Internet Historians Highlight The Best Parts of The 1630s: ‘Gravity hadn’t been invented yet, so you could fly’

Author image for Melissa Knudson
Melissa Knudson • Writer
Nov 14, 2026 6:45 PM EST

2020s are the new 1630s.

If you could go back to any decade in history, where would you go?

These last 26 years have been a collection of craziness. So many things have happened in this last couple of decades that it is very hard to wrap our heads around how much history was written through them. Everything seems to be happening at an accelerated speed, one thing after the other. Technology, on the other hand, makes events happen even faster. So, as we move on from year to year, the pages of this future history ebooks keep piling up nonstop. The kids of the future will struggle on this final exam, no doubt. 

But our times are not the only decades of human existence that felt crazy. It takes a sneak peek into a history timeline, or a deep dive into one of those excellent Netflix documentaries, to realize that every century has had its own unhingedness and uniqueness. Being alive has never been easy, and staying alive has always felt like an impossible task. That said, as every decade of humanity seems to fit in the same chaotic ship, it is important to highlight the good things. Hopefully the people of the future will also recognize the good parts about our times. 

Specifically, this collection shows off the nice parts about a very troublesome decade of the past: the 1630s. There was disease, there was conflict, there were some very questionable food tastes, and a weird fixation with witchcraft. Needless to say, to have existed through those times must have been a completely unexpected adventure. So, dive in to see how the people of the internet have taken it into their own hands to appreciate the very hidden magic of the 1630s. To be fair, looking back now, most of us wouldn't have made it. However, hard times soften bring great tales, so at least there's that. 

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  • 01
    Five Ladies in an Interior, attributed to Dirck van Delen, 1630-52, Dutch painting, oil on panel
    via The Everett Collection

    Five Ladies in an Interior, attributed to Dirck van Delen, 1630-52, Dutch painting, oil on panel. 

    Representative only.

  • 02

    Immortals of Reddit, what do you miss about the 1630s?

    dohmestic But, pro tip, you really needed to check the destination of whatever boat you were hopping on. I thought I was going to Holland, but I ended up in the New World with a bunch of vibe-killing weirdos.
    via DTPVH / dohmestic
  • 03

    hmm, I don't think that's exactly a good thing.

    Briefausdem Geist How few laws there were at all really
    via DTPVH / BriefausdemGeist
  • 04

    True. Living the moment. A very short moment, though.

    ShamiGnu No social media. Everyone just living in the moment.
    via DTPVH / ShamiGnu
  • 05

    This. This was unmatched.

    ExistentialLoitering I miss how people told stories. News travelled slowly and by the time it reached you it had become something else. A merchant might arrive from Prague with a story about a woman who had given birth to a creature with two horns. Nobody could check. You listened, argued, and went to bed wondering.
    via DTPVH / ExistentialLoitering
  • 06

    Good furniture is hard to find nowadays.

    Nacolo The ottoman empire was nice, lots of places to rest your feet when seated.
    via DTPVH / Nacolo
  • 07

    A little too easy.

    1337b337 It was really easy to convince people that your rival was a witch.
    via DTPVH / 1337b337
  • 08

    Good point.

    Emcee_nobody How scary the woods were. Now people go into them for fun! Can you believe it!?
    via DTPVH / Emcee_nobody
  • 09

    And is no longer a performance.

    pewpscoops Being the village idiot was a badge of honor. Nowadays, they're everywhere.
    via DTPVH / pewpscoops
  • 10

    That said, you had to be careful with said knowledge as it could be consider "witchy".

    photogangsta It was easier to make new discoveries because there was less people. Also much easier to sound interesting at parties since the knowledge pool was smaller.
    via DTPVH / photogangsta
  • 11
    A musical company in an interior, Courtesy of Rijksmuseum, Europeana
    via Europeana CCO Images

    A musical company in an interior, Courtesy of Rijksmuseum, Europeana. 

    Licensed media provided as editorial context.

  • 12

    Fashion was something else.

    pcook1979 I miss my big lace collars, wide- brimmed hats, fancy boots, and long hair
    via DTPVH / pcook1979
  • 13

    A couple months of travel tops.

    TheMr_Sandman How easy it was to start over. Especially if you were willing to travel across the Atlantic
    via DTPVH / TheMr_Sandman
  • 14

    Yes, bring back fancy wigs.

    randobonando People's wig game has dropped right off
    via DTPVH / randobonando
  • 15

    I don't think that's how it works, but I am no scientist.

