Before cameras, history was told through words, paintings, and fading memories. But with their invention, we gained something remarkable—the ability to capture moments exactly as they were. Now, we can look back and see life in stunning detail, from everyday moments to world-defining events.
One of the best places to find rare and fascinating images from the past is the subreddit r/Historycord, home to the largest partnered history server on Discord. We’ve gathered some of their most intriguing posts below—explore them, upvote your favorites, and if you’re curious to learn more about the group, don’t miss our conversation with its head admin. Enjoy!
#1 A Police Officer Playing Duck Duck Goose With Children In New York, 1970
Image credits: Quick_Presentation11
#2 Cheyenne Dog Soldier Black Wolf, 1921
Image credits: Quick_Presentation11
#3 Harlem Grocer Standing In Front Of His Store, 1937
Image credits: Optimal_Wishbone322
With 76,000 members on Reddit and nearly 20,000 on Discord, Historycord describes itself as a community for “people who live and breathe history.” What sets the group apart is its dedication to accuracy—it doesn’t just encourage members to share interesting historical photos and videos but also to analyze, critique, and improve their knowledge.
#4 German Soldiers React To Footage Of Concentration Camps, 1945
Image credits: Optimal_Wishbone322
#5 Jesse Owens, An American Athlete, In London Following His Four Gold Medals At The 1936 Berlin Olympics
Image credits: Ok-Impression-1090
#6 Firefighters Protecting The General Sherman, The Largest Tree In The World, From A Wildfire
Image credits: Optimal_Wishbone322
Bored Panda reached out to the team behind Historycord and spoke with Pablo, the senior administrator and de facto head of the subreddit.
He explained that the group first began as a Discord server—now the largest history-focused server on the platform—before expanding to Reddit.
“We created this subreddit to grow that community at first, but now it has blossomed into something much larger than we had ever imagined,” he told us.
#7 American Activist Rachel Corrie, 23, Stands Between An Israeli Bulldozer And A Palestinian House On March 16, 2003, In Rafah In The Gaza Strip. Corrie Was Run Over And Killed By An Israeli Bulldozer As She Protested The Demolition Of Palestinian Houses. (2003)
Image credits: TrickyTicket9400
#8 Last Surviving Wooden Door From The Gas Chambers At Auschwitz. For Millions Of Jews, It Was The Last Door They Ever Saw
Image credits: Paul_Nosensteinfried
#9 Burbank High School Parking Lot In Burbank, California 1966
Image credits: Quick_Presentation11
Pablo may be one of the most qualified history subreddit admins out there. He holds a bachelor’s degree in history and is currently pursuing a master’s in education.
“I have found this subreddit to be surprisingly helpful in structuring my future career, and I am now particularly fascinated in archivism and the National Archives and Records Administration,” he shared. “I like the mesh of edutainment that this server provides, which I believe blends both aspects into a unique and lax environment.”
#10 B-17 Ball Turret Gunner Alan Magee, Who Fell 22,000 Feet Without A Parachute, Landing On The Glass Roof Of St. Nazaire Train Station, Breaking It Through. He Suffered Multiple Injuries, Including A Broken Leg And A Badly Cut Arm, But He Lived. January 3, 1943
Image credits: Quick_Presentation11
#11 Satchel Paige At His Final Pro Baseball Game In Which He Pitched 3 Scoreless Innings For The Kansas City A’s In 1965 At The Age Of 59. An Easy Chair And A Nurse Were Provided In The Bullpen
Image credits: Quick_Presentation11
#12 Anne Frank's Father, Otto Frank, With Other Soldiers In 1915
Image credits: causecurve
Ensuring historical accuracy on social media is no easy task, but it’s more important than ever.
According to the American Historical Association, 26% of people use social media to learn about the past, with that number rising to 35% among those aged 18-29. Meanwhile, TikTok videos labeled #history have collected over 135 billion views.
