Humans are nostalgic creatures. There's simply something magical about traveling back in time to witness the black and white (or bronze tinted) world before us. Is it the nostalgia for better, simpler times? Or perhaps a hunt for costume ideas for an Edwardian-era party? Either way, scrolling through photos of the bygone days is a joy in itself, no matter the reason.

That's why today we gathered some of the most captivating photos that were taken 100 years ago. Right about when horses were still the most popular (although fading) form of transportation, and Mount Rushmore was nothing but a rock. So whether you’re a photography aficionado or a history nerd always looking for new pieces of a puzzle that is life before us, we hope you enjoy this century-old album.

#1 Phoebe Ann Moses Butler, Also Known As Annie Oakley, Aiming A Rifle In 1922

The power of nostalgia is undeniable. And historical photos, such as the ones you see on this list, can be a quick one-way ticket to the source of this enigmatic emotion. But what exactly is nostalgia and why is looking at a bunch of Napoleonic veterans so effective at evoking it?

Well, before we go any further, we need to agree that history and nostalgia are not the same thing. As a Guardian journalist once wrote in his piece about vintage pictures: "Looking at Cornelia Sorabji [first woman to study law at Oxford University], it is not so much her historic achievements that move me as the fact she is there, before my eyes, as immediately as my parents or my childhood self."

In other words, not knowing the history or significance of the photo you're looking at may not affect its nostalgic charm on you. Just think of the iconic 'V-J Day Kiss in Times Square' photo. Does not knowing what in the world was happening behind the lens lessen the frozen moment's magic? We doubt it.

#2 Delegation Of Minnesota League Of Women Voters With A Mile Signatures For World Court Proposal

Image credits: Harris & Ewing

For some, the nostalgic value of a historical photo lies purely in the visual and aesthetic qualities of the image. This may also explain why social media brought into fashion the use of a retro filter (thanks Instagram!). According to one study, 63% of respondents said that they prefer vintage-style photos to modern ones.

And yet, think of a picture of your grandparents on their wedding day or a hazy shot of your hometown before it was filled with multi-story offices and Starbucks. Can you feel the warmth and fuzz? Well, that's the other kind of nostalgia that works because of our personal memories and cultural associations - something that films like last year's Oscar winner Aftersun manage to capture in all its colors.

#3 Madame Asta Souvrina And Her Dog Listening To The Radio

Image credits: Underwood & Underwood

#4 Fire Engine Drawn By Running Horses

Image credits: Library of Congress

#5 A Woman Holding A "Cane Flask" During Prohibition In 1922, Washington, D.C.

Image credits: wikipedia

Believe it or not, there was a time when nostalgia, and the leisurely act of flipping through scrapbooks, was seen in a negative light. Physicians in the 17th and 18th centuries viewed it as a neurological disease, sometimes even using it as an excuse to discharge soldiers from the battlefield.

Obviously, the prevailing view on this bittersweet emotion has changed over the years. As one research study has found, nostalgia generates positive feelings, improves self-regard, and even enhances our bonds with others.

#6 National Women's Party Group In 1922 April

Image credits: Library of Congress

#7 A School For Girls In Arabian Peninsula, Bahrain

Image credits: Joint Archives of Holland

#8 Youngstown, Ohio Confectioner. Harry B. Burt Filed The First Patent For His Signature Method Of Chocolate-Coating His "Good Humor" Ice Cream Bars

Image credits: Mahoning Valley Historical Society

But can nostalgia explain why many of us enjoy an occasional dip in century-old photo albums? According to Clay Routledge, a leading expert in the psychology of nostalgia: “There’s this notion that younger generations stay connected to older generations because we pass down our nostalgia,” he explained to Fast Company.

Does this mean there'll be a time far in the future when a photo of Mr. Beast playing with a fidget spinner will unleash the same wave of nostalgia as a couple taking a mirror selfie in the 1920s does for us? Probably so.

