There's only so much you can learn about the past from history books. Facts can show you the big picture, but they fail to capture the day-to-day life of a regular person. But that's exactly what LiveJournal unearths in its Vintage Photographs. A community dedicated to archiving photographs that are at least 30 years old, it's a treasure trove of ordinary, sentimental and even strange snapshots from the past.
Founded in 2003, the group has grown to more than 9,000 users and an additional 9,000 "watchers" -- LiveJournal's term for inactive lurkers. As a result, there are new posts nearly every day. Here are three of our favorite recent photos.