Germany

The era we're living through seems pretty bleak most of the time. It's hard to ignore the pandemic and our current political shitshow. But the past has been just as bleak, if not more. These dank history memes use humor to lighten up that darkness. As a bonus? They're kind of educational! 

If you're someone who is convinced that the past was just a better time, just take a gander through these memes and you'll know that that wasn't exactly the case. Now please enjoy!

Some of these memes may make you feel like nothing is sacred, but they're all in good fun. While we realize that some of the periods that are tackled in these pics were exceptionally bleak, learning about horrific events and acknowledging them is an important part of healing. Keeping history alive and having fun while doing it ain't a crime. After all, history memes are way more fun than when we were learning this crap in school

If you're not a history expert or weirdly obsessed with WWI, the premise of these dank history memes may surprise you. Apparently, despite widespread use of deadly weapons such as the machine gun, Americans and their use of shotguns were the subject of an actual German protest in 1918. The Germans felt the guns were a form of terrorism, that the caused unnecessary suffering. Their protest was not taken seriously - especially because the Germans were using some pretty terrible weapons of their own. Chlorine gas, flamethrowers - even giant Zeppelin bombers.

The Germans were so appalled by the Winchester shotguns that they threatened to execute any Americans carrying the weapon. Their threats didn't sway the US Army, who kept using the guns. Some people even credit the weapons with the defeat of the Germans. Right now, the guns (and the protests surrounding them) are the subjects of an insane amount of history memes, mostly popping up in meme communities on Reddit. And they're pretty freakin' funny. We've put some of the better examples in this gallery, but we bet you can find some more if you creep around r/historymemes. Happy scrolling!

Good news for history buffs who also happen to appreciate the finer things in life. And by finer things, we mean anime. These history meme/anime meme mashups offer the best of both of those worlds. Finally, a way we can enjoy the dark themes of WWII and our anime girl fantasies all at once.

History is a lot more fun in meme form, isn't it?

If you think your most embarrassing story is bad, just wait til you read writer Anbara Salam's mortifying Twitter story. Let's just say, it involves nudity, a language barrier, and a whole lot of crying. Get ready to cringe. 

Head on over to Fail Blog to read even more embarrassing moments!

We firmly believe that nobody has to feel guilty for scrolling through memes, but these historical and educational memes are definitely nothing to feel ashamed about. Looking through these memes is basically studying.

We don't want to Russia you, but we think you should scroll down ASAP to look at these Belgrade-A sh*tposts. They're worth Czech-in' out, we promise. They'll make you say, "Irish I could go vacation in Europe right now." They'll make ya laugh and Serbia well.

We all have moments where if we give into our demons we'll completely crack. Sometimes you need to avoid reality. Fake it 'til you make it. Put on a happy face. These amusing memes should help you do just that. 

World War II was a horrible, bloody, and dramatic period of time for pretty much the entire world. The atrocities that occurred are many. As is the case with most controversial and offensive times in history, the war has spawned some almost shamefully spicy and dank history memes. Here are some of our favorites.

If you didn't pay much attention during history or hate reading dumb books, these memes might help you seem smarter. They won't help you write an award-winning essay, but they might help you in random conversation or when you're trying to impress someone who is only moderately intelligent. So who said memes have no educational value?

If you're looking for dank memes that won't rot your brain (or will rot it at a slower rate) you've come to the right place. These historically-themed memes have been freshly culled from the depths of reddit, and allow you to have a hot scrolling sesh that has the benefit of being "educational." Enjoy!