#9 International Conference Regarding The Use Of Esperanto

Esperanto was a synthetic language devised by Polish eye doctor Ludwik Lazar Zamenhof, who in 1887, published a pamphlet in Russian, Polish, French, and German describing Esperanto and proposing it as an easy-to-learn second language. An international Esperanto movement developed in the 1890s, culminating in the first world congress of Esperanto speakers in 1905. After WWI, the League of Nations considered adopting Esperanto as a working language and recommending that it will be taught in schools, but proposals along these lines were vetoed by France.

Image credits: Library of Congress

#10 Pharmacist Mixing Medicine With Mortar And Pestle. 1923 March 5

Image credits: Library of Congress

#11 Pharoah's Daughters, Water Carriers. Egypt

Image credits: Library of Congress

Another great reason why many of us enjoy looking at online lists such as this one is hope. Not just any hope, but hope for the future. Although this kind of nostalgia is associated with our memories and is often used as a coping mechanism (instead of a spark for action); one study has found that people who recalled a nostalgic event reported feeling more optimistic about their future than those who remembered an ordinary event.

#12 "No More War" Demonstration In Germany. 1922 July 10

Image credits: Library of Congress

#13 Helen F. Day, A Blind Woman, Who Published Searchlight, A Publication For Blind Children. She Is Probably Holding A Device For Printing In Braille

Image credits: Bain News Service

#14 Chemistry Class Teacher

Image credits: The Utrecht Archives

#15 My Family's Jewelry Store Is In The Exact Location It's In Now, But In 1922

Image credits: Keldeo_7923

#16 Austrian Nobleman Takes "Traveling Candy Store" On The Road In 1922

Image credits: Underwood & Underwood

#17 Man Holding North-Western Type Of Spearthrower And Wearing Pubic Fur Tassel. Wardaman People, Northern Territory

Image credits: Herbert Basedow

#18 Test Flight Of Pescara's Helicopter, 1922

Image credits: Bibliothèque nationale de France

#19 Tornado Over The Capitol In 1922, May

Image credits: Austin History Center

#20 2022 Energy Predictions. New York Sunday Newspaper In 1922 May 7

Image credits: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

#21 Hired Mourners In A Jewish Cemetery In 1923

Image credits: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

#22 A Broken T Model Ford

Image credits: National Photo Company

#23 In 1922 In The Volga Estuary, A Beluga Sturgeon Was Caught. It Was Around 23 Feet And Weighed 3,463 Lb. They Truly Are Dinosaurs Of The Sea

Image credits: SquadLover

#24 The Last Message Left By 47 Entombed Miners In Argonaut Mine, Jackson, Calif. Written With Carbide Lamps On The Face Of The 4350 Foot Drift

The message on the wall reads: "3 O'clock, gas getting strong"

Image credits: Library of Congress

#25 A Berlin Banker Counting Stacks Of Bundled Marks In 1923

Image credits: Library of Congress

#26 Albert And Elsa Einstein In Japan With Local Hosts, 1922

Image credits: Courtesy of Meiji Seihanjo

#27 Women Selling Vegetables In The Market. Hungary

Image credits: Library of Congress

#28 High School Pageant In 1923

Image credits: Library of Congress

#29 Moroccan Making A Carpet

Image credits: Agence Meurisse

#30 Tokio Survivors Of The Earthquake Receiving Rice At Shita Park

Image credits: Agence Rol

#31 Allan Dwan Is Making Himself Heard By Twelve Hundred Extras Through The Medium Of The World's Largest Megaphone. Four Feet In Diameter And Ten Feet Long

Image credits: wikimedia

#32 Medical Students At The Clinical Club, 1923

Image credits: University of Alberta Archives

#33 Beauty Show In 1922

Image credits: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

#34 Clowns Perform At Children's Hospital

Image credits: Harris & Ewing

#35 Blizzard In 1922 January 28

Image credits: Library of Congress

#36 Demonstrating Hot Stupes. Safeguarding From Danger Of Fire By Placing Solidified Alcohol In Deep Basin So It Cannot Be Overturned

