1940s America - Classic Cars, People, and Cities in COLOR

Please enjoy these old street scene photos from 1940s America. Within these photos, you'll see classic American cars in action - before they were classics. You'll also see people living their daily lives so many years ago.
These photos are not colorized but actually were taken at the time using color film. Kodak came out with their color film, Kodachrome, in the 1930s, which most of these pictures were likely shot on.
I think its fun to go back and view these times, especially in color pictures. You can get a glimpse into the daily lives of these people who lived so long ago. In some ways, their lives are similar to ours, even though the world has changed in so many ways since then.
I hope you enjoy these old photos - and thanks for watching!
#1940s #classiccars #kodachrome

[@Vikingwerk]

Its amazing how little changed from the 40’s to the 80’s, (much of this looks like my childhood in the 80’s) and how much has changed from the 80’s to now. I sure miss those days.

[@ericscottstevens]

The 1970s is were the erode started in many cities.

[@Vikingwerk]

@@ericscottstevens yeah, but the architecture and overall look of the country was pretty consistent. After the 80’s the whole ‘tear it down and build it slightly different’ started. And the ugly as fuck modern commercial buildings started popping up everywhere.

[@Ryan2022]

@@Vikingwerk that’s true but by the 80s people were fatter and dressing poorly

[@Vikingwerk]

@@Ryan2022 true, but the rest of the world looked a lot like this. Same buildings, same roads, same signs, only the people had changed. Now they change everything constantly just ‘because’.

[@Ryan2022]

@@Vikingwerk I was glad there weren’t too many pictures of New York City for the last 50 years New York City has stayed remarkably and consistently dirty whether it was 1983 or 2023. Most of it is still disgusting.

[@ramongonzalez2112]

From sea to shining sea, what a beautiful country. Valuable things are never appreciated until you lose it.🙏🇺🇸

[@classicmoviesvault]

You are right

[@FollowingTheAgees]

Bless your heart for giving us this...I sent it to my 91 year old Momma, who is sharp as a tack, and still ornery 😂 I always wished I could've lived during her era...when America was truly a country to be proud of, and folks still cared about one another, and put God first. Getting dressed up, having personal pride, the music, patriotism...it all just seems to be fading from view. A lovely collection of Americana, my Friend👏🏆🌟👍

[@leerothman7570]

Ain't that the truth

[@dankelly5150]

@@leerothman7570 I wish my grandma and grandpa were here to see this! They were young adults in the 40's and would have been thrilled to see stuff like this !! 🥲

[@nathanbond8165]

Well to be fair they had plenty of problems in the 1940s like a World War where millions of young men got murdered, a depression that wiped the life savings of millions of Americans and it wasn't that good for black people in the 40s! just saying! we romanticize the past (it wasn't all good) but yes people did dress very nice including the gangsters (from what I can tell from old movies apparently) LOL

[@user-jh3rx3ej7h]

I realize this is from your subjective experience, but life was much worse for many people back then. Racism, homophobia, sexism, etc. was still far more rampant than today. Life expectancy was in the 60s. Many scientific discoveries had not been made yet. Life was worse for many in those days.

[@nathanbond8165]

@@user-jh3rx3ej7h also don't forget most homes and businesses were not air-conditioned and people wore heavy wool and cotton dress clothes so everyone was hot and stinky yuck

[@drforjc]

I tend to think of the past in black and white because of the state of photography, but this really reminds me that the past was in brilliant color.

[@bighands69]

Black and white photographs do look beautiful but we tend to see them in digital format or faded old photographs.

[@glennhoddle10]

Two awesome things immediately *stand out :* 1. Everywhere seemed to be really clean. 2. People were well dressed outside their homes and not dressed like slobs.

[@josephstevens9888]

Yes, indeed. America has become the land of the slobs.

[@RustyCar]

Main reason is because people had some damn self-respect. Alas, no more.

[@18norbe1974]

And looked slimmer.

[@yupper2]

seems less diversity back then

[@RustyCar]

@@yupper2 - I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. Back in the day, my parents had bl4kk friends & co-workers, and us kids had bl4kk classmates & friends and we never thought anything about it. It wasn’t until the last 30-40 years that ‘problems’ started to arise. Diversity is normally a good thing. But forced diversity & political correctness is quite another and usually not a good thing.

[@jimclark7917]

No fat people No cell phones No drama

[@61js]

No drugs, well not as many.

[@dimir2858]

No flag LGBT

[@auralplex]

No Jamals.

[@gloriaortiz1227]

And racists love these fantasy videos in order to forget their lousy life. Haha how racists feel that other people are to blame for their miserable lives.

