People Are Digging Up Old Photos Of Their Grandparents And Learning A Staggering Truth About The Past

The grandpa of Reddit’s “CaptainOutstanding” is the park ranger at the center of this picture. He looks like he’s playing it cool, but we reckon the ranger must have been thrilled to see The Three Stooges in the flesh. After all, the photo was taken in 1969 — right at the tail end of the gang’s long, illustrious career. 

The Marine in this photo is about to head off to war in 1941. But when “aking25” posted the photo, most people weren’t thinking about the man’s war effort. In fact, the top comment on the Reddit post by “aking25” was, “No wonder you exist.” And we gotta say, they’re not wrong.

No, your eyes are not deceiving you: there are indeed two women in this picture. The 1950s snap shows the grandmother and great aunt of Redditor “My_Oxymoron.” The pair of identical twins were once — according to “My_Oxymoron” — “Dick Cavett’s magician’s assistants for their high-school talent show.” Not bad!

We get it: you have a lot of questions. Fortunately, Redditor “johnthat” was able to provide some answers. It turns out that this awesome pic apparently comes from 1967 when the poster’s grandpa was stationed in Vietnam. The tiger had been orphaned during a military operation, so this guy’s unit took her in. Pretty cool, right?

This isn’t something you’d expect to find in every family album, is it? Apparently, though, the cool grandma was an actress who happened to spend a pleasant few hours with Albert Einstein in 1945. “OGnilla” said her nana even got the renowned genius to “sketch his theory of relativity on a cocktail napkin” — but she didn’t hang on to it. Whoops.

The oh-so-stylish bride pictured here is enjoying her wedding day in 1970. This Japanese beauty is also decked out in an amazing kimono that blew people’s minds after they saw it on Reddit. The original poster — who has since deleted their account — said, “I can’t believe it’s my grandma. She looks so different now. And, like, 2 feet shorter.”

Maurice Davis — the achingly cool dude in this 1970s pic — was a former Funk Brother who played trumpet on probably any Motown track you can name. His biggest hit? “Papa was a Rolling Stone” by the Temptations. “ZionIsAlive” claimed Davis was their grandpa and taught them how to play, too. He must have had some stories to tell!

This saucy snapshot comes from 1949 when Nancy here — grandmother to Redditor “YiddishThunder” — was on her honeymoon. And it’s good to know people had a decent sense of humor back in those days! Mind you, those really are some dangerous curves, so who’s to say they were joking at all?

This striking image of a grandpa climbing from a downed fighter jet comes courtesy of “gettingthere52.” This Redditor said their pops had been shot down and was escaping the plane before a fire could erupt. The pilot had apparently ditched in the ocean after trying but failing to make it back to his ship at the moment someone took the picture. It certainly makes for a dramatic image!

In the late 1940s, this femme fatale was in charge of the air traffic around El Paso. That’s according to “joycey11,” whose grandma apparently didn’t have any sympathy when the Redditor said they were scared of flying. “When I was your age, I was flying in two-seater planes, doing flips in the air without a roof… and in A SKIRT!” she would say.

No, this future grandpa wasn’t trying to replicate the Nike tick in midair. The 15-year-old kid is just casually performing an amazing swan dive in the Netherlands in 1930. This snapshot was particularly mind-blowing for Redditor “not_blinking” because they’d “only known [their grandfather] as a small, somewhat frail old man.”

Is there anything cooler than a future grandma flying on the wing of a crop-duster in the 1970s? If so, we haven’t seen it! According to “SilverVendetta,” her grandma didn’t have a safety harness when she pulled off this incredible stunt. The only thing Granny did do was fold a bandana over her nose and mouth to protect her from the twin perils of insect strikes and west Texas dust.

Do you recognize the “willowy model” in this 1960s photo? Yep, that’s Suzy Parker flanked by astronauts Gus Grisson, Alan Shepherd, and John Glenn. The New York Times described the beautiful Parker as having “defined glamor in the 1950s.” The paper missed out that she was apparently also the grandmother of Reddit user “di11deux.”

