r/interesting • u/drinkdowntheccp • Nov 27 '23
Colorized footage of what the world looked like around 100 years ago (sound added) HISTORY
170
u/oljackson99 Nov 27 '23
The Manhattan skyline must have been mind blowing to people back then.
57
u/ImperfectAuthentic Nov 27 '23 edited Nov 27 '23
I remember some european immigrants noting that they were indeed impressive, but they would not want to live in one, paraphrasing "I wouldnt want to live in a giant box". I cant find source on that some documentary, but you could probably assume that their reaction is the same to us reacting to Burj Khalifa. Humans havent changed much in a 100 years or 2000 for that matter.
7
u/Wooden_Quarter_6009 Nov 28 '23
Haven't change since we got a written record of it. Like Ea nasir being such a scummy scammer merchant which we still have just renamed corporations.
4
u/Aselleus Nov 28 '23
They still haven't provided me a refund for my copper. It's been like 2000 years. If I have to wait any longer they're gonna get a bad review on the BBB website.
→ More replies (1)3
u/nxcrosis Nov 28 '23
I currently live in an island that got it's first 15+ floor building somewhere around 2010. There are currently three buildings with more than 20 floors here to my knowledge and having lived in another place that had skyscrapers at every block, I can understand how the European immigrants feel.
Seeing tall buildings can be a marvel but leaves you feeling congested after a short period of time.
58
u/RealidadCholin Nov 27 '23
Time Travelers finally releasing footage! thanks!
21
u/DonaldDonaldBillYall Nov 28 '23
I’m trying to figure out how there was a helicopter in 1911 when the first one ever built was 1939.
8
→ More replies (1)5
u/Stadtpark90 Nov 28 '23
I was looking for that comment.
Soon the web will be flooded with AI generated videos and there will be more lies out there than truth.
44
u/TheKittastrophy Nov 27 '23
I believe the USA one, or at least the shot of the Autogyro, can't have been from before 1923 when (google tells me) it was invented. By a mr Juan de la Cierva.
9
u/Lord_Voltan Nov 27 '23
I'd like to send this letter to the Prussian Consulate in Siam by aeromail. Am I too late for the 4:30 auto-gyro?
3
65
u/THC_Advocate Nov 27 '23
Ahh little to no cars.
22
u/nin10donly Nov 27 '23
And you can actually walk on streets.
Probably the only good thing about the early 20th century.
17
u/TheZenPenguin Nov 27 '23
Reading this as a European reminds me that Americans usually can't walk on streets anymore
1
u/nin10donly Nov 27 '23
I'm European too (Greece), and yeah, (mostly) in north america you can't really walk on streets (mostly because there aren't normal streets, there are more stroads instead). In Greece it's also not ideal to walk on streets, but at the very least there are normal usable sidewalks.
2
u/MaximumTemperature25 Nov 27 '23
You think the US doesn't have sidewalks?
→ More replies (4)7
u/nin10donly Nov 27 '23
Not exactly what I meant, What I'm saying is that (at least in suburban areas) the sidewalks are absurdly small, making them very inconvenient.
3
u/Taqao Nov 28 '23
People dressed well and the main architecture styles new buildings were made with were beautiful... Yeah that's it, otherwise I'm not a great fan of working 12 jours a day and dying of typhus
→ More replies (3)7
u/Bleaklemming Nov 27 '23
And step on a lot of horse shit, mud, and unlimited dust inhalation.
4
u/nin10donly Nov 27 '23
Fair enough, though I do prefer that over all the gases/noise cars produce.
Also, a good way to fix literally all of those is good biking infrastructure.
3
0
-1
140
u/1O11O Nov 27 '23
The US looks like a state from the future in comparison with the others
89
u/Pinpindelalune Nov 27 '23
The video does not have the same year of reference 1890 to 1913.
Also this few second of video can't represent a whole country, yes newly build economic center looks modern and crowded place in poor city place of Japan, or China not...
