. We're sure that this vintage ad got plenty of laughs back in the day.
That said, this might be one of those ads that are so terrible they're actually good. We mean, we're sure we're never going to get the image of two babies wrapped in cellophane out of our brains now.
These Special License Plates Were Meant to Shame Bad Drivers
This license plate was never actually used, but it was put up as a proposal to identify those who were bad drivers. The plates would've had a comical skull and bones on the back to warn others around to stay far away and shame those who'd had a lot of accidents. We're kind of glad this never showed up but we definitely know a few people who would've been candidates for these plates.
The photo was taken in 1939, which historically was a time when the stereotype about female drivers being worse than their make counterparts was rampant. That might explain why they used a young woman in this ad.
Architects Dressed up as Their Iconic Buildings in 1931
When you look at New York City's skyline today, most people imagine that it was the result of decades upon decades of building. And while that's true to some extent, many of its most famous buildings were constructed during the first half of the 20th century. This historical photo shows many of those building's architects dressed as their creations during a pageant in 1931. The man to the far left is dressed as the Fuller Building. The architect's name is A. Stewart Walker.
Moving right, there's the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel (Leonard Schultze), the Squibb Building (Ely Jacques Kahn), the Chrysler Building (William Van Alen), 1 Wall Street (Ralph Walker), the Metropolitan Tower (D.E.Ward), and the Museum of the City of New York (Joseph H. Freelander).
Matching Outfits Were Already a Thing in the 1950s
There might be some pretty questionable vintage ads on this list, but not everything from history was messed up. Just take a look at this adorable couple and their matching outfits. They look like they're getting ready to hop on a cruise and enjoy a little vacation. The guy's shorts in this photo are also having somewhat of a comeback today, although we haven't seen shorts quite as short as the one in this photo.
It helps that this historical photo is in color. Their style might look a tad bit dated, but other than that, the photo looks as though it could've been taken yesterday.
Vintage Racing Goggles Included a Set of Mini Wipers
We're sure everyone has seen a vintage cartoon where one of the characters is wearing goggles with little windshield wipers on them. What we didn't know is that those were real historical items. This photo shows a pair of vintage goggles from the 1930s being worn by a racecar driver. The thought was that the little fan or windmill on the top would spin and power the wipers on the lenses when the driver picked up enough speed.
It's a really simple design, but we still can't believe that something like this actually existed. It doesn't look too comfortable, which might be one of the reasons they're no longer made.
1960s Hair By Talented Stylist Philip Mason
The 60s and 70s were definitely the era of the Afro. However, we've never seen one that looks like this. This was done by renowned stylist Philip Mason in 1969. Mason also did a lot of other really out-there designs that blurred the line between style and art. This actually looks really ahead of its time and we could see this popping up in something like a sci-fi film.
Mason later said that the cut took him about two days to complete and that it was done on a wig that was originally much larger than the size of the final product.
Vintage Burger King Headphones
It might be defunct today, but if you wanted cool tech back in the day, odds are you were going to go to Radioshack to get it. These vintage headphones were a collaboration between Radioshack and Burgerking. Not only were they clever marketing, but they honestly look kind of cool, too. If you wanted a pair of these bad boys back in the day, you had to pay around $13.
That's around $40 in today's dollars, so they weren't cheap. However, can you really put a price on being able to walk down the street while jamming out to a pair of hamburger buns?
Just Looking at This Grocery Store Carpeting From the 1970s Makes Us Dizzy
If you've ever seen a show or movie set in the 1970s, then one thing probably stuck out to you. That time in history had a very particular color palette. Burnt oranges, greens, and purples were all the rage. There's something really vintage and ugly about this photo of a grocery store from the 1970s. However, there's also something a bit nostalgic about it. Maybe they had it right with their orange carpets?
It certainly wasn't the best choice for spills, but it beats the hard, cold tiles you see in most grocery stores today. Who knows, maybe we'll see this look brought back one day.
The Establishment Wig: For When You Party Hard, But You're Also Corporate
This is a pretty hilarious ad. We've seen wigs for trying to hide balding, but we've never seen wigs for people that have too much hair. This ad is from 1968, which was a time in history when big hair was definitely in. So, some people needed to hide their hair when they went into the office for work, which was a much more conservative environment back in the day.
With these wigs, you could live out your free spirit lifestyle while also not having to crash on friends' couches because you couldn't find a job. It's actually pretty genius.
