Time can be a bit of a pain in the backside. It goes too fast when we’re having fun, and too slow when we’re having an awful time — like when we’re stuck at an uncomfortable family dinner! This simple fact proves that the concept of time is, well, a dick!
However, when it’s not being a nuisance, the passage of time can also create some amazing things. In the wake of time’s arrow marching on, the strangeness of our world and the mysteries it holds can be exposed to us. So, with that in mind, here are 15+ compelling pics that prove time works in mysterious ways!
RELATED STORIES
“My rotting Goomba pumpkin looks more like Goomba now than it did when it was freshly carved”
Mmm, look at all that lovely, lovely mold deep in the innards of that pumpkin. The way its mouth has curled in makes it look about 100 years older!
“18,000 year old puppy perfectly preserved in permafrost”
This puppy recently became quite a celebrity as he was recently discovered frozen in permafrost near Russia. The frost had preserved the puppy almost perfectly for 18,000 years, which left scientists baffled! I hope I look that good in 18,000 years!
These relatives joined across a 9,000 year gap.
As the description explains: “A 9,000-year-old skeleton was recently found inside a cave in Cheddar, England, and was nicknamed ‘Cheddar Man’. His DNA was tested and it was concluded that a living relative was teaching history about a 1/2 mile away, tracing back nearly 300 generations.”
Imagine being in a familial line that had not moved from the same location for over 300 generations!
“How an overnight freeze squeezed water out of the ground and froze it at one of our job sites”
Maybe this isn’t a long amount of time but just goes to show how one particularly chilly night can turn a normal occurrence into actual art.
“104 year old holocaust survivor, Shashana Ovitz, requested that all her children and grandchildren gather at the western wall.”
This is an amazingly powerful image which shows the impact that one person can have on the world. Over time, every person leaves their own legacy.
“I have a hereditary gap in my eyebrow”
She went on to post a comment explaining that this is her great, great grandfather and that her father has the same gap in his eyebrows! Genetics is fascinating!
“Abandoned car left sitting at my work for months. The white spots are mold. The smell was awful…”
Yeah, I can imagine the smell being awful! It looks that grim that I can nearly smell it through the screen! This car must have been in some sort of state before it was abandoned surely?
“Tonight at Thanksgiving dinner, my parents used 42 year old disposable napkins from their wedding.”
This one is wild because you’d think that a disposable napkin would’ve deteriorated a bit by now.
“Five-year-old wallet and new identical replacement”
Nothing like a little wear, tear, and human sweat to age even the sturdiest of materials!
“These pennies were left in some play doh for a few months”
Wow, I guess I should probably get rid of my play-doh bed I’ve been sleeping in since I was six. Maybe that explains why I have a giant hole in my heart where my chest should be.
“Been juggling these oranges for the past 4 months, decided to open them up.”
Dude, buy some damn juggling balls! What on Earth did you think was going to happen? Also, why are you juggling at all? Unless you work in the circus that is unacceptable behavior.
“This rusty lock gate looking like a painting.”
Well, now I just feel embarrassed that a lock is a better artist than I am. Inanimate objects are literally more talented than me, a being with a brain! How depressing.
“In 1964, Ringo Starr snapped a photo of some high school students who skipped class to see the Beatles during their first trip to the US.”
These kids had no idea that the photo was taken until the photos were released in Ringo’s published book of photographs. The kids were tracked down and recreated the photo!
“My backyard before and after 18 inches of snow OC”
It doesn’t have to be a long amount of time for time to change things up.
“The trunk of an oak tree serves as a nest of an albar pine.”
Amazingly, both of these trees are still alive. The pine is 15 meters high and is 130 years old, while the oak is 12.5 meters and is 250 years old!
“These knives at my work have been used so much they’re almost gone.”
At what point do you just buy more knives? Hopefully, before they snap and take one of your fingers off!
“The thawing frost line on my neighbors roof”
What makes time work in even more mysterious ways? Mother nature!
“The right pedal on my piano has been polished by my socks over the years.”
Discoloration on everyday objects is a subtle-yet-fascinating way to see how much we use them.
“My dad has had the same wallet for so long his driver’s license photo is imprinted on the plastic.”
That’s quite impressive! I can barely have a wallet for two years before it begins to fall to pieces. Also, get yourself a leather wallet man, you’re not five anymore!
“Old homework we found in an old house we’re renovating 1909.”
It’s comforting to know that even hundreds of years ago, some kid was like “F this,” and threw his homework away.
“Thirty-two years of billboards removed to reveal an original Spaceballs advertisement.”
Parts of our culture never really go away, we just paste over them momentarily.
“9+ years of a family member smoking cigarettes and not cleaning vs brand new”
Smoking inside can really take its toll on your house. My dad was never allowed to smoke in the house, which by chance lead to him getting really into stargazing.