Image credits: Library of Congress

#37 1923 Girl Basketball Team

Image credits: Indiana Deaf History Museum

#38 Bulgarian Peasant Women In Marketplace, With Piles Of Black And White Wool

Image credits: Library of Congress

#39 U.S. Army Men Seated Around The Table, While One On Horseback Jumping Over It

Image credits: Library of Congress

#40 Knickerbocker Theater Disaster. 1922 January 30

Image credits: Library of Congress

#41 Red Cross Class In Home Hygiene And Care Of The Sick. Bathing The Baby. April 1922

Image credits: Library of Congress

#42 Women Working With Sewing Machines In The Factory. Leicester, England

Image credits: Keystone View Company

#43 Photograph Shows An Interior View Of The USS Shenandoah Under Construction At The Naval Air Station, Lakehurst, New Jersey

Image credits: Library of Congress

#44 Milk Distribution At A Children's Health Clinic In Piotrkow Trybunalski, Poland

Image credits: Library of Congress

#45 Demonstration Of Artificial Respiration At The Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Company in Washington, D.C.

Image credits: Library of Congress

#46 Bathing Group At Hai Mng, Guangdong, China

Image credits: Yale Divinity Library

#47 First Australia's National Soccer Team

Image credits: Wikimedia Commons

#48 A Race Car Driver Enrico Giaccone At The 1922 French Grand Prix

Image credits: Agence Rol

#49 Tuileries, Prix De L'aero-Club, Departure Of A Balloon In 1922 May 14

Image credits: Bibliothèque nationale de France

#50 Rugby Team. 1922

Image credits: University of Alberta Archives

#51 Students Training Camp

Image credits: Library of Congress

#52 Horse Christmas Party

Image credits: Library of Congress

#53 January 1st In 1922

Image credits: MintyPyth0n

#54 New Mothers Learning Infant Care At A Hadassah Child Welfare Center, Jerusalem

Image credits: Library of Congress

#55 Woman Using Typewriter In The Shower

Image credits: Harris & Ewing

#56 Destroying Liquor In 1923

Image credits: Library of Congress

#57 Excavation Of The Tomb Of Tutankhamun

Image credits: Heidelberg University Library

#58 Landing 250 Bars Of Gold Worth 2 Million Dollars From America Via The Baltic. Liverpool, March 26, 1923

Image credits: Bibliothèque nationale de France

#59 Machine Spreading Asphalt, 1923

Image credits: University of Alberta Archives

#60 Hospital Roof Tent, 1923

Image credits: University of Alberta Archives

#61 Auto Wreck

Image credits: Library of Congress

#62 Blackfeet Squaw At White House, 1923-06-07

Image credits: Library of Congress

#63 The Fire Destroyed The Old Imperial Hotel In Tokyo, Japan. 1922 April 16

Image credits: Library of Congress

#64 Italian Opera Singer Claudia Muzio Listening To The Radio With Headphones While Holding A Dog Who Also Has Headphones

Image credits: Bain News Service

#65 Handmade Pots

Image credits: Library of Congress

#66 Black Girls And Women Employed In A Lamp-Shade Factory

Image credits: THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY

#67 Singing Girls. Hong Kong, China 1922

Image credits: Library of Congress

#68 World Billiard Championship. Charles Darantiere. Party Hall Of The Academy Of Abbesses

Image credits: Rol Agency

#69 Photographer Constantin Grünberg Stands On The Wing Of An Airplane On The Beach Of Katajanokka On The Way To Tallinn

Image credits: Helsinki City Museum

#70 Dragon Balloon, Norra Frosunda In 1922

Image credits: Wikimedia Commons

#71 Sir Arthur Conan Doyle And His Family Looking Over The Wall And Pointing To New York City

Image credits: Library of Congress

#72 Grace Coolidge And Girl Scouts At The White House, Washington, D.C.