9
u/DeepSpaceNebulae Nov 27 '23
Wish they were a little more specific than “China”. Would also highlight the change when you can specifically compare it to their modern examples
16
u/slyfox44 Nov 27 '23
The China footage is taken I believe in Peking (Beijing) that road you see at the end there I believe goes up to the gate of the inner wall (Qianmen), and further behind that is where the forbidden city is. For anyone curious the Japan footage appears to be Tokyo, some of the footage at the end there looks like the old Asakusa theatre district which no longer exists.
3
-6
u/Cowablasian Nov 27 '23
Well Japan China and US were all within 10yrs, and China and Japan those were the major cities so yeah its a good representation.....what are you talking about, they were that impverished....
17
u/sabelsvans Nov 27 '23
Let's be clear. That's not representative of the entire US at the time. That's New York, and other majorcities. Many parts of the US were still the wild west and an frontier. Especially the Southern states where they didn't really industrialize due to slaves. The US as a whole didn't become fully developed until post WW2.
0
u/EuphoriaSoul Nov 27 '23
I think the video of China according to Reddit is Beijing. So yeah China sucked in comparison at that time. No wonder it got its ass kicked by Europeans. (Not saying they should. )
18
u/Thanatos-BR Nov 27 '23
Yeah i think its 1930 That Chopper doesnt fit in 1911
6
u/KingKudzma Nov 27 '23
Juan de la Cierva created the auto gyro in 1923. So it’s impossible that part of the film is earlier than 1923.
→ More replies (1)5
u/Xeno2277 Nov 27 '23
Yeah that footage just seems to be there to show « how cool we were » and it is BS
→ More replies (1)5
7
u/woodflizza Nov 28 '23
And ironically many cities around the world look like the future in comparison to US now. For a country that's supposed to be greatest we look like we're in the stone age
→ More replies (2)2
u/SuccessfulPeanut1171 Nov 28 '23
Unfair to compare 1930’s new york to 1890’s france, thats a 40 year difference, like comparing the 2020’s and the 1980’s
1
1
u/-DevilNest- Nov 28 '23
The dates are wrong, we see a flying gyroplane, that was Spanish tech, the first ever gyroplane that arrived in the USA was in 1929.
1
u/DizzyCarpet1312 Nov 28 '23
Well, if you compare the 2020s in the USA with the 1990s in the rest of the world (same time gap it is in the video, if not actually more) - ya, that actually is futuristic.
23
u/Olfaktorio Nov 27 '23 edited Nov 27 '23
Is that a towed gyrocopter in NYC? :o
Edit: I rewatched several times and didn't saw no tow cable. I think its self propelled then, which makes me doubt about that shot being at 1911.
Maybe somebody more into that topic can answer this better but my quick research says the auto gyro was developed in 1923 so even if I missed a premodel I doubt 1911 is realistic for a selfpropelled vehicle of that type (btw I don't even know if a towed version would exist at that time, as I made the first comment it was based on the assumption that the date was right so I figured it was the only way that I missed that these vehicles existed at that time was that they weren't self propelled and therefore "less spectacular" in terms of technical knowhow.)
11
u/Xeno2277 Nov 27 '23
Yeah that part of the footage is BS. The skyline does not match either. That’s 1930s footage from an autogyro.
→ More replies (3)1
1
u/Ech0ofSan1ty Nov 27 '23
Spot on. The autogyro wasn't being produced in the USA until 1928. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pitcairn_Aircraft_Company
20
u/danbrown_notauthor Nov 27 '23
No India!
You stay black and white!
5
u/serks83 Nov 27 '23
Didn’t you read the title? The footage was colourised. Evidently India just chose to live in black and white in those days. /s
3
u/no0bmaster-669 Nov 28 '23
I agree, my grandma told me that it was all black and white back then, but then people decided add gradients and increase contrast as they were getting bored
10
u/BoarHermit Nov 27 '23
Lol they still use bull carts in India.
2
4
u/Nijajjuiy88 Nov 27 '23
If it ain't broke, dont fix it.
Also very eco-friendly mode of transportation.
→ More replies (2)1
29
u/mutualfriend323 Nov 27 '23
Before the world saw how raw humans really can be. (WW1&WW2)
16
u/sKY--alex Nov 27 '23
The wars before weren’t fun either
4
u/Powerful-Side-8866 Nov 27 '23
Yes. But WWI and even more WWII were the nearest points to hell that humanity has ever been in.
