World History in Family Photos

The goal was to create a digital archive of contemporary history out of the personal stories and experiences of people – from everyday snapshots, curiosities, and trivia. The project website served as a repository of photos taken from the 1930s to the present. Each student selected a family photo taken in a given year and wrote an anecdote about the photo and the people in it. Students supplemented their stories with a description of trends, events or milestones that occurred in the same year the photo was taken. Each anecdote then became time-stamped with interesting facts such as scientific achievements, literary works, popular songs, movies, inventions, sport events, etc.