Coolness is one of those things that’s tough to define — maybe you can’t quite put into words what makes a thing cool, but you know it when you see it, right?
But here’s another good follow-up question to that: When you see someone you think is cool, or see someone do something that’s cool, do you let them know it? Because that’s one of the best feelings around.
So, all the folks in the pics below ought to know that they’ve made the cool list. They’re cool, and we think everyone should know it.
He’s not sweating the small stuff.
“My ‘Full Sized’ Mjolnir arrived,” this guy explained. “I’m still happy and I refused to let my moment be ruined.”
That’s the spirit! Don’t let an online order mix-up get you down. Rock that hammer of the gods!
Good trouble.
Usually found on the other side of the camera, photographer Cecil Williams is seen here unapologetically breaking the rules back in 1956.
Williams traveled around the South chronicling life under Jim Crow and the fight for civil rights, and also became a close acquaintance of JFK.
Striking a pose.
Not sure if this means your kid has seen too many superhero movies or just the right number of superhero movies.
Either way, you have to feel like you’re doing parenting right when your kid sees an opportunity for an epic superhero landing pic and gets you to take it.
On top of the world.
“This is me, a double above-knee amputee, on my way to summit Mont Blanc (4,810m),” wrote the uploader of this pic. Okay, that pretty much wins the day, if being cool was a contest.
She’s still got it.
“My grandmother turned 100 last Oct., this is her doing the plank for 30 seconds,” wrote the uploader. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a better argument for focusing on core strength.
Go, Granny, go!
Rick literally rolling.
Yes, that’s beloved international recording sensation Rick Astley early in his career, just hanging out backstage before a concert in Las Vegas on his first tour.
Ah, nostalgia.
Another famous rocker revisited his glory days a bit, as Queen guitarist and astrophysicist Brian May recreated an old selfie. Love that he’s still able to rock his signature hair style, too.
Speaking of re-creations…
This group of high-rise steelworkers decided to re-create an iconic pic, eating their lunch together atop a girder. Kind of makes my palms sweaty just looking at it, so kudos to them for the stuff they do every day.
A perfect celebration.
“My sister (left) turned 50 yesterday and someone sent an ice cream truck to her house to celebrate,” wrote the uploader. Nothing makes you feel like a kid again quite like having an ice cream truck all to yourself.
Ready for action.
Honestly, the coolest part about this is how seriously they take this search-and-rescue dog’s safety. The second-coolest part, of course, is what a good dog this is, performing an incredible service like a champ.
Playing it casual.
Yeah, you know, just a guy in a suit out for a turn on a motorized surfboard while smoking a cigar like it’s no thing. As you do.
That’s a whole mood.
“Mom’s senior portrait that my grandma refused to let her publish in the year book (1976),” the uploader wrote.
Yeah, wouldn’t let her put it in the year book…but also didn’t throw away, obviously. You can’t deny the cool.
Stylin’.
“My baby girl turns 1 today. The progression of her wee patch of hair is adorable,” wrote this girl’s father.
Never too late!
“My Mum filming her 1st YouTube vid, she’s always been too shy to talk to the camera but she did it!” the uploader shared.
Credit to her for overcoming her fears and getting her voice and face out into the world.
Being the first to do something is always cool.
And Second Lt. Anmol Narang certainly qualifies, as she became the first Sikh to graduate from West Point.
Narang, who hails from Roswell, Georgia, is one of about 60 observant Sikhs who serve in the U.S. Army and Air Force.
Ice cold.
This store owner in Thailand has her scene down pat, with an old television turned into a fish tank serving as both her counter and apparently her beer cooler, too. That’s a lot going on, and it’s all good.
Strong genes.
On the left is the mother, in a pic taken in 1987. On the right is her daughter, taken in 2020. Her dad apparently didn’t contribute too much, because she looks almost exactly like her mom.
“My grandpa at 72 years old.”
Well, that pretty much says it all, doesn’t it? Part of me is put to shame for all the cottage cheese my skin is holding in at half his age, but part of me is inspired, too.
That’s how you do it: in style.
This is Adrian Shine, the head of the Loch Ness Project in Scotland. You can well imagine what sort of research Shine and his project get up to at Loch Ness, and apparently he cuts a scene out on the loch.
Animal therapy.
This giraffe is greeting a terminally ill patient during a trip to the zoo. As part of the Ambulance Wish Foundation, which fulfills wishes for those who are terminally ill, she had her wish for “one more trip to the zoo” granted.
A heart beats on.
This mother and father, Michael and Barbara Shetterly, are listening to their son, Matthew’s, heartbeat inside someone else. Matthew passed due to a drug overdose and his heart was used in a transplant to save this man, Basdon’s, life.
Who needs a high five?
On the right is Carson Pickett, professional soccer player who was born without her left forearm, meeting a fan she shares something in common with!
“My daughter crocheted me a Death Star for Father’s Day.”
And to her I say kudos. This has to be moderately complex at least, but either way it’s a feat. What a lucky dad you are!
Some good news.
Michel Mayor is an astrophysicist who recently won the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics for “discovering the first exoplanet orbiting a main sequence star.” However, he was on a lecture tour in Spain when it was announced, and what you’re seeing here is his reaction to the news!
Feeling cool in all aspects of your life.
Presenting the pizza ax. Press down and rock it across your pizza for that perfect straight cut. Way cooler than a roller, that’s for sure.
Returning home.
This is a photo of a property auction, but what you can’t tell is that everyone is staying silent so one young man can buy his family farmhouse back. After his parents’ passing, another family member inherited the house and put it up for auction, so the crowd is withholding bids so the son can buy it back.
Someone’s had enough.
When your mailbox has been stolen or destroyed so many times, you have to take matters into your own hands. Or, concrete. You have to take concrete into your own hands.
A brief dip in the ocean.
The workers at this senior care facility use some modified wheelchairs so their patients can go hang out by the water for a bit and get a taste of the beach again. It’s extra things like this that really elevate this sort of care.
High-class lounging.
It’s good to know that cats are still cats, no matter the size. Also, for anyone worrying about the setting, someone in the comments said it’s likely a holding room in a zoo, so this kitty is a-ok.
Thunder and lightning.
This long exposure shot of a massive lightning storm was taken in Manila Bay in the Philippines. If this isn’t what the apocalypse looks like when it comes, I want no part of it.
“My Dad getting sprayed down following his final flight after 24 years in the Air Force.”
Apparently, this is a well-known tradition that’s been around since WWII. It symbolizes that you’re “all washed up.”
Happy birthday!
This user uploaded a photo showing his reaction to getting a Playstation 2 for his birthday back in 2001. I think we can all remember a childhood gift that made us feel the same way!
Big help from a small creature.
This sculpture is in Russia, and it honors all the contributions mice have given to science. From general testing to their (modified) cells being used in certain medications, the role mice have played in physical and social science is astounding. Plus, this statue is just cute.
“A ~392 year old Greenland Shark in the Arctic Ocean, wandering the ocean since 1627.”
The methods used to determine the age range of this shark are amazing. Researchers not only cross-referenced this shark’s growth rate with others of the same species, but also used “radiocarbon dating to measure carbon isotopes absorbed by Greenland sharks’ eye tissue,” which is metal as hell.
Reduce, reuse, etc.
This user stated that their great-aunt uses her old TV as a stand for her new one. And hey, those things are heavy, sturdy, and were super expensive back in the day! Nothing wrong with getting some more use out of it!
Sometimes all you need is a bit of love.
This man found this dog who, after a lot of TLC, grew into a beautiful husky. There’s something about dog rescue stories that makes me lose it every single time. Bless this guy and anyone else who helped that husky get its life back.
Me too, Abe, me too.
This sculpture won the Texas Sand Sculpture Festival back in 2019. Sand sculpting is so impressive. With stone or marble, I can kind of see how they get to an end product, but with sand, I can’t even begin to fathom how it works.
A child’s curiosity.
I know this picture has been circulating for ages, at least around my corners of the internet, but every time I see it, my heart warms. It has to be one of my favorite photos ever.
Abandoned but not forgotten.
An almost spooky photo, this field is filled with massive busts of various U.S. presidents. Sculpted by artist David Adickes, they used to be a feature of Presidents Park. In 2010, a company bought the land and ordered the heads to be moved. Instead of allowing them to be trashed, another man named Howard Hankins took them all to his private family farm until someone can…figure out what to do with them.
Finally, someone’s asking the real questions.
Comedian Kurt Braunohler hired a skywriter to pull this joke, and it really is a clever idea. In reading about this, though, I also learned that skywriting was invented not long after the airplane was, so it’s good to know people had their priorities straight when humans defied gravity.
Young love.
This user took this photo right before the man proposed to her, and it’s such a sweet moment. The way they’re both looking at each other is just full of love. Oh, she said yes by the way!
Beauty in age.
This is an oak tree that’s reportedly over 350 years old. It’s in New Orleans’ Audubon Park, and is commonly referred to as the Tree of Life. A popular spot for tree climbing, weddings, and… giraffe spotting (it’s near the zoo).
The talent’s in the details.
The user who uploaded this is actually the artist who just wanted to show off what he was working on. Unsurprisingly, people adored it and praised him for his skill, asking him to post again when the piece is finished. Here’s hoping he does!
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A part of history.
The uploader of this photo is actually the one in it as well, back when he was a child, helping dismantle the Berlin Wall in 1989. This has to be the coolest photo of any kid I’ve ever seen, and one he’s hopefully proud to show his future family.
It’s not done until it’s done.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen had a late night of negotiations, and although it’s unclear whether they went well for her or not, she wasn’t done until she’d polished off her beer.
“For an early Father’s Day gift my wife got my daughter’s art on a shirt.”
Your daughter looks chill as hell, but also you totally look like a guy with an artist for a daughter. This is actually very cool. Your daughter’s art is great and I’m glad you two are encouraging her!
Almost lost to time.
This user found this car (which was identified in the comments as a T-Top Pontiac Fiero) and bought it off the person whose yard it was sitting in. After two weeks, it’s already looking way better. You could still ride in style in this thing.
