10+ Times Grandparents Were Cooler Than Their Grandkids

Leafing through family albums can sometimes reveal stories one doesn't expect to hear from anyone, especially one's closest relatives (check out this post here if you're not convinced). The cool grandparents pictured below must have had plenty of exciting memories to tell their grandkids about the times they kissed Louis Armstrong, or had a polar bear as a pet, the times they gave Einstein violin lessons or modeled for magazines. From a smooth-looking FBI spy to a female pilot teacher, these pops and nanas is something to admire. Scroll down below to check out the fly grandparents that are making their grandkids so proud. (h/t)

#1 My Great Grandfather Gave Einstein Violin Lessons

Image source: TheTimeIsChow

#2 My Grandparents Wearing Each Other's Clothes, 1943

Image source: howdidyougetin

#3 Grandma Sent Me A Picture Of My Grandpa At My Age To Make Me Feel Like Shit

Image source: jbob5059

#4 My Grandmother, 1940s

Image source: FinneganWelles

#5 Granny On The Wing Of My Dad's Cropduster Plane. She Did This A Few Times That I Know Of

Image source: silvervendetta

#6 My Grandmother. This Picture Was Next To Her Coffin At Her Funeral (Late 60s Or Early 70s)

Image source: CallMeBlue

#7 My Grandfather The Day Before He Shipped Out With The Marines, 1941

Image source: aking25

#8 Photo Of My Grandfather Exiting His Plane After Getting Shot Down

Image source: gettingthere52

#9 My Granny (Nicknamed Kidd) Wasn't Allowed To Join The Air Force Because She Was A Woman. So She Taught Young Men To Fly In Stephenville, Texas During WW2 - 1940s

Image source: jsdlp

#10 My Grandmother Right After She Ran Away From Communistic Bulgaria To Germany (1978)

Image source: wfyff

#11 My Favorite Picture Of My Grandmother, 1942. She's Strong, Raised Six Children On Her Own After Leaving An Alcoholic Husband. Worked 7 Days A Week As A Cook In A Gas Station From 3 Am - 5 Pm. I Would Stay Every Weekend With Her And Sleep On The Floor Of The Gas Station Back Then. She's Amazing

Image source: jewelsinme

#12 My Grandfather Was Into Cosplay Before It Was "The Thing To Do"

Image source: RadionicPsychotronic

#13 My Very Cool Grandpa In The 1950s Holding A Fish, Smoking A Cigarette, With A Book Tucked Into His Pants And Cigarette Pack In His Sleeve

Image source: schants

#14 My Crazy Grandfather

This is my crazy grandfather. Hands down, the funniest old coot that's ever existed. On his deathbed, he told us (his grandkids) "Don't be cheap. Spend 25 cents and buy the paper. The Times promised me a big spread." He worked as a photographer for the LA Times for 50+ years and had many famous photos, including the first published photo of an atomic bomb explosion. He was a man of many stories and an unforgettable sense of humor. After laying his wife and two sons to rest, he stayed strong and kept his spirit high. He battled prostate cancer for 20+ years and lived to see his 92nd birthday and his great grandchildren. RIP Grandpa Image source: SunsetMerlot

#15 WW2 - My Badass Grandpa With A Car He Stole From Nazis

Image source: ksm2721

#16 My Grandma Smoking Her Cigarette On The Farm. Wearing Pants And Doing Whatever The Hell She Wanted, 1938

Image source: bringdoughnuts

#17 My Great Grandfather Showing Off One Of The Horses He Trained For WW1 - Petawawa, ~1922

Image source: FutureMillionaire_

#18 I Recently Lost My Grandmother To Cancer. This Will Always Be One Of My Favorite Photo Of Her

Image source: wefoundeachotherinthedark

#19 My Grandmother With Then-Mercury 7 Astronauts John Glenn, Gus Grissom, And Alan Shepherd (September 14th, 1959)

Image source: di11deux

#20 My Grandfather Died Today. I Want To Tell You What A Fucking Badass He Was

Image source: kitsa

#21 My Great-Great Grandfather, The Samurai Of A Small Coal Mining Town In Kyushu, Posing With My Grandmother And One Of Her Sisters ~1900