[@frankebell2383]

No Tattoos, No Graffiti

[@gregatkinson7276]

Excellent clarity and pics! In the 1970's my grandmother still had a milkman coming to her home in Fredericktown, (small village but the best folks around) Ohio and he was always such a nice guy. I also so much miss all the privately owned grocery stores and all kinds of other stores that were so personable and friendly. The "pre-Walmart" stores were the best by far!

[@ropobeltran5408]

In my college days apartment in College Station, Texas, the door was left open for the milkman ! And they placed and organized all dairy in the fridge !!! .They were so nice and educated. I wonder until when this service was provided ????

[@hawkeyeten2450]

It saddens me how this "mom and pop" America really seemed to vanish in a lot of areas by the 1990s. My town in Virginia is one of the luckier ones, we have a big mixture of small independent and chain businesses (though the chains mostly due the pharmacy and grocery stuff now).

[@TerryJulianLive]

They were also RACIST as hell.. and many times didnt allow black people to shop in them. You people always leave that part out.. SMH..

[@hawkeyeten2450]

@@TerryJulianLive Not in Iowa, where my parents' families lived. Civil Rights Act was passed at the state level in the 1880s requiring all races be served in public accommodations. The South may have been a horrible sh*tshow, and I'm saddened by how your folks were treated, but I assure you it wasn't everywhere.

[@Moltenbramley]

Are milkmen not a thing in America anymore? I have a milkman here in Britain who we also get eggs from. He leaves it on our doorstep 3 mornings a week and we leave our empty bottles out late at night.

[@stonepointdrivingschool2044]

THANK YOU, I was born in 1960, and this is so refreshing to see. Yes, people dressed right and no nose rings, tattoos, mohawks, - clean looking and wholesome, no perfect I know, but MUCH better looking.

[@markchizmadia2004]

The common theme is the streets are relatively clean and clear of litter. There must have been a lot of pride in one's community. Also impressive is the way business owners made their buildings stand out with colorful signage. Lots of pride is evident again.

[@TheHistoryLounge]

Agreed - great points!

[@miketexas4549]

(psst... the common theme is it's all white people)

[@dudedude949]

@WingsandBeer recycling wasn’t a thing back then

[@kelrunner]

There's this: now signs were all painted and very little of the brassy, glaring lights now...

[@captseamus]

People used to clean their sidewalks and driveways once a week back then.

[@chrisf4948]

The signs on all the businesses is impressive. It stands out very well. Wish this was still more common. Thanks for sharing

[@TheHistoryLounge]

Thanks for watching and commenting - I agree with you!

[@atlantic_love]

Businesses don't stay around long enough, and people can't create signs anymore without having hateful or poltiical commentary in them. And insurance companies (and the idiots who love to sue) have just ruined everything now. Laws, laws and more laws. Can't put up this sign because it's too far out in the street or it ruins local property values, or some nonsense.

[@waynejones5635]

Looking back it is amazing how far society has fallen since then.

[@misterhat5823]

Yeah. I know. People aren't all white now. \s

[@mrs_top]

@@misterhat5823 Do you see racism in every sentence?

[@misterhat5823]

@@mrs_top I said nothing about racism and pointed out a fact. Troll someone else.

[@enceladus2263]

A society sacrificed on the alter of diversity.

[@waynejones5635]

@@misterhat5823 Are you suggesting non-whites can't dress up and look presentable. Racist much?

[@markkotishion2379]

Looks like a lot of well taken Kodachromes to me. They will retain their color long after we are gone. Beautiful.

[@holmesd5003]

Reminds me of my Grandmothers generation and also reminds me of how short of a time we all spend here on earth. It goes by in a blink of an eye.

[@atlantic_love]

Yeah, I was just thinking that. Seeing the little girl from around the year 1944, and realize that when I was born 1972 she was still only in her mid to late 20's, and now (if she's still alive) she's now 78 :-( I do hope she had a wonderful life.

[@arthurflores4770]

@@atlantic_love 😊 2:20 😊

[@PabloCruise1]

I blinked and nothing changed.

[@robertchristie9434]

The Texaco Station shows a parked '49 or '50 Oldsmobile by the B F Goodrich sign at !:42. Neat photos.

[@bluemango7112]

Yes i was going to question that pic , maybe its a time machine , well picked , hi from Australia .

[@failranch9542]

I came to the comments just to see if that would be called out. Location looks like Shenandoah Valley though.

[@baronvonnembles]

Yes, good catch. Obviously a goof on the date and maybe the location too. Doesn't look like Texas to me but its a big state so maybe a corner of it looks like that.

[@marksmith4828]

I noticed what appears to be a black 51 or 52 Chevy (maybe a DeLuxe) in that space, but maybe it was an Olds...both GM. And yes all the towns are quite clean except for the DC picture at :27...a good bit of debris on the sidewalk.

