Many millennials automatically assume that their generation is way cooler than previous generations—basically assuming that the younger you are, the cooler you are—but that’s just not true.
Grandparents might have been born in a different time, but they still have experienced and seen some pretty remarkable things.
But in case you don’t believe us, here are 24 different photos people have posted that prove some grandparents are way cooler than we’ll ever be.
1. Not only did these grandparents take a journey around the world in their Volkswagen beetle back in 1961 but they’re so cool they decided to take the exact same trip—in the exact same car—35 years later. This Imgur user shared photos of their grandparents in Greece, Pakistan, Turkey, France and more as they travelled across the world discovering new places and people along the way.
Imgur | forloveandabeetle
2. This user’s grandfather casually took on one of the most dangerous occupations in the world back in the day—diving. Here’s a photo of a grandfather who not only dove under submarines in the North Atlantic, carrying heavy welding equipment, but also looked cool doing it as this photo shows him looking spiffy in his diving gear, cigarette and all.
Imgur | (source)3. One user posted a photo of their glamorous grandmother holding hands with none other than Frank Sinatra. Their grandmother was actually a backup singer for the music icon back in 1949. Can you imagine if you were able to look back on your life and realize you sang backup for one of the most influential artists of the 20th century?!
Imgur | (source)
4. Here is someone’s grandmother casually kissing Louis Armstrong in a car back in the mid-1950s with no explanation of how she got there, which makes her mysterious and cool. Louis Armstrong was an American trumpeter, composer, singer and occasional actor… who also happens to be one of the most influential figures in jazz. That is definitely one car ride to remember!
Imgur | Helenefw
5. Not only did this Reddit user’s grandfather have an awesome beard, it also won him first place in a countrywide beard contest! That cowboy hat he’s wearing was his luxurious prize for winning the contest back in good ol’ 1954. Do you think he still would’ve won today?
Reddit | jobernaut
6. This Reddit user posted a picture of their grandmother in 1947 casually petting a lion because I’m sure most of us have done this at least once, right? The lion, named Sultan, was this brave lady’s favorite lion from her troop. Did I mention she had just flown the plane behind her just after WWII? The user also said that their grandmother was incredibly humble even with all the amazing stories she had to share.
Reddit | Rizdominus7. What is cooler than finding a picture of your grandmother during her childhood and realizing she is a spitting image of Arya Stark?! Any Game of Thrones fan can appreciate this crazy revelation because who wouldn’t want a grandmother that is the long lost twin of one of the fiercest women in the Stark clan? The only discrepancy is the fact that this photo was taken in 1936 so the timelines are slightly off.
Reddit | Gamble_MK9
8. One user shared this photo of their grandfather riding a motorcycle, which is said to have been stolen from a Nazi (no big deal), weeks after American troops liberated him from a concentration camp in Landsberg, Germany back in May of 1945. The user said his grandfather had spent 4 years in concentration camps around Poland and Germany.
Reddit | dpintoman
9. Here is a photo of someone’s grandmother having a casual chat with Ernest-freaking-Hemingway in Havana, Cuba 1952. You may have already heard of Hemingway but in case you didn’t, he was an American novelist, short story writer, journalist and a huge influence on 20th-century fiction. I could only imagine what they were talking about.
Reddit | mattmanatee
10. This is a picture of someone’s grandfather circa WWII. They said their grandfather, a barber for 60 years, lived an extraordinary life. He watched Pearl Harbor happen in Hawaii, joined up and fought on a gunboat at Iwo Jima when it was hit by enemy fire, and surfed with legends in Honolulu. Sounds like quite the interesting man.
Reddit | i_hate_pennies11. Here is a picture of an Imgur user’s grandfather in 1960 on Memorial Day casually carrying around a tiger in a backpack. I mean, I don’t know about you, but carrying around a baby tiger isn’t exactly something I’ve crossed off my bucket list. Not that it would be on my bucket list because I would be way too worried about getting eaten before ever attempting this.
Imgur | (source)
12. Here is a Reddit user’s grandfather casually in one of the greatest pictures of all time. Not only is their grandfather defusing a bomb in the photo, it just so happens to be a bomb on Martin Luther King’s porch. The user said his brave grandfather was also buried on Martin Luther King Day.