Image source: DiarrheaThighs

#22 My Great Grandmother, Working As A Welder During WW2

Image source: anonymous-horror

#23 My Finnish Grandfather Smoking A Cigarette And Holding A Wild Fox That He Befriended (Circa 1975)

Image source: TheKingStacker

#24 If I Could Only Be Half As Badass As My Grandfather This Memorial Day, Circa 1960

Image source: johnthat

#25 My Great Grandpa Eddie. Omaha 1939

Image source: CorporateSloth

#26 My Grandma As An Air Traffic Controller. She Would Have Been 97 On 3/11

Image source: joycey11

#27 My Grandma Modeling In Her Flight Attendant Uniform - 1972

Image source: fakechowprodigy

#28 My Grandfather's Badass Swandive, 1930

Image source: not_blinking

#29 This Photo Always Puts A Smile On My Face. Our 86-Year-Old Grandmother Back In The Day

Image source: MiltonBerle

#30 My Grandmother Demonstrating The Three-Point Belt As A Model For Volvo In 1959

Image source: Mashedbymachines

#31 My Grandma Recently Passed. My Grandpa Sent Me This Picture So I Could Know What Man Looks Like When He Is In Love. They Were Married 60+ Years

Image source: atothego

#32 My Grandpa's FBI Academy Photo. He Worked As A Spy Recruiter During The Cold War

Image source: sw00n

#33 My Great-Grandmother In Her New Car. She Was Most Likely The First Indian Woman In The Western US To Own A Car (April 7, 1916)

Image source: Zugwat

#34 So Apparently My Grandpa Was A Badass

Image source: AdventurousHuman

#35 My Grandmother On Her Harley In 1926

#36 Grandmother Died Last Week, She Was A Naval Nurse

Image source: orion12

#37 My Grandmother Turned 98 This Week. This Is Her In Her Full Nursing Uniform During WW2

Image source: gdbailey

#38 My Grandparents In 1960, On A Date. My Favorite Picture

Image source: 2g00d2btru3

#39 My Friend's Grandparents, California, 1940s

Image source: mikedacheesehead

#40 My Grandmother Looked Like Arya Stark In 1936

Image source: Gamble_MK9

#41 Ernest Hemingway And My Grandma Having A Chat In Havana, Cuba 1952

Image source: mattmanatee

#42 My Stud Grandfather Circa WW2. He Watched Pearl Harbor Happen In Hawaii, Joined Up And Fought On A Gunboat At Iwo Jima That Was Hit By Enemy Fire. He Surfed With Legends In Honolulu. He Was A Barber For 60 Years

Image source: i_hate_pennies

#43 The Last Photo In My Grandparents Wedding Album (1954)

Image source: bluestofwaffles

#44 My Grandma (Top) Was A Badass In Ww2 (1940s)

Image source: alexanderbatman

#45 My Grandfather Defusing A Bomb On Martin Luther King's Porch. He Was Buried Three Years Ago On MLK Day

Image source: HydraHatRack

#46 My Grandfather On A Motorcycle He Stole From A Nazi, Weeks After American Troops Liberated Him From A Concentration Camp In Landsberg, Germany (May 1945). He Had Spent 4 Years In Concentration Camps Around Poland And Germany

Image source: dpintoman

#47 Don't Mess With My Great Grandmother Emma Hagen, Woman Homesteader In North Dakota, 1910s

Image source: iNikkor

#48 My Grandmother With Sultan, Her Favorite Lion From Her Troop, In Front Of Her Plane She Flew Just After WW2 (1947)

Image source: Rizdominus

#49 My Grandfather After Winning 1st Place In The County Beard Contest. The Hat Was His Prize. Circa 1954

Image source: jobernaut

#50 My Grandfather In 1958 With His Fresh New Haircut And 5 Pet Flying Squirrels

Image source: og-loko

#51 I Would Always Call My Grandmother On Mother's Day, And Have Missed That Call For A Few Years Now. Thought I Would Share This In Her Honor

Image source: Blame_the_ninja

#52 My Grandmother (Left) Kissing Louis Armstrong 1954/55

Image source: helenefw

#53 Just My Grandfather As A 19-Year-Old DJ In Tripoli, 1948

Image source: letsgetdisco

#54 Found This Magazine Clipping Of My Grandmother. She Used To Model And No One Ever Knew This About Her