Ray — the incredible woman in this picture — led a life that “was like ten great movies stitched together,” according to her grandchild “Rizdominus.” She was apparently taming lions for a circus in South Africa when this stunning photo was taken in 1947. Ray also flew planes and reportedly might have been a spy. When is that movie coming out again?

“They were wonderful people with a good sense of humor,” said “howdidyougetin” of their grandparents. But then that seems pretty self-evident from the picture! Apparently, the whole cross-dressing thing came about just because they got “got bored one day and thought it would be funny.” It’s not like there was a war going on in 1943 or anything…

John Candy lit up the big screen with memorable roles in classic movies such as Home Alone, Uncle Buck, and Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. “Big John” was also a great guy behind the scenes, according to the grandmother of “rtisdell88.” The cool grandma apparently worked at the firm that took care of Candy’s money.

There is an interesting backstory to this pic. “Puggernault” said she bought a motorbike in 2012 and that only one member of her family was pleased about it: her nonna. “Not long after she dug up this picture of her in Italy shortly after WWII,” said the Redditor. The amateur sleuths of Reddit pegged the motorcycle here as a Motom 48.

Elvis served in the U.S. military as part of the 1st Medium Tank Battalion in Germany from October 1958 to March 1960. And during that time, he ran into the grandfather of Redditor “Flyerguy2014.” The pair apparently chatted for a couple of hours and took this oh-so-cool picture. “Flyerguy2014” said his grandpa just loved to tell the story — and who could blame him?

“Wfyff” said this pic was snapped after her grandma had fled Bulgaria for Germany in 1978. The story goes that the lady pictured used her husband’s status as a musician to get her out from under the country’s communist regime. There was no backstory for that wild hair, though! 

If you can’t let loose at your own engagement party, then when can you? That was certainly the view this future grandma and grandpa took in 1958. But according to “Funny-Business,” it was the last time her nana went near a glass of rum. And the less said about that weird doll in the corner, the better.

Hair-raising

Nope, this guy wasn’t a movie star — he just looked a heckuva lot like one! Mind you, he supposedly never liked that cool white streak in his hair. It even led to the other kids calling him “grandfather” way before his time. Redditor “musland” — the guy’s actual grandchild — said this one-time ladies’ man went on to live to an impressive 91 years of age.

“Gdbailey” posted this image on Reddit to celebrate her grandma’s 98th birthday. The story behind the charming snap is that her nana was a nurse during WWII, and the man she later married was a dentist. They had both been stationed in England at the time. The happy couple went on to have half a dozen kids together! 

The woman in this picture lived quite a life. This redditor said her grandma became a single mom to her six kids and worked seven days a week to support them — all without making a fuss. “That's why I love this picture so much,” said “jewelsinme.” “It shows her wistful side.”

One person on Reddit claimed that, as a vintage images dealer, he’d seen his fair share of men and women wearing one another’s clothes for fun. “It was a fun thing for couples,” the Redditor said. It certainly looked fun for the grandparents of “dahlek88,” who said the family snap came from the 1940s.

The Imgur user “MiltonBerle” posted this image of his nana back in her air-hostess days. But just to be clear: the user wasn’t the famous comedian Milton Berle. That Berle died ten years before this photo was uploaded to the internet — and was probably born before the photo was taken. Anyway, we digress. This grandma looks great! 

“Minqui” confessed on Reddit that her grandma “has some very interesting stories.” And as this picture was snapped in 1947, we can only imagine the history that this stylish lady went on to witness. She would have seen the civil rights movement in the 1960s, the end of the Vietnam War in the 1970s, and… y’know, Back to the Future in the ’80s.

It’s not every day you say a grandma dressed as Marvin the Martian, is it? And in all fairness, this was actually a Halloween outfit back when the costumed lady was in her 30s or 40s, according to her grandchild “diversionary_kazoo.” But looking at her, we’d be surprised if she ever actually got “very, very angry.”