Given these numbers, it’s refreshing to see a community like Historycord take its role seriously and promote critical thinking.
#13 My Great Grandfather Wrote This Letter To My Grandfather. He Was K**led 8 Days Later
Image credits: talairen
#14 A Woman In The 1950’s Standing Next To A Redwood Tree
Image credits: Go_GoInspectorGadget
#15 A Woman Sitting In The Ruins Of Cologne, Germany, 1945
Image credits: Tigrannes
“Social media is quite good for self-education,” Pablo said. “And I believe the main reason for this is due to the social networking that it promotes. Unlike a website or news board, forums, discussion boards, and social media sites like Reddit and Discord will usually have near-instantaneous critical analysis on any number of claims made by a user.”
“This allows for quick responses in an environment that promotes rapid intellectual equity and personal growth, which I have found extremely useful throughout my experience.”
#16 When She Was 23, Rosemary Kennedy, The Sister Of Jfk And Rfk, Had A Forced Lobotomy Arranged By Her Father. The Surgery Left Her Incapacitated For The Rest Of Her Life
Image credits: senorphone1
#17 A Tourist And His Car At The Edge Of The Grand Canyon. Arizona, USA. 1914
Image credits: Go_GoInspectorGadget
#18 Department Store Workers On Their Lunch Break, Chattanooga, Tn, 1905
Image credits: UrbanAchievers6371
If r/Historycord has piqued your interest, Pablo highly recommends checking out the community’s Discord server.
“I would invite you to explore our Discord server to learn more about how our subreddit’s social attitudes were formed, leading to this unique culture on a website such as Reddit,” he said.
#19 Sharon Tate Photographed By Jack Garofalo In Cannes, 1968
Image credits: Quick_Presentation11
#20 Lumberjacks, Ca 1900
Image credits: Quick_Presentation11
#21 My Dad On Shore Leave - Malaysia In 1940 At 17 Years Old
Image credits: BuyDiabeticSupplies
#22 Time Square In 1978
Image credits: Quick_Presentation11
#23 A Girl Posing On A Car, Ca 1920
Image credits: UrbanAchievers6371
#24 New Year's Eve Party, 1930s
Image credits: Quick_Presentation11
#25 Two Kids Discovered A 1974 Ferrari Dino Buried In Their Backyard While Playing In 1978
Image credits: senorphone1
#26 High School Auto Shop Class In The 1950s
Image credits: Quick_Presentation11
#27 Joe Dimaggio, Age 20, Enjoying Some Of His Mother Rosalie's 1936 Spaghetti
Image credits: Silver-Parsley9770
#28 In August 2017, An Unexploded American 1,000 Pound Bomb (450 Kg) Was Discovered At The Site Of The Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant
Image credits: Optimal_Wishbone322
#29 A Business Excursion Riding Through Death Valley In Search Of The Mineral Borax, Sometime In The 1890's
Image credits: Optimal_Wishbone322
#30 A Burger King Located In Manhattan, New York, Offered Free Internet Access To Customers In 1998
Image credits: MeeranQureshi
#31 Coffee Shop, Baltimore, Maryland, 1930
Image credits: Quick_Presentation11
#32 Manhattan Juxtaposed Before The Arrival Of Settlers And How It Looks Today
Image credits: Optimal_Wishbone322
#33 Lunch Menu From R.h. Macy & Co, New York, 1917. All Prices Are In Cents
Image credits: Quick_Presentation11
#34 Edmund Kemper, A Serial [Criminal], In California Medical Center In The Early 2000s With Two Prison Guards
Image credits: RushVegetable9569
#35 Dicky Chappelle Was A War Correspondent And Combat Photographer Covering Iwo Jima, Okinawa, And The Hungarian Uprising Of 1954. She Was Kia While Patrolling With The Marines On 4 Nov 1965. Dicky Was Only 47 At Time Of Her Death
Image credits: Baronvoncat1