Image credits: Harris & Ewing

#73 Lincoln Memorial In Washington, D.C. 1923

Image credits: Underwood & Underwood

#74 Central Post Office In Louvre Street

Image credits: Gallica

#75 The Police On Motorcycle Trailing Car With Smoke In 1923

Image credits: Library of Congress

#76 2 Women Operating Gum-Wrapping Machine At The American Chicle Company Plant

Image credits: Underwood & Underwood

#77 Surgery In 1922

Image credits: Library of Congress

#78 A View Showing The Business District Of Smyrna. Photograph Showing Horse Drawn Carts And Trolleys On A Busy Street In The Izmir Business District

Image credits: Library of Congress

#79 Boxer Siki Doing Shadow Boxing

Image credits: Agence Meurisse

#80 Hospital Operating Room, 1923

Image credits: University of Alberta Archives

#81 Baseball In 1922

Image credits: Bain News Service

#82 Man Baking Bread

Image credits: Library of Congress

#83 Nurse In 1922

Image credits: Library of Congress

#84 Cooking Class In 1922

Image credits: KvinnSam Image Database

#85 Illinois River Flood At Beardstown In April 1922

Image credits: Library of Congress

#86 Paul Zweifel Performing A Gynaecological Operation In 1922

Image credits: Wellcome Collection

#87 Girls Of Slovakia In Their Beautiful Colored Costumes, Czechoslovakia

Image credits: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

#88 University Parking Lot, 1923

Image credits: University of Alberta Archives

#89 The Airport "Waalhaven" With Several Planes On The Ground And One In The Air. Rotterdam, Netherlands

Image credits: Spaarnestad

#90 Roy D. Haynes In 1923-12-26

Image credits: Library of Congress

#91 "Sells-Floto Circus" In 1922. An Elephant Was Pulling The Canvas-Covered Cage Wagon Number 24 Into Position

Image credits: Harry A. Atwell

#92 Yankees In 1923

Image credits: Library of Congress

#93 Greece Refugees

These villagers of Asia Minor were driven into the mountains near their homes shortly after the Smyrna debacle. People ate grass, roots, and similar food for three months, occasionally raiding an olive grove by night.

Image credits: Library of Congress

#94 The Kinner Airster Which Was Built For Amelia Earhart

Image credits: Underwood, John W.

#95 Scene From "He Who Gets Slapped" Garrick Theatre In NYC

Image credits: Vandamm

#96 Auto Show In 1923 At The Grand Palais

Image credits: Agence Rol

#97 Swimmers On Wooden Structure In The Potomac River. Lincoln Memorial In The Background. Washington, D.C.

Image credits: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

#98 Aerial View Of The State Capitol, 1922

Image credits: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

#99 Air Service Pilots In 1923

Image credits: Library of Congress

#100 Patients Waiting In An Infirmary. Jerusalem

Image credits: Library of Congress

#101 A Ceremonial Bed In The Shape Of The Celestial Cow, Surrounded By Provisions And Other Objects In The Antechamber Of The Tomb

Image credits: Library of Congress

#102 Marshal F. Thompson Voting Machine

Image credits: Library of Congress

#103 French Ambassador Jusserand And J.J. Broderick Of The British Embassy Holding Bags Of Douglas Fir Seeds At The Headquarters Of The American Forestry Association

Image credits: Underwood & Underwood

#104 Officers Of Colorado In 1923

Image credits: Bain News Service

#105 A. Buck Carving The Lord's Prayer On The Walking Canes. He Has Sold $2000 Worth Of These Canes In 1922

Image credits: Harris & Ewing

#106 Market In 1922

Image credits: Harris & Ewing

#107 The S.S. Carmania Arriving With Immigrants From Eastern Europe In 1923, Docking In East Boston

Image credits: The Boston Public Library

#108 Men's Basketball Team, 1922-1923

Image credits: University of Alberta Archives

#109 Sterilizer University Of Alberta Hospital, 1922

Image credits: University of Alberta Archives

#110 University Of Alberta Hospital, 1923

Image credits: University of Alberta Archives

#111 Legion Game

Image credits: Library of Congress

#112 Refugees Returning To Poland From Russia

Image credits: Max J. Colton

#113 Warren G. Harding's Funeral In 1923

Image credits: Library of Congress

#114 J. Walter Lang And Francis Lang, Twins Who Narrowly Escaped Death On The Steamboats Island Queen