This lovely lady was almost never the grandmother to Redditor “orion12.” Apparently, she met her future husband while in the Navy in San Francisco during WWII. But after the nurse left the Navy, she reportedly started working for NBC… and dated news anchor David Brinkley. In the end, she moved away from NBC and reconnected with her Navy sweetheart. Beautiful.

Cheeky! The “Do not disturb” sign. The picture of the stork. The looks on their faces. Basically, everything about this photo is comedy genius. It doesn’t hurt, either, that their 1950s fashion is on point. And the fact that “bluestofwaffles” on Reddit said this was the final pic in his grandparent’s wedding album? *Chef’s kiss*

Reddit couldn’t get enough of this easy-on-the-eyes grandpa. The post has received 82,000 upvotes since it got uploaded four years ago to celebrate this charming gentleman’s 90th birthday. “Fat_pancake” even shared a second snap of their grandpa in the 1950s, stating, “Dude never took a bad picture.” And that seems about right.

In 1992 this grandma dropped into one of Bob Ross’ stores and asked whether the famous painter ever actually went there. Then everyone’s favorite TV artist appeared from around the back to chat and pose for a picture. And 16 years later, that picture became a hit on Reddit thanks to “mahoudeerqueen.”

When “Juan_Mader0” posted this pic on Reddit, many said their claim that this beauty was their grandmother was bogus. This is a professional photo of Maureen Dunlop, after all. Dunlop — an Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) pilot in WWII — famously appeared on the cover of Picture Post in 1944 with this stunning shot. But “Juan_Mader0” insisted it was true — and who’s to say they’re lying?

“IglooNationJ90” said his grandpa and grandma, pictured here in all their ’70s glory, were the “first Hispanic firefighter and first Hispanic policewoman in Fort Worth, TX.” They said the power couple had to deal with plenty of pushback but that they won out in the end. We can’t confirm that claim… but we’re willing to give these cool dudes the benefit of the doubt!

It’s not hard to be literally cool at the Zugspitze ski resort. It is, after all, the highest attraction of its kind in all of Germany. But few people will be as manifestly cool as this 80-something grandpa was back in 1990. He looks like he’s in a James Bond movie — which is probably why his grandchild, Redditor “Jisdead,” shared the picture.

The suave gentlemen in this image had migrated from Nigeria to Manchester, England, shortly after WWII. They’re pictured here in the 1950s, and the guy on the left turned into the grandfather of “faz432.” His name was Aruna… and that was all we learned about him. Except, of course, that he was a total dude.

Miss Marquita became homecoming queen at this high school in Iowa in 1970. And according to “funkynchunki” on Reddit, she was actually the very first person of color to take the title in her city. “I won’t lie, the first time I saw this a few tears came out!” said the Redditor.

The now-deleted Redditor who posted this pic of their grandparents revealed a bit of the awesome backstory behind it. Apparently, this mixed pair overcame the disapproval of their families to have a long and happy life together. They were both 20-somethings in this 1960s photo, and they went on to have two kids. Pretty cool.

This pair enjoyed a happy life together. But then, looking at their delighted faces on their wedding day in 1950, that fact probably won’t surprise you. According to their grandchild “stnglkab22,” this cool couple “moved to Hollywood, had four kids, [and] were deeply in love”  for many long years together. Sweet.

“-Rin” titled this Reddit pic, “My Grandma and her Irish wolfhound from 1974.” And while we’ll skirt past how someone’s nana can look so young in 1974, the photo certainly turned a lot of heads. The original poster did also share that her grandma continued to raise Irish wolfhounds during her life as a dancer and an artist. 

When “FinneganWelles” posted this pic of their grandmother — Katherine Ward — people couldn’t help but compare her to the on-screen femme fatales of classic film noirs. Katherine certainly does exude that old-school cool — and she apparently was a model in the 1940s and ’50s. How are her grandchildren supposed to measure up to this?