Did you know that in Roman slang, Gladiators would sometimes be called “barley boys”? Since they, understandably, needed to be pretty strong, they would, like any fitness guy, bulk up, in their case, on barley. The truth is, people in the past were, well, people, just like us, which means that history can often be a lot more approachable, if you learn it the right way.
We’ve gathered some excellent, informative and downright hilarious examples of history memes. So get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote your favorites and be sure to share your thoughts in the comments below.
#1 Surprise!
Image credits: YourQuirk
#2 Source?
Image credits: 99btyler
#3 Le French
Image credits: Sociopat00
While much of human history has been anything but “fun,” but at least as modern observers, we can turn all that suffering into trivia questions, or, as this list demonstrates, memes. Perhaps it’s a very human superpower, to take some tragedy of the past and to shift how you see it mentally. After all, if you allow your past difficulties to dominate your present, you can hardly move on.
It probably helps that a lot of historical events were quite funny, from one perspective. For example, Rama IV, the king of Siam, offered to provide the United States with war elephants during the civil war. Try to imagine some pachyderms at Gettysburg, the thought is pretty comical.
#4 Is This Comic Gold?
Image credits: iamnumair
#5 U. S. A 👍
Image credits: Flimsy_Translator781
#6 I'm Not Sure What Else Were They Expecting
Image credits: Egorrosh
Or that Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany, King George V of England, and Czar Nicholas II of Russia were all first cousins. There is nothing “funny” about the First World War, but the fact that his whole thing did look like a family drama at a distance sort of puts things into perspective. The more things change, the more things stay the same, as the saying goes.
#7 Just A Small Souvenir!
Image credits: foxyquant
#8 His Whole World Was Turned Upside Down
Image credits: Coffin_Builder
#9 Real
Image credits: iwannaintopolitics
Similarly, Tito, Hitler, Trotsky, and Stalin all lived in Vienna in 1913, as did Sigmund Freud (age 57) and Archduke Franz Ferdinand. If the subject matter wasn’t so touchy, it’s easy to immediately imagine all the sitcom-worthy scenarios that can arise with this colorful collection of individuals. Would really redefine the concept of “neighbor drama” when we consider what happened over the following three decades.
#10 Surely This Power Will Be Used Wisely
Image credits: ThatOtherFrenchGuy
#11 Pretty Accurate
Image credits: -BarrenWuffett
#12 I've Been Preparing This Monologue For Years. Listen
Image credits: Ryderbianca
#13 Ideals Where Different
Image credits: thekatebutch
#14 Check It Out Guys!
Image credits: mistyvelvetdream
#15 Gluten Tag
Image credits: KonsolAkun
#16 Legends
Image credits: Just_Ad_7082
#17 The British Government The Second Ww2 Was Over:
Image credits: Antique__throwaway
#18 Centuries Later, They Have Finally Done It!
Image credits: arjun_raf
#19 Which Is More Accurate?
Image credits: Late_Bridge1668
#20 Guys Wtf?
Image credits: OpportunityNice4857
#21 I Mean If They Were In 70s Siberia They Probably Didn't Hear It
Image credits: thatcoolguyjd
#22 New Chapter From The Epic Of Gilgamesh
Image credits: Just_Ad_7082
#23 His War Never Ended
Image credits: Just_Ad_7082
#24 Can A Country Be More Based?
Image credits: Haunting-Tell-6959
#25 We Owe Him An Apology
Image credits: DavidHill04071776
#26 A Very Historical Pig
Image credits: Silver-Contact2283
#27 He Is Not Perfect Or Innocent But Honestly
Image credits: karinasnooodles_
#28 Literally The Best Selfie
Image credits: SimperKamil
#29 Chickens Are Underrated
Image credits: mo_al_amir
#30 What Were Real Pirates Like?
Image credits: Late_Bridge1668
#31 The Betrayal Is Unreal
Image credits: ImUrDoom_
#32 Poor Guy Just Wanted To Help People
Image credits: Few-Value3249
#33 The Vote Was 76-1
Image credits: IllustriousDudeIDK
#34 “If There Is A God, He Is A Malign Thug.” - Mark Twain
Image credits: Late_Bridge1668
#35 I See Land, I Conquer
Image credits: Mini_Wonder_4924
#36 The Americans Sure Enjoyed The Wars From The Other Side
Image credits: Kush_1344
#37 Not Again
Image credits: Q_danial007
#38 Amazing Things Were Happening In 10th Century Baghdad
Image credits: AlfredusRexSaxonum
#39 Sorry Rome, You Had Your Time
Image credits: Damiancarmine14
#40 Might Be A Little Hotter Than Usual
Image credits: Friendly_Web8396
#41 Lifted For Your Sins
Image credits: Just_Ad_7082
#42 Whose Great-Grandfather Is He?
Image credits: Jonsnow_205
#43 Those First Couple Of Months Must Have Been Weird
Image credits: Chumlee1917
#44 If Not Dragon Why Dragon Shaped? 😠
Image credits: Late_Bridge1668
#45 Let's Call It .. Part 1
Image credits: Accomplished_Newt98
#46 They Could Agree On One Thing
Image credits: Putin-the-fabulous
#47 Archbishop Of Athens Was Chad
Image credits: Redar45
#48 Damn
Image credits: Just_Ad_7082
#49 What Pride Flag Is This
Image credits: CoCoCakez69
#50 Mexican Origin Story
Image credits: MetallicaDash