[@robertchristie9434]

@@marksmith4828 It's an Olds. Notice the hood emblem is a gold circle of half the globe & the parking lights below the headlights with and encased oblong trim, Chevies had parking lights inside the grille with trim just around the headlamps. Olds, Chevy & Pontiac shared the same body but had different grilles, hood ornaments, taillights & other minor trim. Fisher body called it the "A" series & ran the same body style from '49 through '54. Living in the Detroit area all my life & working as a tooling & manufacturing designer, the generic similarities of all the automakers bodies were striking. GM was especially good at showing the uniqueness of all divisions & trim levels.

[@isaacsrandomvideos667]

Looked so clean. And the architecture was consistent and not too overwhelming while still looking amazing. The colours were far nicer aswell

[@TheHistoryLounge]

Totally agree!

[@yutupedia7351]

photoshop! duh

[@isaacsrandomvideos667]

@@yutupedia7351 it’s might not be, I have pictures from this era and they look exactly like this

[@dankelly5150]

@@isaacsrandomvideos667 me too from when my parents were little kids! And certainly no homeless camps !!

[@philhamilton8731]

It was dirtier than you think it was. We tend to romanticize the past and overlook things we don't want to see. Check out the curbs where the sidewalks meet the streets. There's plenty of trash about, except for the one shot of the town in Montana. Folks were by and large less environmentally conscious than today. In the city where I was born there was hardly ever a sunny day due to all of the soot in the air from the factories. Also, some of these photos were taken during the war years. There were scrap drives, kids collecting grease, old tires, rags, etc. Hardly anything got thrown away that could be repurposed for the war effort.

[@surfshack2]

Wonderful collage of pictures. Subscribed. My dad was born in 1935 and grew up in Atlantic City, NJ. He told me he wished he could take me back there just for one day and experience what it was like to experience taking the trolley to the Boardwalk as a kid, going on the rides at the amusement parks, watching the matinee, walking the boardwalk from end to end and look at the magnificent hotels and run down the side streets. You could smell the delicious food from the restaurants and bakeries on the boardwalk. Getting a hotdog and soda fresh off the boardwalk and it tasted just like being at the ballpark. He said it was a glorious time to be an American and proud.

[@rossroderickwhitney]

For someone who was born in 1944, these magnificent photos are fabulous! Thanks!

[@horseman528]

Glad I got to grow up in the 1950's through the 1970's when we still lived in America.

[@KsKaylor]

The fashion, the cars, and the advertising are my favorite, beautiful photos!

[@Anamnesis]

Americana aesthetics have sometimes been criticized for being exaggerated or fantastical, as though they never existed in a real context outside of our collective false memory. Which is funny because famous artists like Norman Rockwell who were critiqued for doing that sort of thing actually based their paintings on real photographs, just like the ones you see here.

[@douglasthompson9482]

What incredible memories....wish I could go back. Slower society, where people had time to say hello.

[@andrewm4681]

Now everyone looks at their phone even while at the dinner table with family or significant other. Blows my mind

[@atlantic_love]

@@andrewm4681 Yes, I am guilty of this. And it is NOT GOOD, as you guys are saying :( People still have lots of time to say hello, but they can't let go of their own prejudices or egos.

[@reesedaniel5835]

@@atlantic_love Narcissists are everywhere

[@atlantic_love]

@@reesedaniel5835 They are, but I also think people are very insecure nowadays.

[@jameswhipple5658]

As a fan of sports, something I have noticed is how well dressed people are going to watch a game in the 40's & 50's. Men in suits & a hat, women in dresses & gloves. Very proper 👍😎

[@TheHistoryLounge]

So true!

[@bobesposito7235]

A lot of nostalgia for us older people - as time goes by.

[@JohnAsquith-ey6ld]

Yes you can see how your generation destroyed it all

[@strycknyne]

This entertained me beyond words. Have to love how clean everything was for the most part. Everyone dressed up just to go outside of their houses. Not like today. Slobs all over the place... People with their pants around their ankles. This was nice to watch. Thanks.

[@jimmiejackson87]

You help the poor instead of keeping them impoverished then them pants will get pulled up.

[@elypevets5633]

Back in the days when America had self-respect

[@classicmoviesvault]

You are right. That is why watching old movies is better.

[@sandroNineteenSeventy]

I'm from 72, obviously it was anything but comfortable than nowadays, but it was absolutely elegant and charming, the way people dressed, the behavior, the colors and style of the cars, the furniture in the houses, at least everything was portrayed in old movies, we are evolving in technology, but people are becoming stupid, self-centered, I am sad that my daughters are experiencing the decay of society, soon there will be nothing good left for us!

[@Nunofurdambiznez]

Love the fact that these are in color, makes it feel like the photos are more real-to-life!

[@2101case]

The photos were just beautiful. Born in 1941, lived in Rochester, NY when Kodak was at its height.