Image source: lysistrata117

#55 A Photo Of Herself That My Grandmother Sent To My Grandfather When He Was Away At War, 1943

Image source: CandyLandsxo

#56 One Of The Only Photographs Of My Grandmother. I Only Wish I Had The Pleasure Of Meeting Her

Image source: GasStationButtMucus

#57 Apparently My Grandpa Was A Badass - He Dove Under Submarines In The North Atlantic Carrying Heavy Welding Equipment

Image source: BrusselSprout

#58 My Nana, My Best Friend, Passed Away Last Week At The Age Of 77. Here She Is At 18 During Her Modeling Days

Image source: bondaccord

#59 Constance, My Great Grandmother, Living It Up In Brooklyn - 1920s

Image source: olivine

#60 My Grandmother Singing Backup For Frank Sinatra, 1949

Image source: Lindseygray89

#61 My Badass Grandpa

Image source: TJames5

#62 My Great-Grandfather Albert. He Was Shot, Stabbed, Gassed, And On This Day In 1917, Was The Only Man To Return From A Trench Raiding Party

Image source: DavetheKoala

#63 My Great Grandfather, Clearly Quite Impressed With Himself, Had Just Built His Perkins County, South Dakota Homestead When This Photo Was Taken In 1909

Image source: sterexx

#64 My Grandparents Travelled The World In 1961. They Did It Again 35 Years Later And Wrote A Book About It. They Inspire Me

Image source: Forlovenadabeetle

#65 Found A Bunch Of My Grandfather's Bodybuilding Photos! He's Going To Be 98 This Year And Still Rides His Exercise Bike Daily

Image source: littlekittyfigbomb

#66 My 4-Greats Grandpa Was Handsome And Dangerous (Circa 1860)

Image source: Juzztn

#67 My Grandparents Taking A Mirror Selfie In The Mid 1960s On Their Super8 Camera

Image source: NeverMeant125

#68 I Found A Picture Of My Grandparents Back In The '30s Looking Awesome

Image source: turdboner

#69 My Grandfather Died Last Week, We Found A Photo Of Him From His Younger Days. Classy As Fuck

Image source: reddit.com

#70 My Grandfather Surveying In Alaska 1950. He Was A Cartographer For The USGS

Image source: Floogernaut

#71 My Grandfather (Left) And A Friend Of His In Front Of The Central Station In Hamburg, Germany. He Was A Chimney Sweeper. This Picture Was Taken In 1948

Image source: Oscoli_The_German

#72 My Grandparents In The 1950s With One Of Their Motorcycles

Image source: SignorSarcasm

#73 Realizing I’ll Never Be As Cool As My Grandparents (1949)

Image source: 4bret

#74 My Grandpa With His Sled Dogs In Antarctica 1953(Ish)

Image source: 0ntoast

#75 My Grandpa And Grandma Circa 1950

Image source: galacticbreeze

#76 My Grandma Posing With Her Corgis (1970s)

Image source: itsmelissaaa

#77 My (Now) 94-Year-Old Grandma Smoking A Cigarette In The 1940s

Image source: sumslev

#78 My Grandpa (Far Left) With Some Babes On Babes, 1940s

Image source: fezzi123

#79 My Grandmother, About 13-Years-Old, Playing Evil Queen In School Play, Just Before The Outbreak Of WW2

Image source: Yahkem

#80 The World Needs To See This Picture Of My Grandfather Waterskiing

Image source: curlsgonewild

#81 This Photo Is Of My Badass Grandpa Sending It Down Grouse Mt Back In 1938. On Skis He Made Himself

Image source: rdgmang

#82 Since You Guys Liked Him, Here Is My Grandfather Again, Mapping The Continental Divide. Colorado, 1953

Image source: Floogernaut

#83 My Grandparents Traveling For National Geographic

Image source: ferballz

#84 My Grandparents Circa 1950s. They Never Had Much Money And Would Throw Parties Making Fun Of Rich People

Image source: lauren90046

#85 Grandma Was A Gangster

Image source: DocLecter

#86 My Great Aunt Posing, While My Grandpa Fixes His Car, 1940s

Image source: yunietheoracle6

#87 I Found Out That My Grandfather Was In Circus (Second Man On The Left). He Was Wilhelm Metz, The Most Flexible Man In The Europe. I Can't Even Touch My Toes With The Tip Of My Fingers, So It Does Not Seem To Run In The Family

