History

February 26, 2017

Vintage Booklet Teaches People How to Use a Telephone

It's hard to remember a time when telephones didn't exist, but this hilarious etiquette booklet from 1951 reminds us that there was a time when they needed an instruction manual. Published by Bell Telephone System, The Telephone and How We Use It was intended as a beginner's guide on all things telephone. Funnily enough, there's still some good advice to remember even in our digital age.

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January 11, 2017

Behind-the-Scenes GIFs Reveal How Special Effects Were Done in Silent Films

Long before CGI and the green screen, silent filmmakers were incorporating astounding visual effects into their work. These ingenious techniques didn’t rely on digital tools, as there were none at the time. Instead, to surprise and delight viewers, silent film effects used elements like trick perspective, hidden pulleys, and filter adjustments to make the magic happen. Redditor Auir2blaze compiled some of these effects into a post on Imgur and then explained how exactly they were done.

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January 1, 2017

Bizarre Vintage Ads From 1910 Are Oddly Similar to Modern Marketing

The more things change, the more they seem to stay the same. There have been a myriad of cultural and technological advances made since the early 20th century, but our advertisements are still surprisingly similar. Thanks to an unearthed copy of the 1910 World Almanac, we have insight to what companies were trying to sell long ago. It turns out that weight loss, cars, and cures for baldness were all paid advertisers. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

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May 12, 2016

100-Year-Old Photos Capture Authentic Daily Life in Japan

These rare shots of vintage Japan during 1908 are thanks to the acute artistic eye of Arnold Genthe. The German-born American scholar honed his photographic talent on the streets, spending his off-time roaming through his city with a partially hidden camera in attempts of recording memorable moments. This intriguing series was collected during a 6-month visit to Japan, during which Genthe managed to share his perspective of the vivid daily experiences of its local citizens.

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My Modern Met

Celebrating creativity and promoting a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanity—from the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening.