1. This ad for a $12,999.95 TV sure makes me glad certain things have gone down in price…:
2. …But this photo of people at a 2007 concert reminds me that some things never change:
3. This 2005 textbook photo of Barack Obama, which describes him as “the leader of a democratic group,” is super weird to see now…:
4. …But this old “Trump the Game,” with the quote, “It’s not whether you win or lose, but whether you win!” feels a little too on-the-nose post-Jan 6:
5. This 1999 description of Robert Downey Jr. is strange to see, considering he would go on to have a major comeback…:
6. …But this campaign pin for Reagan is weird for entirely different reasons, considering the campaign slogan that’s still used today:
7. This strange boast from an oil company shows just how naive we were back in 1962…:
8. …Though this 1977 memo urging then–President Jimmy Carter to act on climate change shows that we weren’t that naive—and we’ve been ignoring the threat of climate change for many decades:
9. These stamps remind us how much language has changed over the last few decades…:
10. …Though this list of abbreviations for telegrams proves that some AIM-speak is older than we think:
11. This 1990 yearbook showing old prices and “Michelle Pfeiffer” being the most “in” actor definitely feels dated…:
12. …But this 1977 article proclaiming Frye boots, platform shoes, and bongs trendy feels like it could’ve run today:
13. This 1993 guide to the “whole internet” is kind of funny to see now, considering how much the internet has grown…:
14. …But this 1984 Marvel PSA is just sad to see now, because it contains things that people today still don’t seem to understand:
15. This definition of “e-mail” from a 1996 book feels a little antiquated…:
16. …But this toy magazine headline unfortunately does not:
17. These 1958 predictions show how unrealistically optimistic we were back in the day…:
18. …But these predictions for the 2000s feel weirdly accurate (except, of course, the part about “spending Christmas on the moon”):
19. These expressions/slang in this 1983 yearbook feel archaic…:
20. …But “let him cook” might not be as new slang as we think:
21. These “top 10” artists are kind of funny to see now…:
22. …But this album, which came decades before the famous Green Day song, shows that no music is really new:
23. It’s genuinely wild to see this old Amazon box — back when it called itself a bookstore and not the massive online marketplace it is today…:
24. …But this list from a 1995 issue of GQ that mentions people’s unhappiness with Ticketmaster (“righteousness about Ticketmaster”) feels like it could be from this year (but saying it’s overrated is weird):
25. This Christmas list is a cute reminder of all the stuff that were must-haves way back when…:
26. …But this old family planning ad unfortunately feels like it’s still a must-have today:
27. This ticket to Disneyland makes me nostalgic for the days when going to Disney didn’t cost an arm and a leg…:
28. …But I don’t even have to feel nostalgic about Thanksgivings past because, as it turns out, we still eat the exact same thing they did back in the day:
29. This affordable Beatles concert ticket that cost $4.90 back in 1964 makes me sad…:
30. …As does this $2 high school performance of Aerosmith…:
31. …But this old notice about women traveling alone, which is, unfortunately, no safer than it used to be, makes me sad for an entirely different reason:
32. This computer that offered a free Netflix trial feels like it was from 100 years ago, not 25 years ago…:
33. …But this newspaper write-in feels like it easily could’ve been from the last few years:
34. It’s a little funny to see all the iterations of iPods, which are now practically obsolete…:
35. …But it’s a little sad to see this headline from 1968, which could easily be from today:
36. And finally, this hospital bill after giving birth might be the bleakest entry on this list…:
37. …But I find this old Geometry textbook strangely comforting because it proves that maybe we’re not as different from each other as we think:
