A picture says a lot on its own. But when you know a bit of the backstory behind it, it’ll say even more. Sometimes, that backstory is the key to understanding what’s going on in the first place.
And that’s exactly what’s happening in this list. These pictures are cool, amazing, funny, or powerful, and they have the backstories to match.
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“Random stranger & I have wedding rings cut from the deck of the same WWII battleship.”
Imagine just going about your day, only to find someone with the exact same wedding ring as you. That would be wild enough as is, but these rings were cut from the same battleship. How amazing is that?
“We met here on Reddit… and he flew from the UK to celebrate my birthday (I’m from Turkey).”
It’s pretty cool how, no matter how far away you are from someone else, they can still have a huge impact on your life. Long distance relationships are just as real as anything else!
“My fiancé made me the coolest birthday present I have ever gotten!”
I can only imagine the amount of time and effort it must’ve taken to crochet an entire Majora’s Mask blanket. But it looks like all that effort really paid off, since the recipient loves it to death!
“Meet Holly! Got her from a Free kittens box at Walmart today.”
Sometimes I think about all the pets that don’t have homes and get a little sad. Luckily, I don’t have to be sad about Holly, since she has a loving family already. How sweet!
“First Christmas at my first house.”
If you celebrate Christmas, then you know how great it feels to be bundled up next to your tree while snow falls outside. That feeling must be extra great when it’s in your first home.
“My church decided to change its heating system. Not sure how old the heating is, but the church itself has lasted both world wars.”
It’s so funny to think about how much history an old building like a church must’ve seen. This one’s been through so much, and yet it’s still standing. I feel like there’s a metaphor in there somewhere.
“Found a 120 year old British Indian coin in the attic. 1901 was the year Victoria died and also the last year coins with her bust were minted, so this one’s kinda special.”
This was probably part of someone’s coin collection at some point. And if not, it should be part of one now. Even if the “collection” is literally just this one coin.
“Last night’s 1-2 am ‘Family Camping Trip.’ Daughter unaware of tornado nearby destroying our town.”
Those tornadoes that touched down recently were pretty awful, but it’s still really good seeing the way parents kept their kids from being scared during the storms. Talk about making the best of a potentially horrible situation.
“First baby in my first house. I’ve never known happiness like this.”
There are a lot of firsts that most of us will go through in our lives. First homes, first kids, first cars. And honestly? Being able to experience those things for the first time is like magic.
“Saw my first beaver today and wanted to share.”
I don’t know about you, but I’ve seen very few beavers in my life. I don’t think I’d ever be able to get this close to one, so I’m glad someone out there did!
“My girlfriend moved in…”
You never really know how much you really keep in your bathroom until you pack and unpack it all. And moving it all to live with your partner? Well, that’s going to be quite the change.
“I baked over 200 dozen cookies for Christmas this year.”
It may not necessarily look like it, but there are thousands of cookies on that table right now. I can’t imagine having the amount of patience to do all that baking, so I’m seriously impressed right now.
“My mother was given an award for temporary fostering 29 kids in 2 years. She is the best!”
That’s… a lot of kids in such a short amount of time. The foster system may not be perfect, but when people like this help kids in need, they definitely deserve as many awards as possible.
“Spent 7 hours at the dunes in Death Valley to find untouched sand. Here is the result.”
This sand is so smooth, it doesn’t even look like the desert. It looks more like something that someone photoshopped. I swear, some of the landscapes in this world are just amazing.
“Boy praying in front of missing children poster at Walmart.”
No matter how old you are, there is something disquieting about that board of missing children. It can feel impossible to help, but just taking a moment to look at them and remember them can mean so much.
“Sat alone in the freezing cold Alaskan Wilderness to watch this family of bears hunt fish.”
I swear, anyone who does wildlife photography deserves mad props. The amount of patience you need to get that perfect shot is unparalleled. But when the shot turns out like this, it’s pretty worth it.
“Shoutout to my Grandpa for celebrating his 100th birthday!”
Every person who hits this milestone deserves the biggest, best party ever. It’s something to be proud of and here’s to more years to come!
“My proud father and his prime rib.”
This is a different sort of milestone, but no less worthy of pride. Look at that prime rib . It’s almost a shame to cut into a work of art like that.
Almost.
“Oldschool vs newschool. 242 years of naval technology difference.”
The amazing frigate is a modern replica of L’Hermione , the French ship that brought Lafayette back to America in 1780.
“The people on my mail route shovel between houses for me which is so kind, and very appreciated.”
This is so thoughtful. Sure, shoveling extra is never fun, but neither is a mail carrier having to go all the way around the snow piles all winter, or worse, trudge through the snow itself.
“Daughter literally poked me in the eye with a stick… The ER bill is going in her baby book.”
When there is a chance of injury to the eye, doctors use eye drops that glow under UV light to find it. See the near-perfect square on the iris? That’s where the stick hit. Ow.
“As an European (biology) teacher, this is like meeting Keanu Reeves.”
I’m not a biology teacher, but I’d also love to see some of the giant sequoias and redwoods in person some day.
“Flight attendants/crew training for water landing emergencies (Delta Air Lines).”
Hopefully, this training will never be needed in the field, but it’s good to see it happening. The pool complete with faux plane exit is pretty neat too.
“First time in the office since March 2020. This is a banana I must’ve left at my desk.”
I’m sure a lot of people are discovering things left in offices by mistake. In terms of discoveries, a black, shriveled banana is better than the alternative: a pile of banana goo and bugs.
“God bless him.”
I love it when older people embrace new cultural ideas in their own way. While he may not use social media himself, it’s clear that this man understands it and loves what the wholesome sides of it can do.
“Wife is keeping the house after the divorce. I’ve moved out. This is what I’m keeping. Cheers.”
Sometimes, when you go through something tough like a divorce, all you need is your best furry pal. This person may not have the house, but he has something that might be a little more important.
“When I moved in with my partner we merged Tupperware collections. This Tupperware from her family once contained a steak and kidney pie on my brothers date of birth.”
It’s amazing how a simple piece of Tupperware has so much history attached to it. It was labeled on a pretty important day, and not just because of the steak and kidney pie.
“My wife took a picture with a ska band around 2000. Today we realized the guitarist was Oscar Issac.”
Apparently, before he became a famous actor, Oscar Issac was in a ska band very briefly. That’s one piece of trivia I never expected to learn, but now I will never forget.
“This tiny piece of The Moon.”
This looks like any old rock, but it’s so much more special than that. It’s a piece of the moon! It’s a rock that came from outer space! In my opinion, it’s kind of priceless.
“After 48 years of not even knowing that I HAD a daughter, we finally met…”
Apparently, OP is 72… but definitely doesn’t look it. Still, this is such an amazing reunion. Finding your long lost daughter after not knowing they existed for nearly half a century is life changing indeed.
