A Handful of History Memes for Buffs With a Sense of Humor

Ada Elder

Aug 16, 2022 11:00 AM EDT

It is time for a history lesson! Do you know anything about the origin of the memes you consume to make life more tolerable? The truth is that memes aren't just funny pictures you find on Reddit or Memebase. Evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins originally introduced the term "meme" back in 1976, and it obviously had nothing to do with 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 way people communicate ideas. The classic "Kilroy Is Here" graffiti or even something as prevalent and universal as the wheel are two excellent historical examples. While we appreciate having a more well-rounded idea of memes and their origins, we are more interested in the ones we know so well. This here batch of memes uses history to serve up humor. So it still feels like we're doing something good with our brains.