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You Won't Believe Your Eyes When You See These 55 Old Photos That Are Simply Mind-Blowing

Treadmills were basically invented as a way to punish criminals.

1. Here's a little sample of what teenagers were looking for in a partner in 1955.

Old newspaper page with portrait photos and brief personal descriptions of various people, article titled "Whom Will I Marry?"

2. Here's what a child's car seat looked like in the 1930s and '40s.

Toddler in a vintage car seat, mouth open as if talking or singing

3. Here is the "Mona Lisa" next to a copy painted by one of da Vinci's students. The copy is better preserved, so we can more clearly picture what the "Mona Lisa" looked like when it was first painted. (And y'all — she has eyebrows!)

Two versions of the Mona Lisa painting side by side

4. Here's the original model for Mount Rushmore, showing it was supposed to have full busts along with the heads.

Sculptor Gutzon Borglum's model of Mt. Rushmore with Washington, Jefferson, Roosevelt, and Lincoln faces; artist standing beside it

5. Here is what the first Taco Bell looked like. You can find it at their headquarters in California.

Taco Bell building facade on blocks with covered entrance, no visible activity

6. And here is one of their original menus.

Vintage ad for Taco Bell's grand opening in Florida, detailing the menu with various taco and burrito options

7. Here's who the Wendy's logo was based on — Wendy Morse, whose father Dave Thomas founded the fast food chain. You can see a younger version of her here.

Woman smiling, holding her pigtails under Wendy's sign, mimicking the logo's character. She wears a jacket with a turtleneck

8. Here's what a ticket to Disneyland looked like in 1997 — and how much it cost.

Three vintage Disneyland "Magic Kingdom Club" tickets, two adult, one child from 1989

9. Here is a recipe for Girl Scout Cookies from 1922, when Girl Scouts would actually make the cookies themselves.

Recipe for Girl Scout cookies on a trefoil-shaped paper, includes butter, sugar, vanilla, flour, among other ingredients

10. Here are some 1960s tips to remain "feminine" as you smoke cigarettes.

Vintage smoking etiquette guide illustrating correct and incorrect ways to hold and dispose of a cigarette

11. And here's Betty Crocker's advice for women.

Menu with various humorous personal ads and advice, presented in a vintage newspaper style

12. Here is a depiction of prisoners using the first version of the treadmill at Brixton Prison in London in 1825. Treadmills were originally invented to help prisoners "atone" for their crimes.

Historical illustration of people outside a two-story building, some on a staircase and others standing or walking nearby

13. Here is one of the original 1930s Shell gas stations.

Shell-shaped gas station with two vintage pumps out front

14. Here is one of the original Jolly Roger pirate flags — only two currently exist worldwide.

Two individuals observing exhibitions inside a museum with artifacts displayed in glass cases and on walls

15. Here is a diary entry from the day WWI ended.

The image shows a typewritten page with a dense text discussing the aftermath of war, referencing places such as the Rhine and cities like Darmstadt, along with sentiments on the effects of the war on various individuals

16. And here's what a draft notice looked like during WWII.

Summarized text: Draft notice from Selective Service System dated May 22, 1945, ordering recipient to report for military induction

17. Here is the actual bus that Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on.

Historical Rosa Parks bus display with life-size figures and information plaques

18. Here is the first and third-class menu from the night the Titanic sank.

Menu from the RMS Titanic listing meal options with a photograph of the ship at the bottom

19. Here's the evolution of the Dunkin' Donuts logo.

Nine Dunkin' Donuts logos displayed in a grid, showcasing the brand's evolution over time

20. Here's a look back at how much things cost in the '90s.

Commemorative "Remember When" card from 1992 with nostalgic images and lists of past prices for common items

21. And here's a $170 bill for a semester at Harvard from 1869.

Summarized tuition bill for Harvard College dated January 18, 1866, listing instruction, room, and other fees

22. Here's a version of a selfie stick from 1997, from a book titled 99 More Unuseless Japanese Inventions.

Page of a magazine showing a couple taking a selfie with a camera stick and a product description below

23. Here is one of the cards people across America received in the mail in the '60s when zip codes were first created.

Illustration of a cartoon character next to "This is your ZIP CODE" with a sample code "92335" on a postal notification card

24. Here is a list of tips to help prevent the spread of influenza, which are super weird to look at post-COVID lockdown.