[@ShelleeGraham]

Very enjoyable collection of beautiful images from our past. The colorful neon signs, fun advertising like Coca Cola, Grapette, 7 Up are such sweet reminders of that simpler time in America. The milk man delivering to the friends was lovely photograph to include. Thank YOU 🙏 so much.

[@fredschector8736]

This was fabulous, I really enjoyed the time capsule.

[@TheHistoryLounge]

Glad you enjoyed it! That's exactly what I'm going for!

[@mookytc]

It is sad what these once beautiful cities have become.

[@TheHistoryLounge]

Agreed!

[@damiensisco6960]

I have seen Chicago and it is still beautiful today, except that the dress style and the cars are different.

[@jimmiejackson87]

When whites before more racist that can happen...it's called gentrification. Just like it's happening now. Again.

[@johnhalverson1133]

Im a 49 baby and it certainly was a much simpler time back then. Nice compilation!

[@TheHistoryLounge]

Thanks, John!

[@NarrowPathFarm707]

Very, very nice! Clean cities! Love the 1940's cars and trucks ...and you can also tell who the men and women are!

[@andresd6193]

Who are they? How can you tell from a pic?

[@Frank-ul1qs]

Most were in war in 40's, ww ll, Japanese war, and Korean war.

[@FCVP71]

@@andresd6193 Here's our first triggered snowflake...

[@andresd6193]

@@FCVP71 Ted Bundy also looked really nice on his pics.🤣🤣🤣 And what triggered you exactly?🤔

[@chrisferguson1911]

@@andresd6193 If you don't know, then you are the problem plaguing us now.

[@JohnDoe-wc5rl]

Very nice pics!!! I was born in the 60s but have a fascination with the 40s. Everything had style.

[@kielbasaglen6843]

These photos were just great! Thank you...

[@daviddavis744]

Thank you for bringing us these videos of pictures of the past.

[@davidelmore1668]

Back when there was normality in our country. Great pictures! Thanks!

[@RadioManOH]

Sort of. Don't forget there was a war going on that we were about to get pulled into.

[@Kaktus965]

@@RadioManOH At least there were no traitors (leftists) attempting to undermine the nation from within. Back then, traitors were executed as they should be.

[@notrius7754]

@@RadioManOH What does that have to do with normality?

[@Kyle899]

“Normality” for only one segment of society.

[@Kaktus965]

​@@Kyle899 go do your virtue signaling and little social justice bullshit somewhere else

[@Spacejunk57]

The colors make the photos look literally like yesterday.

[@scotey]

I'm envious of the photographers who captured these images. These are images that bring that period alive. In 1940, there might've been only one person taking a color photo in a major city on any given day. Today, there are tens of thousands. I don't envy the historians of the future who'll need to sort through millions of images to tell the story of the 2020s.

[@royboy9361]

Ahhh…The History Lounge. Videos like that don’t need words!

[@scark00]

People took pride in their appearance, their community and their country. God Bless America. I hope this comes back to us some day.

[@OldToby53]

with democrats in power there will only be more decline

[@Ritterhall]

Never! This World is lost for ever. "London is not longer an english City." JOHN CLEESE

[@Ritterhall]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/gpLLl5WFopp7h6M

[@PabloCruise1]

Only when God is brought back into peoples lives.

[@Original-Juice]

I always think to myself that post-War 1940's must have been such a beautiful era for Americans. The beginning of a seriously strong economy too

[@cherrylove3656]

I have to say these are my favorite videos to watch when times were better Amazing how much photos can capture the times and freeze them so later on people can enjoy them if you have a good imagination, you can put yourself there I love the vintage video channel I won't say the name I enjoy it and this channel both my favorite

[@garylbb]

Your comments would be much easier to read if you had used basic punctuation.....like "periods".

[@cherrylove3656]

@@garylbb oh I'm sorry you don't understand pardon me I apologize that you can't comprehend you're a Genius get a life Mr. poop do you have any friends probably not Have a nice day 🤣

[@digitalvictory8266]

Times weren't better for everyone. Black people had to drink out of separate water fountains, for cryin out loud. The good old days weren't always good.

[@cherrylove3656]

@@digitalvictory8266 yeah we know that Einstein life isn't perfect with negative ignorant people you should know that

[@MrShobar]

"... when times were better..." Sure. Unless you were a female, were non-white, a Jew, a Catholic...You get the idea.

[@RinkyRoo2021]

Ive heard that nostalgia can be a "toxic impulse " .....but I have to say this looks like a different world the people the variety of stores how well kept things look ,its amazing how much things have changed for the worst.

[@mynameislenny2441]

Imagine if someday folks look back at our times as "the good old days."

