Whether you enjoy having a little giggle at the past, or fact-checking nerdy history memes in your free time, we've got a bunch of funny stuff right here for dunces and history buffs alike. And they're all over the historical map. If you're into exposing the super-sus and sketchy actions of the CIA, there are memes for you. Prefer the World War II? You guessed it, there are memes about that, too. If you're into a more all-out style of conflict, the jokes here rely heavily on wars, even shouting…

It's true that the past however thousands of years have blessed us with technologies from the wheel to our iPhones. But there's also been a lot of bad sh*t to come out of these technologies and relative progress of humanity. Weapons, war, racism, genocide, etc etc. The people of the past, whether on the “good side” or “bad sides” of history, would probably balk at the fact that we're sitting here looking at memes about their trials and tribulations. Or at least we hope they would. That said, it…

Hey, did you know that the Gallipoli front during World War I was a total disaster? British veterans who were there called it one of the worst military campaigns ever. Crazy, right? I actually found out about it from some random history meme that I just had to Google. As it turns out, when the Brits weren't busy fighting the Ottoman Empire, they were dealing with swarms of flies from rotting bodies, running out of water, scorching heat, lice, dysentery, and not enough food. It was a pretty nast…

Time for a little R&R

The Disneyfication of Greek mythology in 1997 animation Hercules is pretty hilarious if you're familiar with the real (and very messed up) lore. In the movie, Zeus, Hera and Hercules are presented as one big wholesome family. The actual legend is full of adultery, violence, revenge, and terrible parenting. In the Disney movie, Hercules is the beloved child of Zeus and Hera. He is stripped of his immortality by Hades and forced to life as a mortal on earth. In the original myth, Hercules is not…

History lesson time! Today we're going to discuss the origin of memes. Yes, internet memes. Why am I differentiating the two? Well, it's because the term “meme” was first used by Richard Dawkins in 1976 - and wasn't about the internet. A meme, by Dawkins' definition (via the Oxford Dictionary) is “An element of a culture or system of behaviour passed from one individual to another by imitation or other non-genetic means.” It's all about the transmission of ideas. Some great historical examples…

When I was a sullen teenager with a vintage clothing addiction and an ever-growing record collection, I would often find myself thinking “I wasn't made for these times.” I likened myself to an old soul - world-weary and wise, with a timeless charm and worldly intellect. While some of this is probably thanks to living in New York City, a cultural mecca of sorts, I was also just…dumb. What times did I really think I was made for? The Great Depression? Did I think I would be better suited to the d…

It's easy to idealize the past when the present is, um, lacking. Maybe that's why nostalgia is so present in media. We're not just talking about those ‘90s kids memes . We're talking about all the music that

I think that “ whimsical ” is one of the weirdest adjectives to self-identify as. Like, imagine just walking around describing yourself as a whimsical adult to unsuspecting strangers. Like what? It’s one of those qualities that are weird to advertise yourself as, but there are definitely people who are a little whimsical. They are the kinds of adults who are obsessed with dark Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan merchandise for some reason. They take the Renaissance fair more seriously than anyon…

You don't have to crack open a textbook or a non-fiction account of some historical event to indulge in a little history. Right now, it's perfectly understandable that any of us would want to escape the present with a little trip to the past. But what if we told you that the journey through time could be one that is humorous in nature? I know, we're blowing your minds right now. But it's true. All you have to do to enjoy some historical teachings and humor is scroll through some history memes .…

We here at Memebase feel that history memes are a special breed. I usually have one of two reactions to them. A knowing smirk, chuckle, or nod at a meme dealing with history that I'm well-versed in. Shock, horror, and an hour-long voracious time-traveling trip through the depths of Wikipedia. Generally speaking, I mostly react in the former manner. It's good to feel smart. But every now and then a meme will introduce me to an era, event, or cultural tidbit that just leaves me feeling ill, but a…

It really is true that variety is the spice of life. If you get too much of a good thing, life can get pretty damn boring pretty damn fast. It's like mom used to say: If every day was like Christmas (or your birthday) it would lose its charm. That can definitely apply to memes as well. If we start to see tons and tons of wholesome memes , it often makes us feel more contempt for humanity - which pretty much defeats the purpose of the wholesomeness. Similarly, when every meme in a gallery is of…

Memes for the gifted and talented!

Happy hump day, everyone. It is Wednesday, my dudes. And guess what? We're not feeling great about this particular day of the week, no matter how hard Camel Joe and the cigarette companies tried to make Wednesday a good thing. But when life hands you lemons, and it's too cold for lemonade, sometimes you have to make the best of things in another less proverbial way. We need to take pleasure from wherever we can get it, and the man isn't gonna do that job for us. Sometimes we have to stake out o…

This week was a fun one back when we were in school. Pi day always meant doing something fun with pie. Either making pie, classmates would bring in pie, or sometimes a benevolent math teacher (There's a reason I remember you, Ms. Buono) would do the work herself and bring in several pies for us to enjoy. The following day, in history class, things would get a little more morbid for the Ides of March. While we preferred eating free food, especially when it was loaded with sugar, talking about th…

Many people say that history repeats itself. While that seems to be true (often for some of the more horrible events in history), we do think many things can change. One thing that won't? Us rounding up galleries of history memes, where the humorous and the historical collide. In this batch of history-related humor, we cover a range of historical periods, from medieval times all the way up to the modern era. And for those who are particularly interested in war history, we've got a ton of memes…