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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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These antique spice jars look a littleeeee weird now.

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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.

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Here's a draft notice for the Vietnam War.

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

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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.

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

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

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

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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.

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

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

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

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

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This is what Confederate money looked like.

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

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

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

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

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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."

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Here's a newspaper from after JFK was killed.

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

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

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

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

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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.*

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

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