[@garylbb]

@@mynameislenny2441 -- Considering how terribly toxic and dishonest so many things have become, I cannot imagine viewing the present as "the good old days." There is so little good in the world now....but in the 1950s and early 1960s there was still a sense of decency, honesty and morality in America.....but not so much any more.

[@ES11777]

Some things changed for the better but also yes much changed for worse

[@bean420man]

@@mynameislenny2441 I honestly don't see how. Right now we live in a time of turmoil and one economic recession after another. There is a lot of civil unrest (even though it hasn't boiled over yet) and uncertainty. While we are technologically advanced, we still continue to destroy our environment and a lot of the advancements are out of reach for the common man.

[@digitalvictory8266]

@@garylbb Decency and honesty? The US Government actively assassinated foreign leaders and orchestrated coups around the world, manipulating entire populaces. Men could (and would) smack their wives around regularly. Black people had to drink from separate water fountains,and weren't allowed in certain restaurants. US government ran secret medical experiments on entire town populations. Decency and honesty... Don't let nostalgia blind you.

[@arjaysmithjr9083]

The forties through fifties were the peak of American Civilization. It's been downhill from there in every single way except technology, which has actually sped our downfall.

[@drewgildehaus2992]

No rights for blacks and women, no modern medical technology (you would be dead already), world wars and nuclear paranoia, terrible pollution, lead still in the paint, pipes and gas, asbestos still being used in walls, childbirth death still very high, polio, no air conditioning or heat, much higher crime many other things we take completely for granted. Remember, people didn’t take photos of dirty streets and crime. You’re only seeing the cleaned up, idealized version of the past

[@drewgildehaus2992]

Half of the people in New York didn’t have running water when those photos were taken. I’d take modern times over any other time, worldwide extreme poverty is getting lower and lower, living standards keep rising, but people take all that for granted. Saying life was better back then actually pisses me off like imagine if you weren’t a white guy. Facebook is making people crazy I’ll give you that

[@Nietzsche_017]

The downhill started in the 70s Edit: Just an opinion tho

[@drewgildehaus2992]

@@Nietzsche_017 Yeah its all good. 60s was definitely America at its most powerful on the world stage and it was before globalization so more manufacturing jobs. You still dont have civil rights for women, blacks, and gays .No for the medical treatments we take for granted today, and we were in Vietnam at the time. I would have a hard time imagining life without air conditioning and portable music. I would still take today personally, but I think you could make a case for the 90s, America had a similarly strong economy, but with better civil rights and more modern convivences, but without smartphones which have probably made life worse overall. Of course you would still have AIDS and the crack epidemic, urban decay at its worst, ect. IDK i think people will always think the era they grew up in was the best time because of nostalgia

[@lenisbennett3062]

@@drewgildehaus2992 air conditioning was invented in 1902 by a man by the name of Willis carrier the transistor was invented in 1947 we had air conditioning in the 50s we also had little transistor radios that ran on batteries until 1979 when the Sony Walkman came on the market we didn't have Aids in the 50s but we had polio a lot of people spent their lives in an iron lung just to stay alive. On the upside we had all those wonderful cars of the 50s and drive-in theaters to go to in your 50s car I was born in 1945 I lived the 50s yes I'm the static for the 50s just about anybody that lived it would be looking at the world today and what has become makes me glad that I was not born any later than I was

[@pinsolomons]

No matter their socio-economic level, notice the people dressed up as nicely as they could manage and had a general pride of appearance. No torn up jeans as a status symbol in those days, hats and gloves and handbags did that for them. Lipstick and a bit of eye makeup too, no matter how poor the ladies were and the men always found suits and hats to wear. Blue collar workers wore clean and mended clothes.

[@TheHistoryLounge]

Excellent observation - and very on point regarding pride of appearance. Great comparison of status symbols between torn-up jeans and hats/gloves/handbags. I'd love to go back to the hats & gloves!

[@tebelshaw9486]

You can still dress well by shopping at thrift stores. Looking decent doesn't cost much.

[@tefenstrat]

First I want to thank who ever helped to post this, its very cool and i enjoyed it a bunch. Kind of strange though, virtually all of the people in these pictures are long gone.

[@kenskinner6948]

Thank you so much for posting such marvellous photos.

[@JellyrollHorton]

A magical, mythical time. Lost and demolished.

[@KalEl7802]

There was nothing magical about that period. People were greedy and violent as they are now. The only difference is that they weren't open about it as people are today.

[@retr0bits545]

Oh so true, even though my picture is of my car, (a 41 Cadillac), I am only 21 I wish I was alive then instead of now but that is but a dream.

[@gloriaortiz1227]

Magical in what way? Many people died because of the war. I bet your fantasizing cause you were not born the and looking at these photos makes you forget about your life.

[@Fuff63]

Some thoughts: 1. excellent soundtracks, 2. People dressed a LOT better then. 3. My blood pressure is much better after watching this. Cheers.

