“Change is the only constant.” You’ve likely heard different variations of this quote, but it ultimately expresses one of life’s fundamental truths: everything is bound to transform, whether through progression or regression.
Check out these photos and see for yourself. We’ve collected images of various landmarks around the world, showing how humans and Father Time have treated them over the decades.
The best part: you can see the differences in each picture with a simple swipe to the right. Enjoy!
#1 Machu Picchu, 1911-2016
Image credits: Hiram Bingham
Image credits: Hiram Bingham
#2 Pripyat, Ukraine, 1986 And 2016
Image credits: Unbekannt
Image credits: Unbekannt
#3 Reichstag, Berlin, 1945 And 2012
Image credits: Ghetto Fighters' House Museum
Image credits: Ghetto Fighters' House Museum
As places go through significant changes, so do their inhabitants. Experts refer to this as urban evolution, where genetic transformations occur to help make these environments more adaptable.
An example is the rat population in New York City. Studies have shown that Big Apple rodents have evolved to have shorter rows of teeth, likely due to their diet of softer foods in an urban setting.
#4 Via Della Conciliazione Is The Main Avenue Leading To St. Peter's Basilica Of Vatican City, 1910-2013
Image credits: IFN
Image credits: IFN
#5 Osnabrück Train Station, Germany, 1965 And 2015
Image credits: Robert von Hirschhorn
Image credits: Robert von Hirschhorn
#6 Place Du Carrousel, Paris, France, 1900-2016
Image credits: anonym
Image credits: anonym
Urban coyotes also went through a similar evolution, according to a January 2025 study published in Genome Biology and Evolution. Research has shown that urban coyotes have become more adaptable to starches due to increased access to pet and human food.
#7 Arctic Sea-Ice Coverage, 1984-2012
Image credits: NASA Scientific Visualization Studio
Image credits: NASA Scientific Visualization Studio
#8 Moulin Rouge, Paris, France, 1900 And 2016
Image credits: Unknown
Image credits: Unknown
#9 Eiffel Tower, 1900 And 2017
Image credits: anonym
Image credits: anonym
Each of the major cities on this list has undergone notable changes, as evident in the photo comparisons. Urbanization does drive evolution, and according to recent developments, may spawn new life forms.
In 2024, a new species of mosquitoes was discovered in Mesa County, Colorado. These pests can lay eggs in small amounts of water, which, according to experts, has made them more difficult to control.
#10 Mont Saint-Michel, France, 1908 And 2016
Image credits: Frank Spencer Presbrey
Image credits: Frank Spencer Presbrey
#11 St. Paul's Cathedral, London, 1941-2019
Image credits: IWM
Image credits: IWM
#12 Roman Forum, Rome, Italy, 1866-2017
Image credits: Fratelli d'Alessandri
Image credits: Fratelli d'Alessandri
Before the invention of light bulbs and electricity, people relied on flames as their primary light source. The less illumination there was, the darker night skies became, unlike in today’s perpetually illuminated world.
Author and environmental philosopher Christoper Preston blames light pollution for less starry skies and disrupted circadian rhythms.
“There is no doubt (urbanization) is a path causing an unstoppable shift in who we, as well as the species that like to live alongside us, essentially are,” Preston wrote in an article for The MIT Press Reader.
#13 Beverly Hills, California, USA, 1918-2018
Image credits: Unknown
Image credits: Unknown
#14 St. Nicholas Church, Berlin, 1939 And 2013
Image credits: Philipp Meuser
Image credits: Philipp Meuser
#15 Las Vegas Boulevard And Flamingo Road, 1968 And 2018
Image credits: Sands Hotel Photographs UNLV Collections
Image credits: Sands Hotel Photographs UNLV Collections
As always, your insights are valued, dear readers. Which of these photos do you find most fascinating? What drew you in? Let’s liven up the comment boxes!
#16 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, D.C. And Capitol, 1900-2013
Image credits: Unknown
Image credits: Unknown
#17 Stairway To Doi Suthep Temple, Thailand, 1910-2015
Image credits: unbekannt
Image credits: unbekannt
#18 Mercy Hospital, Crok, Ireland, 1938-2021
Image credits: Unknown
Image credits: Unknown
#19 Charles Gate, Munich, Germany, 1910 And 2017
Image credits: k.a.
