Every day, we come across little pieces of history without really thinking about how different the world looked a few generations ago. A building might still stand where it did centuries ago, a book may survive on a library shelf, or a painting might preserve a moment that would otherwise have been forgotten.
But seeing something that dates back exactly 200 years can make the past feel surprisingly close. Suddenly, people, places, events, and everyday objects from another era are right in front of us, offering a glimpse into a world that looked very different from our own.
That is exactly what the Reddit page 200 Years Ago is all about. Each day, people share a painting, print, letter, book, event, or another piece of history from that exact date 200 years earlier. Here are some of the most fascinating examples shared on the page, and they offer plenty of reasons to pause and take a closer look.
#61 12 August 1821. The Newly Crowned King George Iv Of The United Kingdom Lands At Howth To Become The First Monarch To Pay A State Visit To Ireland Since The 14th Century. (George Iv On Board The 'Lightning', The First Post Office Steam Packet To Dublin, 12 August 1821)
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3points
#62 21st Of October 1825. Scotland: Paddle Steamer "Comet II" Sinks Off Gourock In The Firth Of Clyde With The Loss Of 62 Lives
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3points
#63 15th Of June 1826. Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II Violently Crushes A Janissary Revolt, Putting An End To The Centuries-Old Institution To Replace It With A European-Style Army
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2points
#67 30th Of August 1825. Death Of Heinrich Xv, Prince Reuss Of Greiz, Aged 74. During The French Revolutionary Wars He Became A General Officer And Saw Extensive Service. He Commanded A Corps During The Napoleonic Wars
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2points
#68 Promenade Dresses: November 1821 • May 1823 • August 1826 • June 1827 • May 1828
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#69 13th Of April 1823. According To His Official Biographer, Gustav Schilling, Eleven-Year-Old Franz Liszt Gives A Concert After Which He Is Personally Congratulated By Ludwig Van Beethoven; However, There Is No Record Of Beethoven Having Attended The Concert
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2points
#70 17th Of October 1825. The Port Of Galveston Was Established By A Proclamation Issued By The Congress Of Mexico
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#72 March 25: The Greek Revolution Officially Begins, As Bishop Germanos Of Patras Raises The Flag Of Revolution Over The Monastery Of Agia Lavra In The Peloponnese
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2points
#73 1822. Night Of March 26: Arrest Of The Carbonari Silvio Pellico And Pietro Maroncelli, Canvas By Carlo Felice Biscarra
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#74 16th Of May 1823. "Symptoms Of Not Having Been Often To Church. A Caution. Amen. The Psalm"
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#75 Coppermine Expedition: "'canoe Broaching To, In A Gale Of Wind At Sunrise', Canada, 23 August 1821." (John Franklin's Canoes Caught By A Storm In Coronation Gulf)
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#76 Barges Gallinipper And Mosquito Destroy Pirates, April 1823. On 8 April 1823, The Barges Uss Mosquito And Uss Gallinipper Chased The Pirate Schooner, Pilot, Off Havana, Cuba. Driving The Vessel Ashore, The Ensuing Battle Resulted In Two Pirate Fatalities And With One Being Captured
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#77 September 27, 1821. A Rebel Army, LED By Agustín De Iturbide, Enters Mexico City To Declare Mexico's Independence From Spain
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1point
#79 7th Of September 1825. The New South Wales Mounted Police Unit Forms To Protect Travellers, Recaptured Escaped Convicts And Suppress Indigenous Resistance To Colonisation
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1point