Image source: Metsi

#88 My Grandma In 1973 When She Was 40

Image source: lillithrose23

#89 So Proud Of My Grandfather - WW2 Vet With Class

Image source: cowswithguns

#90 My Grandfather And His WW2 Hand Welded Motorcyle Navy Seabees

Image source: bobzindle

#91 My Grandma Looking Stylish Atop Her Ride, 1950s

Image source: kai_al_sun

#92 Ladies And Gentlemen, I Present You You My Grandmother

Image source: Reflux83

#93 My Great-Grandmother And Her Sister Going For The Creepy Twin Look

Image source: peachesnthumbs

#94 My Great-Grandparents. Original Gangsters In Uniontown, Washington

Image source: catspajamas545

#95 My Grandma On Her Horse

#96 My Grandfather, The Magician (1940s)

Image source: magicianpics

#97 My Grandfather Lived In Greenland And Had A Pet Polar Bear Which Is Kind Of Badass

Image source: izzyceleste

#98 My Grandpa On His 1957 Triumph Trophy. He Still Has It Today (Early 60s)

Image source: AboveAverageIQ

#99 My Granddad Took A Selfie In 1924

Image source: palimpsestor

#100 My Granddad & Darth Vader

Image source: SamuelStockley

#101 My Dad Doing A Handstand On My Granddad's Arm

Image source: Barnsman

#102 My Grandfather Circa 1950. Super Suave

#103 My Wonderful Grandparents In A Photo Booth In 1952

Image source: sarahpickle123

#104 My Nana, Florence Recher - Left Home At 14 To Dance - Ended Up On Stage With Sally Rand In The 30s. This Was Taken Around 1928 Or So.

#105 My Grandfather Passed Away Yesterday. We Found This Today

Image source: cronkey

#106 My Grandpa And Grandma Circa 1949, Captured After A Movie In Fort Worth. They're 88 And 91 This Year And Still Fantastic

Image source: mangocraze

#107 What My Grandfather Drove Back In The Day

Image source: yourprincecharming

#108 My Grandpa At The Age Of 17 In 1947

Image source: Hinjon

#109 I'd Like To Share My Late (Badass) Grandpa. Taken In Ellensburg, Washington, On His Family's Settlement. Love You Gramps, Miss You So Much. Circa 1950's I Believe

Image source: Wolv3s

#110 My Grandpa, Rolling Hard Through Germany Near The End Of WW2

Image source: ChrisWithanF

#111 Grandpa At The Lake House (1962)

Image source: Waking

#112 My Granddad Just Showed Me His First Selfie

Image source: graysonbc

#113 My Grandma Killing The Plaid Game (1942)

Image source: MikeCiecierski

#114 My Korean Grandparents At Their Traditional Wedding, 1950's

Image source: milkbeaner

#115 My Grandmother In 1927

#116 Miss Magnolia, My Grandma. She Was A Beauty Queen In The 30s And 40s And Was Miss Magnolia And Runner-Up Miss Arkansas (I Think In 1939 But I'm Not Sure). Sadly, I Never Got To Meet Her But Have Heard Great Stories Over The Years

Image source: PurpleSpanks

#117 My Grandfather Was A WW2 Pilot, This Is My Grandmother Posing On The Wing Of A Plane

Image source: TheWacoKid13

#118 My Grandmother Passed Away This Week And We Were Going Through Old Photos After The Funeral And Found This Little Gem Of Her And My Grandpa

Image source: megatronn

#119 My Grandmother In WW2. Northern Winter 1944/45

Image source: Mylosh

#120 My Grandma Circa 1938. Grandpa Carried This Picture In His Field Book During WW2

Image source: fitzymo

#121 My Grandma Being A Badass In The Early 40s. She Will Be 95 Next Month

Image source: Kgran0418

#122 With Her “Soulmate” (Not My Grandfather!) In San Diego

#123 My Great Grandfather, Posing With His Bicycle In 1894

Image source: TBoneTheOriginal

#124 Great Grandfather Looking Dope In His 20's (1910s)

Image source: TestSubject626

#125 My Grandfather's Best Friends In High School Were Troublemakers, Not That This Picture Would Imply It (1939)

Image source: scottclark

#126 My Grandfather Lighting A Cigarette From A Street Lamp. What A Dude

Image source: B0und

#127 For Mother's Day I Present My Badass Grandma

Image source: MicroBioRob

#128 My Grandma At A 1920's Party

Image source: Sm4wg

#129 My Grandpa On His Harley Ca. 1955. Grandma Made Him Sell It After My Dad Was Born.