[@TheHistoryLounge]

I'm really glad you enjoyed the video - thanks for your kind comments.

[@DavGreg]

This was different America. Prior to World War II we mostly tried to stay out of " international intrigues" and invested in our communities. Also when businesses were local and not national chains - the money spent in the local store was deposited in the local bank and invested in the local community. That makes for a more prosperous community. These days the money spent at a chain leaves the community to be deposited and invested elsewhere.

[@reesedaniel5835]

@@DavGreg "Give me control of a nation's money and I care not who makes it's laws" - Mayer Amschel Bauer Rothschild “If my sons did not want wars, there would be none.” Gutle Schnapner Rothschild

[@allantaylor3288]

Sometimes it would be nice to go back in time😊

[@BullittJon]

Sure would be. Now where did I park that DeLorean. 😁

[@Larrymarx]

Thank you sooo much for taking the time to make and post this excellent piece of history *in color* ... I love it. 🙂

[@TheHistoryLounge]

You're very welcome - I'm glad that you enjoyed it. Thank you for your kind comments!

[@JudyGurl]

Would love to see more pictures from Memphis around the 30s and 40s.

[@PixelatedExistence]

Wow amazing quality, and another thumbs up. Its hard to believe that most of those beautiful 10 yr children at 1:50 are now probably all dead or in their nineties. Life is so short, its really quite horrible to even think about it. What i love about these old restored photos, is just how the same everything is, i don't mean the clothes or better living standards back then, just how people are all going about their lives, daily routines, doing basically the same things we all do today...I wonder how many of us will be on a you tube video in 90 years time, being watched by another generation?

[@Srt8FASTEST]

Past is the past, memories great but not the future. Miss the past, but love how better we live today!

[@user-Dr.]

You must live in a very conservative area also, most of our country is in very rapid decline.

[@MemoryLN]

08:20 Looked so clean. And the architecture was consistent and not too overwhelming while still looking amazing. The colours were far nicer aswell

[@PinballPreparedness]

I'd love to see the same pictures taken from the same positions today...especially the ones from Flint and St. Louis. Then you'll really see how and why the US has fallen so far.

[@bighands69]

US has not fallen. Some places in the US has fallen but that is not the same.

[@jeffgordon8613]

I loved the small grocery stores in Tualatin, Oregon where I grew up. Only had a couple gas stations and they checked all your fluids and gassed you up. The Good Old Days. I Miss them So Much

[@MrShobar]

Those gas stations in Tualatin were leaking gas into the Tualatin River for years. That's why it's dead. "The Good Old Days".

[@barryzoll9772]

Thank you for taking time to put these videos together. Although I was a teen in the 70’s I’m told that the period after WWII was a great era in American history.

[@godscommandmentsaretruthis2837]

That's my understanding too... the glory days of the United States was from 1945 until 1963 when Kennedy was assassinated.

[@drgruber57]

I'm not trying to start an argument, but 1963 was when prayer was removed from public schools. Yes, there used to be prayer to creator God before then. Make what you will of it.

[@bean420man]

@@drgruber57 Not exactly sure what your point is here. People were more disciplined then. Even in school. There was more order in society.

[@Corgis175]

Enjoyed this and seeing Asbury Park, NJ in 1941.

[@Wiseguy1408]

I was born in Toledo, OH in 1939. In some parts of town, milk was still being delivered by horse and wagon until about 1948!

[@josefradisz2133]

Many thanks for all the featured movies titles, now I can find them out.

[@David-nu6kw]

Going back in time is an understatement.

[@UnicornDreamsPastelSkies]

When I saw the Texaco station in the cover photo the movie 'Back to the Future' and the song 'Mr. Sandman' immediately came to my mind. Complete with the vision of multiple workers coming to not only refuel your vehicle but check your engine and tires, and possibly service it too. I grew up in the 1990s-mid 2000s (my mother and late stepdad used to have multiple CDs of 1950s-60s songs) but I heard it was the 1970s oil crisises that put a stop to that routine. Looking back on 30 years ago today, that song would probably be 'Come As You Are' and there would be video rental stores instead. Perhaps in 30 years from now, folks will be pining for a return to casual dining restaurants? Nostalgia. It sure is quite a drug.

[@TheHistoryLounge]

I appreciate your thoughtful comments - interesting points!

[@jeffhoward553]

Only IF i could go back in time, love looking at old pictures specially colored ones

[@no_price]

No toxic people . No social media. Outgoing people

[@nickcurran3105]

No suburban sprawl eating up farmland and forests. What a country. Forty per cent of today's population and still able to win two wars on opposite sides of the world with one arm tied behind our back. What a country, what a People

[@psychedelicprawncrumpets9479]

You came in late with both wars.. The British and ANZACS and Indians, Canadians did all the hard yards for you first

[@jshepard152]

@@psychedelicprawncrumpets9479 What did they do in Japan? Right.