    Slashersforsatan gravity hadnt been invented yet so you could fly
    via DTPVH / Slashersforsatan
  • 16

    The OG MCU.

    PigeonsOnYourBalcony That was the tail end of the Renaissance, we got some much cool stuff every couple years until it kinda fluttered out, just like the MCU.
    via DTPVH / PigeonsOnYourBalcony
  • 17

    No energy - No daylight savings.

    Joe_Franks No daylight savings time.
    via DTPVH / Joe_Franks
  • 18

    Oh yes, they were lovely.

    InvinciblelronStan The Dodo.
    via DTPVH / InvincibleIronStan
  • 19

    We should bring it back.

    Hunthausen_Demarques Tulip mania peaked in 1637.
    via DTPVH / Hunthausen_Demarques
  • 20
    Dice Players (The Gamblers), by follower of Mathieu Le Nain, 1630-80, French painting, oil on canvas
    via The Everett Collection

    Dice Players (The Gamblers), by follower of Mathieu Le Nain, 1630-80, French painting, oil on canvas.

    Still frame for contextual reference only.

  • 21

    A little too you, I would say...

    LittleBigMachineElf the young retirement age
    via DTPVH / LittleBigMachineElf
  • 22

    I heard he started acting around the 1500s

    pingu_nootnoot Watching Keanu Reeves in his first years on the stage. He's not been the same since the Incident in 1743.
    via DTPVH / pingu_nootnoot
  • 23

    No subscription services other than taxes.

    Floof_mom134 No ads or subscription services
    via DTPVH / Floof_mom134
  • 24

    Bring. Capes. Back.

    notassmartasithinkia Men's fashion. So many options,, colors, shoes, capes. Now it's "would you like your outfit in black or grey?"
    via DTPVH / notassmartasithinkia
  • 25

    True. Dark, but true.

    lisaloo1968 Jobs were more plentiful because people were not.
    via DTPVH / lisaloo1968
  • 26

    I mean, you can still try?

    Flimsy_Mix113 Introducing new experiences to the English colonists like popcorn.
    via DTPVH / Flimsy_Mix113
  • 27

    A once in a lifetime experience.

    AquilaCrotalusEsox i miss hearing a song once and never hearing it again
    via DTPVH / AquilaCrotalusEsox
  • 28

    Passports are important for a reason, people.

    ahkian How easy it was to move and set up a new identity when you live too long without aging in one place. So much bureaucracy now.
    via DTPVH / ahkian
  • 29

    Oh yes, our times go crazy over mugs.

    Few-Boysenberry-7826 "I think, therefore I am" felt like a really big deal at the time. Now people put it on mugs.
    via DTPVH / Few-Boysenberry-7826
  • 30

    Thankfully long gone.

    The_Metal_Pigeon The smell, ahhh the days of open sewers...
    via DTPVH / The_Metal_Pigeon
  • 31

    Let's leave those in the past, for now.

    Long_Serpent Legal duels
    via DTPVH / Long_Serpent
  • 32

    Water was dangerous indeed.

    MikeyB_0101 Drinking beer all day instead of water
    via DTPVH / MikeyB_0101
  • 33

    Sure, way to see the upside.

    Coracoda No cell phones at concerts. Just smelly, superstitious commoners living in the moment
    via DTPVH / Coracoda
  • 34

    This. This is the greatest one of the list.

    Common-Dream560 The stars. Too much ambient light and why do I have to go so far to get away from it....
    via DTPVH / Common-Dream560
  • 35
    Landscape with a Stone Bridge, by Rembrandt van Rijn, 1638, Dutch painting, oil on panel
    via The Everett Collection

    Landscape with a Stone Bridge, by Rembrandt van Rijn, 1638, Dutch painting, oil on panel. 

    Scene shown is a visual representation.

  • Looking at the bright side of a decade that almost brought humanity to a definite end is a challenge. Regardless, these intrepid historians took it upon themselves to reminisce about how it used to be, even when we can’t particularly refer to this time as “the good old days.” On that note, this collection also helps us appreciate some of the basic things we have nowadays that are often taken for granted. Drinkable water, for example, and a sewage system, thankfully. Also, if anyone from the 1630s is reading this (already a challenge, considering that would make you either immortal or a ghost), thank you for making this callback so fun of us. We very much appreciate the humor. 

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Tags

history history humor internet discussion 1630s funny comments 2026 2020s humanity opinions of the internet decades historian of the internet the future going back to the 1630s
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