Image source: difficultkid

#130 Badass Grandad. This Is Him Breaking In And Standing On The Roof Of Belfast City Hall To Raise Money For Charity During Rag Week In Med School

Image source: imgur.com

#131 My Best Friend's Grandparents Dressed Up For A Costume Party On A Cruise Ship In 1954

Image source: kittenkisses

#132 My Grandfather Outside His Butcher Shop In Downtown St. Louis In The 1940s. I Miss Him

Image source: angieburns

#133 My Grandmother, Wearing Her Adventure Pants

Image source: Pappadiddy91

#134 My Grandfather Casually Looking On As Nuclear Weapon Detonates In The Distance

Image source: jwilkinson1993

#135 My Grandpa Would've Been 95-Years-Old Yesterday. Here He Is In The 1940s Looking Like A Boss

Image source: bratni

#136 Found Out My Grandma Was On The Cover Of A Bowling Magazine

Image source: wefoundeachotherinthedark

#137 My Gorgeous Granny Back In 1963, Right When Bikinis Started To Be Acceptable

Image source: itsurparentspeaking

#138 My Grandparents In The 40s

Image source: eggleg

#139 My Grandmom On Atlantic City Boardwalk In The 40s

Image source: _g0dzilla

#140 My Grandpa Jack In 1945 On The Uss Essex.

#141 My Grandpa In 1970

Image source: AlexTheReddittor

#142 My Grandpa As Drummer In A 4-Man Band

#143 My Great Great Grandfather Looks Like A 2016 Hipster (1920s)

Image source: simondude

#144 My Grandmother In The Late 1950s - Early 1960s. This Was Around The Time She Went On A Date With George Carlin While He Was A DJ Out Of Shreveport

Image source: elleleilee

#145 My Grandfather In Venice In The Early 50's

Image source: danielguts2

#146 My Grandpa On Base In Korea During The Korean War

Image source: C-LOgreen

#147 My Grandfather & His Friend, Circa 1942

Image source: ImgurUsersAreHeartless

#148 My Grandmother Would Have Been 94 Today And She Was Badass

Image source: carrieuga

#149 My Grandfather In His Navy Days, 1940s

Image source: Schmyperbole

#150 Taught My 96-Year-Old Grandfather The Word "Selfie" Today After He Showed Me A Picture Of Himself From 1947. You're Awesome, Grampy

Image source: reddit.com

#151 Awesome Picture Of My Grandfather Who Was A Golden Gloves Champion Boxer (Circa 1936, Brooklyn, N.Y.)

Image source: yum2177

#152 Grandma And Grandpa During Their Day

Image source: GigglesandShit

#153 My Grandpa Could Drink You Under The Table, Then Kick The Shit Out Of You

Image source: mattkinal

#154 My Grandmother And Grandfather On Their Wedding Day, 1956. They Originally Met When She Was 13 And He Was 16

Image source: TurtleMcDertle

#155 My Grandmother Sometime In The Early 50's. I've Heard She Was A Hell Of A Shot

Image source: anthonypanzica

#156 My Grandfather Was The Coolest Guy I've Ever Known. This Is Him After Winning A Boxing Match For The National Guard During WW2

Image source: CAPSLOCK999

#157 Grandma Posing On The Car

#158 My Grandfather And Grandmother George And Jennifer Stricker

#159 How Cool Is My Grandfather George

#160 Grandfather Circa 1940. You Can Smell The Testosterone

Image source: SwaggerWagon1

#161 My Grandma On A Fake Bucking Bronco

#162 My Grandpa Lost His Arm In The War, Circa 1943. He Made A Custom Holster For His Shotgun, And Ended Up Building His Own Prosthetic Arm. The Man Was A Valuable Asset To Many Crucial Battles. A Man Out Of His Own Time

Image source: 1shadow99