[@droneworldbrasil]

Life was better back than, and they didn't know that.

[@MrShobar]

If they were white and male, they knew it.

[@P_RO_]

Polio. Tuberculosis. No heart surgery or cancer treatments. Lots of people died from the flu every year. Low-speed car wrecks killed and maimed people including entire families. Industrial wastes dumped all over. No weather radar or storm warnings. No TV and poor people didn't even have a radio, refrigerator, phone, or camera- many didn't even have a car. Racial discrimination, especially in the south but everywhere. Coal was the predominant heating fuel and black soot covered everything every winter. No air conditioning. No safety regulations for cars, work, food, or most other things. Cars were ready for the junkyard at 80K miles. Electrical appliances and tools were ungrounded and electrocutions not uncommon. No overtime rules at work, wages were often low, and a six-day workweek was common with few holidays being unpaid and, no paid vacations. Lots of kids had to quit school and go to work in their early teens just to stay alive. Drunk driving was tolerated and killed a lot of people. Epidemics still happened. Not to mention WW2 was in the 40's with Korea and Vietnam coming. Life was not better back then even for the privileged, it was only different and all the bad things about it forgotten. The average person has a much better life now, just with different problems to contend with.

[@RobCummings]

The best thing about these street scenes is that no one is looking at their phones. In the 1940s, Americans looked to other people for news, business, entertainment and fun. The other striking thing about these photos is how prosperous Americans looked. Ten years earlier, the WPA photo projects showed a very different life.

[@ericlindenmuth7517]

Great photo's!!! Someone took excellent pics with great color and clarity.

[@TheHistoryLounge]

I think so too!

[@MikesVoyagesAndDrives]

These photos have an amazing quality. And the colorization brings additional aspects to the old pictures. But to be honest, I find that the atmosphere of the time is better portrayed in black and white photos with some grain and blur. But everyone must know for themselves what they like better.

[@TheHistoryLounge]

A valid consideration - thanks for sharing. It is interesting that black & white photos have the ability to immediately signal that it was a different time. I can appreciate both !

[@Tiburon876]

@@TheHistoryLounge the COMBO is a marriage in heaven!.. with articulate details... fantastic.. Ole

[@glennleslie6127]

What a wonderful country; it's a mere shadow of its former self.

[@caroltenge5147]

you are too generous......

[@GordoGambler]

It's a dying corpse. LOL.

[@FastSS02]

THIS is the reason COLOR film was invented!!! LOVE seeing these in color! So much more engaging than seeing the same thing in black and white. It would be interesting to show both a black and white and color of the same shot.

[@mr.smithgnrsmith7808]

Such gorgeous vehicles, architecture….people looked a million too

[@montanamountainmen6104]

This was a good clip. I have a few photos of my grandparents in the 40's just prior to WWII. They told me times then though a tad harder with the war, was better...I believe them.

[@godscommandmentsaretruthis2837]

Amazing how much has changed in just 80 years... unfortunately not all for the best.

[@TheHistoryLounge]

Agreed!

[@mikesrandomvideos]

Yea especially California and the liberals have turned it into a shiphole. I have been putting awareness videos up there.

[@Xyz_Litty]

@@TheHistoryLounge When Woman acted like Woman , and Men acted like Men ! Crazy how society flipped completely

[@hepphepps8356]

Kind of hard to find something that hasn’t gotten better, really. People lived a lot shorter back then.

[@MrShobar]

And a few years before, a terrific World War that affected every nation. And ten years earlier, a world-wide Depression. And sixty years before that, a devastating Civil War. Even before, it was "not all for the best".

[@iamplaymaka]

Just amazing. I want to see more!

[@MemoryLN]

*From sea to shining sea, what a beautiful country. Valuable things are never appreciated until you lose it*

[@doug6259]

These are nice pictures that capture a moment in time. America began a slow decline in the 60's. Yes, there have been technological improvements and we have made progress in eliminating racial discrimination so it is not all bad. However it feels like we have lost so much as a society since then. It is not even the same country any more.

[@tebelshaw9486]

Politicians trying to make up for past wrongs is only keeping the wounds fresh. Apologize and move forward, eh?

[@billbolinger6453]

The 1941 Texaco station can’t be 1941 with a very late 40s GM product in the background.

[@comment8767]

Looked like a '55 Chevrolet

[@paoloviti6156]

I find those photos very nostalgic were the people were more relaxed and enjoying their life....

[@gloriaortiz1227]

I don't think so

[@paoloviti6156]

@@gloriaortiz1227 why? I was living there in that period. Mind to elaborate?