Imgur | HydraHatRack
13. It’s hard to believe at one point in time there was a model demonstrating something as simple as putting on a seatbelt but it’s true – at one point in time, this simple gesture we do daily was new to drivers. This Reddit user’s grandmother was a model demonstrating the Three-point belt for Volvo back in 1959. How cool is that?
Reddit |Mashedbymachines
14. Not only does this grandfather look like a detective straight out of a black and white film, it’s actually someone’s grandfather’s FBI Academy photo. The nondescript coat, round glasses and what looks strangely like a smartphone in his hand is everything you’d imagine an FBI agent would look like. Can you say you’ve had an awesome undercover uniform and worked as a spy recruiter during the Cold War? Didn’t think so.
Reddit | sw00n15. Here is a picture of someone’s grandparents on a date back in 1960. It looks like these two were having a great time smoking and drinking in the back of a car. Look at those printed sunglasses! Look at that bottle of wine with a wicker wrap! This is the epitome of cool.
Reddit | 2g00d2btr3
16. Here is a picture of an Imgur user’s grandfather making a stop on his motorcycle to have a casual interaction with a bear. Nowadays, there are warning signs everywhere and people making a run for it if they see one… but not this guy.
Imgur | (source)
17. This Imgur user’s great-grandmother was in the newspaper back in April of 1916 for being the first Indian woman to own an automobile. Isabelle Craig, 18 years old and Umatilla Indian, became the first Indian girl in possibly the “entire West” to own an automobile. The article also stated that “Miss Craig received a good education in English at the Catholic school on the reservation and is studying music at St. Joseph’s Academy, in Pendleton.”
Imgur | (source)
18. This Imgur user shared a photo that their grandmother sent them to remind them how much cooler their grandfather was at their age. This is the picture of their grandfather looking good in a pair of bathing suit shorts and a cool pose to match. Imagine feeling inadequate to your grandfather from a single photo? He doesn’t even have to be your grandfather and you could pretty much still feel inadequate after seeing that six pack.
Imgur | (source)19. This Imgur user shared these amazing photos of their daredevil grandmother riding on the wing of their son’s cropduster plane. The grandchild shared that the story was so crazy that people often didn’t believe them until they showed the photo. but apparently, this wasn’t as uncommon as we might think. Stunt people who put on shows actually used to do this.
Imgur | silvervendetta
20. One Imgur user shared a sweet photo their late grandfather sent them so that they could “know what man looks like when he is in love.” Another cool thing about our grandparents was how simple relationships were back then. You talked to people in person (I know, strange). You fell in love based on personal interactions. And if you were lucky, you stayed married for more than 60 years like this adorable couple did.
Imgur | atothego
21. This Reddit user’s grandmother was one tough cookie. They say their grandmother—nicknamed Kidd—wasn’t allowed to join the Air Force because she was a woman but it didn’t stop her. This determined lady ended up teaching young men to fly in Stephenville, TX during WWII. This picture was taken in the 1940s.
Reddit | jsdlp
22. Just in case you weren’t feeling inadequate enough already, here is a photo of someone’s grandfather who just so happened to teach violin lessons to Albert Einstein. I mean, just the fact that he’s standing beside the famous German-born theoretical physicist would have been enough. The fact that he was a music teacher to a genius, now that’s something worth bragging about.
Reddit | Thetimeischo23. This Imgur user shared a photo of their “crazy” grandfather, saying he was the “funniest old coot that’s ever existed.” The man worked as a photographer for the LA Times for over 50 years and had many famous photos, including the first published photo of an atomic bomb explosion. This just doesn’t compare to our Instagram photos of our latest dinner at a fancy new restaurant.
Imgur | SunsetMerlot
24. This Reddit user shared a photo of their grandmother with then-Mercury 7 astronauts John Glenn, Gus Grissom, and Alan Shepherd back on September 14th, 1959. Many in the comments section were quick to realize that their grandmother was actually one of the first supermodels, Suzy Parker. So not only is she standing beside a bunch of astronauts—which is cool enough already—but she was also a successful American model and actress.
Reddit | di11deux