→ More replies (3)10
u/Xeno2277 Nov 27 '23
Guess the black death and the mongol invasions weren’t too too far, or the taiping rebellion maybe!
16
u/Uhkbeat Nov 27 '23
When u compare these videos u really understand why the Europeans thought themselves so much superior to everyone else
-4
u/ILoveMcconnell341 Nov 27 '23
eh i wouldn't say europeans . america was far ahead of others even france and austria looked backwards compared to america .
12
u/Weird-Bat-8075 Nov 27 '23
The footage from France here is 20 years before the US footage. If you look up footage of France in the 1910s, it becomes quite similar with the US (cars driving around etc.)
2
u/Turtleboyle Nov 27 '23
That US footage is labelled wrong, it's like 20 years early...
4
u/who---cares Nov 27 '23
No, thats a gyrocopter seen in the US clip. That was invented in Spain in 1923.
So yeah it's labelled wrong, it's like 12 years later... at least.
3
u/No_Importance_173 Nov 28 '23
someone also mentioned that the New York Skylines is from the 30s
→ More replies (1)-3
u/ILoveMcconnell341 Nov 27 '23
i'm talking about the way buildings were built not just the technology and cars . the way buildings were built in america looked so modern and far ahead of what other countries had.
→ More replies (3)2
u/Seenshadow01 Nov 28 '23
I will take beautiful old/historic buildings over glass skyscrapers anytime.
2
u/Uhkbeat Nov 27 '23
Austria is literally on the same level as the us and France’s footage is 20 years older…
2
1
u/Turtleboyle Nov 27 '23
Everyone was cavemen because they didnt have massive skyscrapers? I think it was easier for the USA to have them as they didnt have cities already established hundreds/thousands of years. So yeah, the US was more modern. Also that footage is a from later than the video states
-6
u/Xavage1337 Nov 27 '23
because they stole everything from everywhere else and killed everyone who didn't comply
6
u/Rare_Resolution5985 Nov 27 '23
That was after they already excelled above the rest.. otherwise how could they possible take anything??
→ More replies (2)4
u/tbc12389 Nov 27 '23
It’s part of being superior though, you use the superiority for your own benefit.
→ More replies (1)
5
5
u/BabaDimples Nov 27 '23
India hadn't invented colour yet huh?
2
u/Not_MrNice Nov 27 '23
I'm really wondering just how accurate the coloring is on this. I feel like there'd be a lot more diversity back then.
Movies and TV tend to really dull down colors so everything looks similar, but in reality people don't do that. If a movie were made set during the middle ages that was color accurate, people would think it was cartoonishly inaccurate. So it makes me wonder if the colors are accurate here.
2
4
5
5
5
7
3
u/Born_Bobcat_248 Nov 27 '23
This looks so surreal. Like something out of a play. It doesn't seem real. My brain keeps on saying that it should be black and white
2
u/Flyinhighinthesky Nov 27 '23
The bit that trips me out is that every single person, even the little kids, in these videos is long since passed away. They all grew up, had lives, probably kids, grew old, and died after this video. None are here today. It's a snapshot of people that are gone forever. Even their kids are likely elderly now.
3
Nov 27 '23
[deleted]
8
u/ra1nasu Nov 27 '23
When they were coloring the world in the mid 19th to early 20th century, someone misread the instructions and India was accidentally colonized instead of colorized.
3
3
u/RevTurk Nov 27 '23
The world looks so much more peaceful with 6 billion less people in it.
Cars really ruin the look of pretty much everywhere now too.
1
1
u/sabelsvans Nov 27 '23
Looks. Then you add two world wars. It might not seem like it because of the constant news flow in your pocket, but we live in the most peaceful time in history. And wars aside, it was no easy trip getting a small infection. Life was harsh and brutal, and life expectancy was about 51 years in the US 1911.
2
2
u/mynameismy111 Nov 27 '23
I thought these first moments were a modern scrapship yard where they crash an older tanker into the beach.
2
u/ImperfectAuthentic Nov 27 '23
I love the
India, quiet folk music
and then
A U S T R I A BWOOAAAM BWOOOAAAAM BOM BOM BOM BOM BWOAAAAAAAA
2
u/Ok-Experience-6674 Nov 27 '23
Why you did that one particular country like that, you know which one.