A Wholesome Photo of an Uncle and His Nephew in 1981
It's kind of weird how fashion is cyclical. This look may have been really dated only a couple of years ago, but short shorts and crop tops for men are actually making somewhat of a comeback. The photo itself was taken in 1981, and it shows a boy with his uncle at the Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah. We've seen some photos of men's crop tops but none quite like this before.
Fast forward a couple of decades and we're sure that the clothes we're wearing are going to look as vintage as the fashion in this photo looks to us now.
A Custom Vespa Scooter From 1983
This is a pretty cool image. It shows a young man named Bryn Owen on his custom Vespa. He'd installed around 34 mirrors and 81 lights using his spare pocket change. We're not exactly sure why he did that, but it did make for a really unique-looking ride. His suit is also pretty stylish, so maybe he just wanted to ride around on something that caught people's attention when going down the road.
The vintage photo doesn't show the back of the scooter, but we'd imagine he probably had a couple of different tail lights back there because we don't count 80-something lights up front.
When Farmers Had Need for Dynamite
This might come as a surprise to some, but dynamite used to be relatively easy for people to acquire. This was during a point in history before things like public bombings, and such became a regular threat. People would use dynamite for all kinds of things, including clearing out old tree stumps. Most didn't have manuals like the one shown here, though, and just had to use trial and error to determine how much dynamite it took to clear a stump.
It's still not all that uncommon to find dynamite and caps in old barns and such. However, we imagine that it's much harder to get your hands on dynamite today.
A Poster That Let You Kiss Your Favorite Beatle
This Beatle's poster seems kind of weird today. However, you have to keep in mind that at this point in history, and even still today, the Beatles were basically the biggest thing to ever happen in terms of music. So, having the different members of the band next to blown-up images of their lips really isn't all that weird. In fact, one of your family members may have very well had this same vintage poster.
We're actually a bit surprised that you don't see anything like this around anymore because we're sure they'd still sell, especially if they were done for a K-pop band or something.
An Album For Germany's Exmagma Rock Band
The 1970s really were a unique time in history. This photo is an album cover for a German band called Exmagma. The album was released in 1974, and while we're not sure if it was actually any good or not, the band's style was on point. They're either wearing stilts or really high platform shoes, but either way, it looks like an accident waiting to happen. But their outfits are still pretty cool.
Those pants were probably custom-made, and good luck finding a fur coat like the one of the far left today. The cover almost makes us want to go and check out their music.
A 1976 Photo of the Presto Whip Building
They don't make buildings like they used to. This photo shows the Presto Whip building in Dearborn, Michigan, in 1976. As you can see, they had these huge bottles of Presto Whip out front. They remind us of those quirky roadside attractions you might stumble across during a road trip. These giant cans are no longer there, but there's still plenty of media online that refers to them, and they seemed to be local landmarks.
You don't see very many advertisements like these anymore and that's almost a shame. Maybe one day these, like others on this list, will make a comeback and start popping up on roadsides.
The Scorpions in 1974
This vintage photo is truly from another time. It shows the Scorpions in 1974. The band was and still is pretty big. They're probably best known for their song "Rock You Like A Hurricane," but they have plenty of other hit songs. It's good to know that even back in the 1970s, bands were taking steamy photos like this one. We've also heard that they still put on some pretty good shows.
Honestly, this photo could have been taken today, and it'd look totally normal, minus the big hair and bell-bottom pants, of course. The band has been playing together since before the moon landing.
People's Idea Of Space Age Fashion In The 1960s
We've seen plenty of "futuristic" fashion shows, but this one from the 1960s might be the wonkiest. These pieces were created by French fashion designer André Courrèges. He's actually partially credited for inventing the miniskirt and he was known for his futuristic designs. Gladly, these never caught on and became an actual thing, but they're still a fun look at what some might've historically thought people would dress like in the future.
We're also not really sure why all three models are wearing huge glasses here, but perhaps the designer just figured that people in the future would need those for space or something.
Aliens From a Special Episode of the Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone was a black-and-white science fiction/horror show from the late 1950s. If you've never seen it, then you should really check it out because a lot of episodes still hold up today. Think Black Mirror but set in the 1950s. Anyway, this photo is from a special comedic episode from 1961, during the era of the Space Race, and it shows what some pictured Martians and Venusians might look like.
Today, we know that there isn't intelligent life on either planet, but at that time in history, most people were just starting to think about the possibility of alien life and this episode was probably pretty trippy.