23 Remarkable Relics That Take You Back in Time

Explore 23 incredible artifacts that showcase the wonders of bygone eras. These finds provide a captivating look at historical marvels.

These Air Force goggles from WWII still have dirt on them.

This letter confirming a soldier was missing in action during WWII is super sad but also interesting to see. Even more interesting? It turns out this man was a prisoner of war. He was released and lived until he was 83.

Speaking of prisoners of war — this is a self-portrait a North Vietnamese war prisoner drew in 1969. He gave it to an American patrolling a prisoner of war hospital.

In honor of the Olympics, here is the first Olympic torch. It’s from the 1936 Berlin Olympics, where the first Olympic torch relay was held.

These antique spice jars look a littleeeee weird now.

These 1878 doodles are actually strangely comforting to me because they show that not much about human nature has changed in the last 146 years.

These 1925 solar eclipse glasses also make me feel weirdly connected to the people of the past, especially because NYC saw a huge solar eclipse not too long ago.

Here’s a draft notice for the Vietnam War.

And this is a booklet given to American soldiers during the Vietnam War.

This person’s grandpa kept a record of the places he lived, his salary and job, and the number of girls he dated, and it’s a wild snapshot of the 20th century.

Here’s what an honorable discharge from the Civil War looks like.

And here’s what an undesirable discharge looks like from the Vietnam War.

Here’s an identity card from a war prisoner in Normandy during WWII.

Here’s a pocket knife from the Gulf War that warned owners against anthrax, as the US government feared anthrax would be used as a biological weapon against soldiers.