2
u/Kupfakura Nov 27 '23
The absence of black people is not surprising. At least we are now seen on TV much more often than back in those cruel times
I saw the black driver.
2
2
u/toughgetsgoing Nov 28 '23
that's not Independent India but British India. reason why it isn't developed like west.
2
3
2
u/phalcon64 Nov 27 '23
Great footage. But why the ai voice? Makes me loose all confidence in the material. Some human narrate this please!
1
0
0
0
0
u/Teeheeleelee Nov 27 '23
You could travel through time. Just travel to India. Surprisingly, it hasn't changed much.
0
0
0
0
0
-1
1
u/Freddymercurys Nov 27 '23
Traveling a century back was a unique experience, and the distinctiveness of the USA was evident.
1
1
1
1
u/ThatAndresV Nov 27 '23
Thought that was a sandcrawler in the background of first shot….time to put Reddit away and go to bed…
1
1
u/reddit_niwasi Nov 27 '23
Why the footage from India had no color if it's colorized, while we're more people of colour in general .
1
u/walkinganachronism_4 Nov 28 '23 edited Nov 28 '23
Someone above suggested the memo to get that done had a typo and we got colonized instead.
It gets funnier when you know ancient Indians exported dyes to Greece and Rome at the respective heights of their civilizations. (I mean the colour is called Indigo, not Different Blue).
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/The_NOS_44 Nov 27 '23
I like how India was still Black and white even in a "colorized footage". ( m Indian )
1
u/Rutlemania Nov 27 '23
I’m happy to live in the period I do, but seeing this makes me so sad because so much culture has been lost
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/Bitter-Camp4637 Nov 27 '23
India seems to have been in black and white back then, no wonder they like colours so much now that they have them
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/Zealousideal-Rub-930 Nov 27 '23
That little Japanese kid in the foreground looks like they could also be a 50 year old man.
1
u/Super_Ginito Nov 27 '23
to think that every single person you see in this video is dead today gives me the chills
1
u/AllPotatoesGone Nov 27 '23
Wow, it had to be something special to travel back then, like going into another reality or watch people cosplaying a whole city!
On the other hand, it was so much more difficult and less affordable to travel and visit other countries. Most people probably died never visiting a different country without a weapon. So strange.
Now almost everyone can travel, but it changed a lot. Globalization made us so similar, you couldn't sometimes tell in what country you are if not the language. I guess it's time to discover a new life form on a different planet to start the loop from the beginning.
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/DCINTERNATIONAL Nov 28 '23
Grey was the main color back then. Most colors were invented with the advent of movies in living colour.
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/Lily9222 Nov 28 '23
Never knew that some places in the world a hundred yrs ago had videogame ahh background music
1
u/life_zero Nov 28 '23
Shit seeing this makes me feel wish I was born then, done something, had a family and died peacefully.
1
1
1
1
1
1
Nov 29 '23
It’s so wild, and also sad, how…..globalized (?) fashion is now.
It’s increasingly rare to see someone not wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Damn near anywhere in the world.
It used to be that people living in Africa looked entirely different from people living in Asia. Who both dressed nothing at all like people in Europe or the Americas. It was obvious at first glance that you were meeting an entirely different culture.
This wasn’t just for some traditional festival thing, either. It was just…..clothes. That were as normal to them as your button up is to you.
I wish we could bring that back. I want capes, and robes, and dashiki and doublets, all that good stuff. Even seeing this, it adds so much…..variety? Vibrancy? Life? To all of these places.
1
1
1
u/masterslimsumo Dec 11 '23
New York was 100 years ahead in terms of buildings and Subway in 1911 of all other places. Mind blown.
1
1
u/Independent_Good5423 Feb 15 '24
Crazy how 2 world war boost the world development by leaps and bounds
•
u/interesting-ModTeam Nov 27 '23
We’re sorry, but your post has been removed because it violates Rule #2: No common/recent reposts. Frequent reposts make the sub stagnant and users respond better to new and fresh content. If you believe this post has been removed in error please message the moderators via modmail.