Getting an old magazine or newspaper is a fantastic way to start exploring the past. See how people once used their language, what was included, and excluded. Memorizing events is all fine and dandy, but these don’t actually show how people would approach everyday life. Advertisements are a great way to approach what people liked and wanted.
Through the magic of the internet, we now are able to catalog and share all sorts of ads from the past online. So prepare to look into a different time as you scroll through, be sure to upvote our favorites and comment your thoughts on these truly vintage ads below.
#1 Advertisement For Bacardi Rum Warning Against The Dangers Of Drunk Driving (1986)
Image credits: Paul-Belgium
#2 Man Looking For A Wife In 1865
Image credits: dannydutch1
#3 They All Got The Vaccine.. Except Dad, 1958
Image credits: 80sforeverr
#4 Ray Ban 1998 Ad
Image credits: Paul-Belgium
#5 When I’m 64
Image credits: Yahtrok
#6 Remember Digging Through The Entertainment Section Of The Newspaper To Find The Movie Listings?
Image credits: Kevin_Finkel
#7 Best Buy, 1999
Image credits: TommyAdagio
#8 Electricity Was New Once. These Signs Were Mostly In Hotel Rooms And Other Public Places
Image credits: Gwendolyn7777
#9 Remember When Brach’s Pick A Mix Was The Best Thing About Going To The Grocery Store? (1970s)
Image credits: DiosMioMan2
#10 1978 Star Wars Vaccination Ad
Image credits: Paul-Belgium
#11 Garfield Telephone By Tyco (1978)
Image credits: TaimSolas
#12 Esprit (1980's)
Image credits: lovemypennydog
#13 In 1962, Bette Davis Placed This Ad In Variety
Image credits: DualCay0te
#14 Cottonelle Colored Toilet Paper (1982)
Image credits: lovemypennydog
#15 "Someday Roads Will Tell Cars Where To Go" Gm (1969)
Image credits: Ebonystealth
#16 Daihatsu Hijet Ad From 1996
Image credits: DualCay0te
#17 "Is Your Kid Living In A Dream World?" Ad Placed In Ebony Magazine Encouraging Minorities To Pursue Stem Careers. General Electric, 1979
Image credits: AspireAgain
#18 1988 Penn Tennis Ball Ad Promoting The French Open
Image credits: morganmonroe81
#19 Pan American Airlines (1956)
Image credits: MetaHelvetica
#20 One Oregon Newspaper Clip Reads: “We Appeal To Your Civil Patriotism To Co-Operate With Us In Our Effort To Stamp Out The Spanish Influenza Or “Flu” Plague In Portland By Wearing A Mask.”
Image credits: Paul-Belgium
#21 Sony Walkman 1980
Image credits: susierabbit
#22 I'm Pretty Sure Everyone Had One Of These
Image credits: Ebonystealth
#23 Vintage Soda Cans Dates Unknown
Image credits: 70sTimewarp58
#24 American Airlines, 1971
Image credits: Paul-Belgium
#25 This TV Looks Like It's Going To Kill Her!
Image credits: reddit.com
#26 Apple Computers Late 90s
Image credits: Djf47021
#27 Pizza Hut Oven In Sears Catalog (1977) "Put Up The 'Official' Sign And You're In Business!"
Image credits: lemmycaution25
#28 Game Boy Ad 1990s
Image credits: Djf47021
#29 Ge Widescreen 1000 - General Electric Performance Television - 1978
Image credits: XboxSpectre
#30 How To Carry 20 Megabytes Of Data Around In 1985
Image credits: reddit.com
#31 1965 Ge Ad
Image credits: morganmonroe81
#32 Life Savers ~ Fancy Fruits (1965)
Image credits: TaimSolas
#33 "Past Present Future?", Western Electric, 1959
Image credits: AspireAgain
#34 Panasonic "Don't Listen To Squares" 1973
Image credits: lemmycaution25
#35 Ad From A Finnish Teen/Music Magazine Suosikki 1983
Image credits: olarinoid
#36 Mcdonald’s, 1987 Ad
Image credits: Paul-Belgium