Image credits: Harris & Ewing

#115 Long Beach Oil Field In California

Image credits: Mining Oil Bulletin

#116 Locomotive Draped For Harding Funeral In 1923

Image credits: Library of Congress

#117 Rudolph Valentino, Mrs. Richard Hudnut, Winifred Hudnut, Richard Hudnut. On The Deck Of The Steamship Olympia In 1922

Image credits: Screenland Publishing Company

#118 Naval Reserve

Image credits: Library of Congress

#119 Circle In 1922

Image credits: morganmonroe81

#120 New York City's Public Library, 5th Ave. And 40th St. Crowded Street Scene In Foreground

Image credits: Irving Underhill

#121 Man Working At Machine In The Voice Control Room At The U.S. Capitol. 1922 December 6

Image credits: Library of Congress

#122 People's Drug Store No. 10 In Washington, D.C.

Image credits: Library of Congress

#123 Naval Submarine Plane

Image credits: Library of Congress

#124 Moffett At Bolling Field In 1923 September 24

Image credits: National Photo Company Collection (Library of Congress)

#125 Teletype Radio Plane Set, Used By Navy Department, To Receive Typewritten Radio Messages From Naval Airplanes. 1922 August 30

Image credits: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

#126 The First Service Station In Winnemucca, Operated By Fritz And Emil Buckingham In 1922

Image credits: Paradise Valley Folklife Project collection, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress

#127 Mr. Santos-Dumont And Kapferer In The Nacelle Of The Astra-Torres 47 Under Construction, 1922

Image credits: Bibliothèque nationale de France

#128 Road After Asphalt Applied, 1923

Image credits: University of Alberta Archives

#129 Marines During Reenactment Of Pickett's Charge At The Battle Of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Image credits: Harris & Ewing

#130 Central Control Station With Several Automatic Ticker Tape Machines On The Tables. 1922 December 5

Image credits: Library of Congress

#131 Timbers Sold For Food

Image credits: American National Red Cross photograph collection (Library of Congress)

#132 "Public Receiving Days At The White House Have Proven Very Popular As Evidenced By This Line About The Executive Offices During The Public Reception Today", 1922 April 15

Image credits: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.

#133 A Participant In The Monaco Cup In 1923, April 19

Image credits: Rol Agency

#134 Large Group Of People Waiting For An Outdoor Baptism To Begin. Shantou, Guangdong, China

Image credits: Sanderson, Abbie G

#135 Surahammar's Mill. The Tuning Plant. Packing Transformer Plate For The Export

Image credits: Technical Museum

#136 Convocation, 1923

Image credits: University of Alberta Archives

#137 Shriners Parade, Washington, D.C.

Image credits: Library of Congress

#138 Pacific Terminal Oil Tank Farm On Naos Island Breakwater. July 1923

Image credits: The National Archives and Records Administration

#139 Breaking Raw Chicle At The American Chicle Company

Image credits: Library of Congress

#140 USS Olympia And Florida In The Middle Chambers. Gatun Locks, June 13th, 1922

Image credits: National Archives

#141 Administration Volunteers. Volunteer Office Assistance In The New York County Chapter, 1923

Image credits: American National Red Cross photograph collection (Library of Congress)

#142 A Waterfront View Of The Immigration Station 1922

Image credits: Globe Archive

#143 Grounds In Front Of Arts Building

Image credits: University of Alberta Archives

#144 Medical Building, 1923

Image credits: University of Alberta Archives

#145 Koompartoo Launch 1922

Image credits: Graeme Andrews

#146 Airplane In 1922

Image credits: Harris & Ewing

#147 University Of Alberta Hospital

Image credits: University of Alberta Archives

#148 Military Group At The Camp. Washington Monument In The Background

Image credits: Harris & Ewing

#149 Gettysburg

Image credits: Library of Congress

#150 University And High Level Bridge

Image credits: University of Alberta Archives