Image credits: k.a.
#20 The Eiffel Tower And Its Surroundings, Paris, 1910 And 2016
Image credits: Stéphane Passet
Image credits: Stéphane Passet
#21 Hammerfest, 1889-2004
Image credits: Axel Lindahl
Image credits: Axel Lindahl
#22 Royal Street, New Orleans, USA, 1910-2019
Image credits: Detroit Publishing Company
Image credits: Detroit Publishing Company
#23 Old Port Of Marseille, France, 1920-2020
Image credits: Unknown
Image credits: Unknown
#24 Palace Square, St. Petersburg, 1840 And 2014
Image credits: Vasily Sadovnikov
Image credits: Vasily Sadovnikov
#25 Brandenburg Gate, Berlin, 1976 And 2005
Image credits: Metzner
Image credits: Metzner
#26 Dawes Point, Sydney, Australia, 1929-2017
Image credits: Unknown
Image credits: Unknown
#27 Former Japanese Imperial Army 5th Division, Hiroshima 1921-2024
Image credits: Unknown
Image credits: Unknown
#28 Shanghai, China, 1934-2024
Image credits: HuaYong
Image credits: HuaYong
#29 Central Station, Sydney 1957-2017
Image credits: Jim Powe
Image credits: Jim Powe
#30 Morro De Arica, La Perla, Chile, 1868-2017
Image credits: Unknown
Image credits: Unknown
#31 Martin Luther Monument, Dresden, Germany, 1958 And 2014
Image credits: condig
Image credits: condig
#32 London Blitz 1940, 1940-2019
Image credits: Unknown
Image credits: Unknown
#33 Democracy Monument In Bangkok, 1967-2011
Image credits: Roger W.
Image credits: Roger W.
#34 Parthenon, Acropolis Of Athens, Greece, 1978 And 2018
Image credits: Oliver Vornberger
Image credits: Oliver Vornberger
#35 Flatiron Building, New York, 1918 And 2018
Image credits: HistoryInPix
Image credits: HistoryInPix
#36 San Telmo Park In Las Palmas De Gran Canaria, 1965-2021
Image credits: Las Palmas ayer y hoy
Image credits: Las Palmas ayer y hoy
#37 Palm Islands (Three Artificial Archipelagos, Dubai), 2001-2012
Image credits: NASA / USGS
Image credits: NASA / USGS
#38 Rabat, Morocco, 1900-2025
Image credits: sleroy
Image credits: sleroy
#39 Tower Bridge, London, 1900 And 2019
Image credits: Unknown
Image credits: Unknown
#40 Pompeii Forum, 1900-2023
Image credits: LC-DIG-ppmsc-06582 Library of Congress
Image credits: LC-DIG-ppmsc-06582 Library of Congress
#41 The Old St. Louis County Courthouse In Downtown St.Louis, Missouri, USA, 1865-2015
Image credits: AS
Image credits: AS
#42 Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta, USA, 1968-2021
Image credits: Unknown
Image credits: Unknown
#43 Midpoint Of George Washington Bridge, New York, USA, 1985-2018
Image credits: Historic American Engineering Record
Image credits: Historic American Engineering Record
#44 Montreal, Canada, 1996-2015
Image credits: wtremmel
Image credits: wtremmel
#45 Sultan Abdul Samad Building, Malaysia, 1941 And 2016
Image credits: Harrison Forman
Image credits: Harrison Forman
#46 Paseo De La Reforma, Mexico, 1986-2018
Image credits: anthonyturducken
Image credits: anthonyturducken
#47 Barn Bluff Facing The Mississippi- Red Wing, USA, 1891-2023
Image credits: Ava Craven
Image credits: Ava Craven
#48 Montrose Street, Clermont, FL, USA, 1928-2018
Image credits: Unknown
Image credits: Unknown
#49 North Decatur Road At Clifton Road, Atlanta GA, USA, 1959-2023
Image credits: Helicopter image published in The Emory Wheel, 1959
Image credits: Helicopter image published in The Emory Wheel, 1959
#50 Main Street At Franklin, Houston, USA, 1921-2024
Image credits: Unknown
Image credits: Unknown