[@SER7205]

This feels like a shorpy greatest hits. America before we fell.

[@edhunter5238]

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry when Asbury Park came up. Lots of changes since those days.

[@Eagle-nq2mv]

Life seemed so simple and straight forward.

[@notrius7754]

Because it was. Unfortunetly extreme technological progress made because of industrial revolution life is becoming more and more complicated with every year, 30 years from now we will be thinking how life was so much simplier today.

[@tebelshaw9486]

Simple, if difficult, seems superior to easier and complicated.

[@Dolphine43]

Great photos. Thanks for sharing.

[@SwanandNatu]

Truly Amazing Pics! Wonderful Time & Real Meaningful Life those Guys must've Lived!

[@RodBeauvex]

Always though the 1940s were always just a touch classier than the 1950s.

[@WitchKing-Of-Angmar]

Definitely, but the more you go back, the more elegant and high society everything gets.

[@HRConsultant_Jeff]

Love the pictures. I am sure almost any sailor that came to San Diego recognizes the fountain at Horton Plaza and all of the businesses that catered to sailors at that time.

[@MrShobar]

"businesses". LOL.

[@HRConsultant_Jeff]

@@MrShobar I'm glad you caught that. Hey, women were in business. Actually, funny story. My father got a break to go to New York to marry my Mother and they rode a Troop train back to San Diego from New York during Christmas. They go to San Diego and there was no base housing so they got a small apartment near downtown and literally lived with orange crates for furniture. My parents mentioned how helpful the women in the building were. About 5 days later, my Dad found out that most of the women were the "Business Women" mentioned above from the Horton Plaza area. BTW, my mother worked for a while at the Spreckles Theater downtown and met a lot of celebrities who would premiere their movies in San Diego for the Sailors.

[@reLAX-RG]

Getting a bit depressed when watching this but being fully aware of living in these crappy times nowadays. I wish would have lived then, being old today and would have just a couple days to live.

[@fredbesaw678]

I enjoyed the photos. I used to do photos and I need to get back in. I have enough photo gear. Thanks for showing us!

[@marklarsen2355]

Back when America was just a better place.

[@abeneufeld9690]

I’ve always said the best years to have lived would’ve of been in the 50s 60s and 70s who agrees with me?

[@eutimiochavez415]

We all agree!

[@eutimiochavez415]

@methylamphetamine2932 maybe but it was better then I live it and it was a lot more fun in those days. Bar none !!

[@josephagnello9335]

I Doooooo !!!!! Mist definitely!!!!

[@raymondkolbinski3033]

I was born on 12-11-55. I totally agree!

[@Glidescube]

America peaked in 1965-1971. It leveled off until 1988 or so and it's been downhill evere since.

[@bluesharp59]

Amazing video and work. You do. Thumbs up and have a great weekend.

[@Tom-ok2rh]

Really enjoyed this video..reminds me of seeing our family photos from the past only these were much clearer. Westinghouse Appliances @5:55 and Sealtest Milk @6:35..Now those are two companies you don’t hear about much anymore.

[@JeffDeWitt]

Westinghouse is still around, but it's gotten kind of weird. There is a Westinghouse Electric Corporation but it's also CBS Corporation and a bunch of other things.

[@brucefulper2433]

Texaco gas station 1941 is WRONG. There's a 1950 Olsmobile in the picture!

[@56roadmaster]

Could be a '48-'50 Olds. But, yes, 1941 is wrong.

[@TC-vg3pr]

This was very nice. Thank you so much. I did enjoy 😉

[@speedracer1945]

Born in 57 and seen parts of our city looking like this the Christmas as the department stores has trains and Santa in the dispay case as we lived in the city suburbs with homes built in the 50s . Since i had a job later putting mirrors and etc i roamed the counties seeing older neighborhoods and even wooded areas that i been in earlier in life always made me upset seeing progress gone are the woods and animals.

[@hermanator74301]

Great pictures. The music only compliments these wonderful photos. Thanks.

[@2quintly]

Great video, when America had some civility.

[@Nullybk]

It didn’t at all

[@okboomer1340]

@@Nullybk yes it did

[@notrius7754]

@@Nullybk yes it did, there is a reason why those times are called the golden era

[@satan6548]

Unless you were gay, black, Asian, Latino, poor, non Christian, free thinking, or believed in women’s rights.

[@okboomer1340]

@@satan6548 or satanic

[@piercehubbard4086]

One place that still doesn’t look that different is the shot of San Francisco around 1:32 - sure, further away there’s tons of new skyscrapers and the city itself is so much more crowded, but that specific area (which I think is Market Street somewhere close to Powell) isn’t much different today. The main difference is that area is occupied by some of the worst homelessness and drug problems you’ll ever see (which I’m sure was a problem even then, just not nearly as bad)!