These Air Force goggles from WWII still have dirt on them.

In honor of the Olympics, here is the first Olympic torch. It's from the 1936 Berlin Olympics, where the first Olympic torch relay was held.

These 1925 solar eclipse glasses also make me feel weirdly connected to the people of the past, especially because NYC saw a huge solar eclipse not too long ago.

This letter confirming a soldier was missing in action during WWII is super sad but also interesting to see. Even more interesting? It turns out this man was a prisoner of war. He was released and lived until he was 83.

Speaking of prisoners of war — this is a self-portrait a North Vietnamese war prisoner drew in 1969. He gave it to an American patrolling a prisoner of war hospital.

These antique spice jars look a littleeeee weird now.

These 1878 doodles are actually strangely comforting to me because they show that not much about human nature has changed in the last 146 years.

Here's a draft notice for the Vietnam War.

And this is a booklet given to American soldiers during the Vietnam War.

This person's grandpa kept a record of the places he lived, his salary and job, and the number of girls he dated, and it's a wild snapshot of the 20th century.

Here's what an honorable discharge from the Civil War looks like.

And here's what an undesirable discharge looks like from the Vietnam War.

Here's an identity card from a war prisoner in Normandy during WWII.

Here's a pocket knife from the Gulf War that warned owners against anthrax, as the US government feared anthrax would be used as a biological weapon against soldiers.

Here's a flyer from 1851 warning formerly enslaved people about slave catchers.

Did you know licenses used to be printed on cloth, at least in England? Here's one from Halifax from the 1920s.

In case anyone thinks vaccine cards are a new thing, here's one from the 1940s.

As is this passport from 1938 with a Nazi stamp on it.

This is what Confederate money looked like.

This is an example of a Civil War-era envelope.

This 1906 birth certificate (reprinted in 2005) is super weird to see, especially because the birthplace is listed as "on the water coming over."

Here's what 1944 war ration books looked like during WWII.

This is a handmade diploma a prisoner of war in a Nazi camp was given when he was finally transferred out.

This person was lucky enough to find a handwritten letter from King George from 1918, sent to a WWI veteran. It reads: "The Queen and I wish you God-speed, a safe return to the happiness & joy of home life with an early restoration to health. A grateful Mother Country thanks you for faithful services. George R.I."

Here's a newspaper from after JFK was killed.

And here's a 1969 newspaper right after the moon landing.

Here's an American flag with only 48 stars before Hawaii and Alaska became official US states in 1959.

This Japanese map of South America from 1932 shows Japanese perceptions of the continent in an interesting and slightly racist way.

This USA citizenship certificate from 1929 lists a woman's race as "Hebrew."

Here are first-aid tips from the 1940s — which are mostly still useful, except where it advises treating a sleeping pill overdose with coffee and any other poisoning with mustard, soapy water, and egg whites.*

Here's an 1899 certificate of US citizenship — in which this person renounces their allegiance to Austria's emperor.

And finally, did you know some dog tags from WWI were made of asbestos? Here's what they looked like.