20 retro photos of old technology and simpler times
By Adrian Willings (image credit: Dario Campanile/Paramount Pictures)
Nikola Tesla and his Magnifying Transmitter
An amazing image of Nikola Tesla sitting near his Magnifying Transmitter while it sparks electricity across the room. The start of wireless power technology? (image credit: Reddit)
Leonard Nimoy and son
During the filming of the original series of Star Trek, Leonard Nimoy was photographed along with his son Adam. (image credit: Adam Nimoy)
Jack Reilly
This image from 1929 shows how daring and death-defying photographers are not a new thing. A health and safety nightmare. (image credit: Jack Reilly)
Lonnie Johnson, the inventor of the Super Soaker
Lonnie Johnson is an American inventor with over 120 patents under his belt, most notable of which is the classic Super Soaker. (image credit: Lonnie Johnson)
The first women in space
Two space travelling legends. Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space and Mae Carol Jemison the first black woman to go into space with NASA. (image credit: Reddit)
An air-conditioned lawnmower
From the 1950s, comes a self-contained, ride-on lawnmower with air conditioning. What a marvel. (image credit: Reporter at large/Reddit)
Columbia Pictures Logo
This brilliant image helps paint a picture of the story behind the Columbia Pictures logo which was a painting based on a photograph. (image credit: Columbia Pictures/Kathy Anderson)
A Super Mario Bros victory
A happy father posing by a chunky tube TV after beating Super Mario Bros on the original Nintendo Entertainment System in 1988. (image credit: ThaCommittee)
The Golden Gate Bridge
This image from 1937 shows the crowds that turned up when the Golden Gate Bridge was first opened to the public. (image credit: Reddit)
Taking a screenshot
This is the level of effort that went into taking screenshots on computers back in the 1980s. (image credit: Curlyass/Reddit)
Underwater camera operator
Classic underwater press photography, without any diving gear or breathing apparatus. But plenty of cool vibes. (image credit: chillin10101/Reddit)
Retro computing
Computers were a lot fatter and had far less RGB back in the old days. (image credit: lavery712/Reddit)
Repairing a Spitfire
This fantastic (and rare) colour photograph shows a team of men from the RAF Repair and Salvage Unit working to salvage a badly damaged Spitfire. (image credit: RAF)
Jayne Mansfield
Plenty of old school cool here, with actress Jayne Mansfield in the cockpit of a Piasecki HUP Retriever twin-rotor helicopter. (image credit: Jayne Mansfield)
Star Wars opening day
Impressive queues from May 1977 when Star Wars was first showing at the cinemas. (image credit: Reddit)
Susan Kare
Susan Kare is a graphic designer who created many of the fonts, icons and images for companies such as Apple, NeXT, Microsoft and IBM. (image credit: Susan Kare)
The Fiat factory racetrack
This retro-cool photo shows the real race track that topped off the Fiat car factory in Turin in the 1920s and beyond. (image credit: Reddit)
NASA before Powerpoint
NASA engineers used to make use of massive chalkboards, ladders and a lot of chalk to share info in the days before Powerpoint. (image credit: NASA)
Now and then
This image shows Veterans of the British Parachute Regiment photographed with visions of their comrades from during the war. (image credit: Reddit)
Paramount Pictures logo
The original Paramount Pictures logo was said to have been created based on a doodle by William Wadsworth Hodkinson, the founder of the company. (image credit: Dario Campanile/Paramount Pictures)