Article listing dos and don'ts for influenza prevention, stressing hygiene, fresh air, and consulting doctors, not panic

25. Here's what women's bathing suits looked like in the 1890s.

Two vintage-era women posing beside a building, one with arms raised, the other with hands on hips

26. Here's one of the original sketches for the game Super Mario Bros., done using graph paper.

Graphical music score with unique notation, including blue horizontal bars and small yellow symbols, spread across an open book

27. Here's what letters to Santa looked like in 1897.

Summary of letters to Santa Claus from Fred, Paul, and Elsie, requesting gifts such as a drum, skates, dresses, and a horse

28. Here's what the Hollywood sign used to look like — it actually used to say "Hollywoodland."

A historical photo of people gathered around a camera and equipment on a hillside with the "Hollywoodland" sign in the background

29. Here is how much you would receive on average if you lost a limb at work in 1890.

Chart showing compensation for limb losses in 1890 against silhouettes of figures with respective missing limbs

30. This is what Sprite cans used to look like.

Vintage Sprite can with slogan "It's a natural!" on a wooden surface

31. And this is what the original Mountain Dew looked like.

Vintage Mountain Dew bottle with old logo and illustrations, text about the brand origins

32. This is what reclining seats on aircrafts used to look like.

Black and white photo of passengers in vintage aircraft sleeper seats with an attendant standing by

33. And here is an example of a first-class lounge on a 1960s airplane.

Vintage photo of passengers seated and a flight attendant standing in an airplane cabin

34. Here is an example of a classified ad from 1865.

An old newspaper ad with text seeking a wife, highlighting personal qualities and offering incentives like land

35. Here's a list of causes of death in London in 1632.

Image of a historical document listing diseases and casualties for the year 1632, including "Aged," "Ague," and "Falling Sickness."

36. Here's what "party food" looked like in the 1950s.

Assorted snacks and condiments spread on a table for a gathering

37. Here's what house and mortgage prices were like in the late '50s/early '60s.

Vintage advertisement showing two homes for sale, one at $7,450 with $47.92 monthly payments, the other at $7,900 with $49.74 monthly

38. Here's a hospital bill for giving birth from 1930.

Old hospital bill from 1930, with handwritten services and costs, totaling $443.50

39. Here are the top 50 songs of 1972.

List of hit songs from 1972

40. Here's what New York subway cars used to look like.

Passengers sitting and standing inside a vintage subway car with overhead advertisements

41. Here's what Times Square looked like in 1940.

Historic photo of a bustling city street with early 20th-century architecture and numerous vintage signs

42. Here's an old printing press setup that explains the origin of the words "uppercase" and "lowercase."

Wooden type case with various metal print blocks, next to a window, labeled "Geneva's Serif."

43. Here is the original Xbox prototype.

Original Xbox prototype in an X shape, displayed on a desk, related to Bill Gates' 2000 announcement

44. And here's what an old one-game Nintendo gaming console from 1982 looked like.

Vintage Game & Watch console featuring Donkey Kong Jr. game

45. Here's what was in cough syrup in the 1800s.

Vintage cough syrup label listing alcohol, cannabis, chloroform, and morphine as ingredients

46. And here's an old nursing kit from the early 1900s that has cocaine tablets, back when it was used as medicine.

Person holding a small, vintage lighter with visible worn details

47. Here's an old newspaper ad for Jaws when it first came out.

Vintage movie poster for the opening of "Jaws" at Bluewater Boardwalk with screening details

48. Here are instructions for turning on lights in a home, back when houses first began to incorporate electricity.

Antique notice stating that the room has Edison Electric Light and instructing not to use matches, just turn the key

49. Here are newspapers from when JFK died and from when humankind first stepped foot on the moon.

Historic newspapers: Lincoln Star reports on JFK assassination and Apollo 11 moon landing

50. Here is the original list of basketball rules, created in 1891.

Old document labeled "Basket Ball" with faded text and a visible hole, detailing early rules of the game

51. Here's what a $5 bill looked like in 1896.

Early 19th-century $5 silver certificate with intricate engravings and historical allegorical figures

52. Here's what the Statue of Liberty looked like as it was being built in Paris.

Historical photo of workers constructing the framework of a large ship in an industrial hangar

53. Here's what your average work desk looked like in 1966.

Vintage office desk from 1966 with a rotary phone, typewriter, and telex machine. Text overlay: "This was my very first desk at work in 1966."

54. Here are examples throughout history of people saying the exact same things about the younger generations.

Timeline of historical periods from 2001 BC to 4th century AD, listed in a vertical sequence

55. And finally, here's an instructional video about using the internet from 1997 that made me realize just how much has changed in the last 27 years.

Image summarizes a vintage educational video about the internet with children and an instructor discussing its changing nature and webpages