“This hotel used to be a brewery”
With the passage of time comes the shutting down and repurposing of commercial spaces. It is always weird to see the original purpose of a modern space.
“These signs with the last names of all the families that live on this small lake.”
Over time, once isolated areas become more populated. I wonder who the very first family to put a sign there was.
“The inside of a ~100 year old water pipe”
Ah yes, looks like a truly delicious chocolate glazed donut. Now I’ve got a hankering for a Krispy Kreme.
“My eraser is so old it was made in West Germany”
Odd to see how time, place, and object all interact here.
“These pines are about 4000 years old”
While these Bristlecone Pines are 4000 years old, there is one of these trees that is 5000+ years old; however, the location of this tree is actually kept secret to prevent people from tampering with it!
“This slab of concrete turned 50, yesterday”
This is a rock-solid momento! Well, concrete-solid at least.
“My candle was burning all night but one of the wicks went out.”
Time does not stop for anyone (even the lonely wick) and this picture is proof of that.
“Cassette I bought at a thrift store had a concert ticket in it from the year the album was released”
Remember that phrase, “do you feel old yet?” I guess I should ask you if you feel young yet, though I likely don’t need to at this point. Some of these objects are older than I am.
“From my great-grandmother’s autograph book, dated 1908.”
It is incredible to see something from so long ago being opened and read in touched in 2019.
“A robin has nested inside an MX helmet in my shed”
Over time, everything we are and own simply becomes a nest for some other creature or species.
“The grand staircase of Titanic before and after.”
I know which one I’d rather spend time in. The bottom one, with its eerie aesthetic! It looks straight out of Bioshock!
“My Grandma’s carpet after moving her bed for the first time in 60 years.”
The person who posted this also went on to write, “My Grandma is actually very upset because she is moving house for the first time in 60 years. Especially the sentimentality of everything as my Granddad is not with us anymore.”
The places that we live soak up so much of ourselves, they can be difficult to part with.
“I found an old pic of me playing computer games. As it turns out I haven’t changed very much.”
If you’re lucky enough to discover your passions early, then never give up on them. Also, this guy looks remarkably like Thom Yorke!
“A 100 year old paper article about ‘climate change’.”
A “few” centuries was a bit optimistic of the future of our planet looking back wasn’t it?
“Steve and Robert Irwin feeding the same crocodile 15 years apart.”
The day that Steve Irwin died was a truly awful day in my childhood. That man was an absolute treasure! However, it’s great to see his son continuing his father’s legacy.
“I took a photograph at the exact same time this photographer took hers and caught her flash lightning the scene.”
The irony of this photograph of a photographer trying to take a photo being better than the photo that the photographer in the picture is trying to take is wonderful. Do you follow?
“Me as a baby wearing a ridiculous wig vs. me at 21 with the hair I ended up growing.”
Her follicles probably saw that picture and thought, “You know what, we rocked that look, let’s make that permanent.”
“Pigment stripped from leaf because it spent so much time in a pool.”
Apparently it took about 2 weeks for this to happen. This image really takes my breath away, the remaining details in the leaf are stunning.
“This old sundial has multi-oriented panels that show time of countries all around the world.”
This is one of the most fascinating things that I have ever seen. I cannot fathom how much time must have gone into creating this masterpiece. According to the person who posted this, “It was constructed in 1935 in Mont-saint-Odile near Strasbourg un France.”
“Fax machine/scanner used so heavily, the paper has cut the plastic over time.”
While this is quite baffling, I think that everyone who has experienced a paper cut is probably not amazed that paper has the potential to do this much damage. Those things sting like hell!
“Trees that have connected over time.”
The process by which trees fuse their branches with those of another tree is known as Inosculation. I’m fairly certain you’ll never need that information, but you have it now!
“This wall has 4 types of bricks from different times.”
This wall perfectly chronicles our advancement in architecture. Who knew seeing the way bricks have changed could be so mildly interesting. I have friends, shut up!
“A cinderblock that washed up on the beach after a bit of time tumbling around in the ocean currents.”
No matter how hard something may be, nothing is a match for the eroding power of the ocean. I love how smooth it is as well, oddly beautiful.
“These instructions suggest that Germans take less time assembling a couch.”
Well, look, the Germans are known for their efficiency and solid engineering, so I can kind of understand this.
“May I present my wife’s toothbrush. This is one month of use.”
My girlfriend does the same thing to her toothbrush! She’s either brushing too hard, or her teeth have tiny little mouths on them which are ripping the hell out of this brush!
“Time lapse in the bee yard.”
I always wanted to get into beekeeping, it seems so relaxing… oh, and you get loads of honey!
“My toenail is over a decade old.”
Lots of people believe that your toenails still grow once you die. However, your nails only appear longer due to the fact that the skin around them retracts following your death.
