# Did the atmosphere look different in the past? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 30, 2013, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-atmosphere-look-different-in-the-past/657132 "2013-04-30T18:54:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![donnie\_darko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@donnie\_darko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/donnie_darko)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-atmosphere-look-different-in-the-past/657132/1 "2013-04-30T18:54:14Z")
I’ve noticed in videos and photos before the 1990s, everything seems brighter, more vivid, and more ethereal. Was there some kind of metaphysical change at some point, or does this merely reflect camera technology? ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-atmosphere-look-different-in-the-past/657132/2 "2013-04-30T18:58:59Z")
> [@donnie\_darko](#): > > I’ve noticed in videos and photos before the 1990s, Especially during the dust storms of the 1930’s. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-atmosphere-look-different-in-the-past/657132/3 "2013-04-30T19:03:35Z")
Jerry Garcia. August 1, 1942 – August 9, 1995. This also accounts for the lack of technicolor extacy during the dust bowl era. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-atmosphere-look-different-in-the-past/657132/4 "2013-04-30T19:41:13Z")
> [@donnie\_darko](#): > > I’ve noticed in videos and photos before the 1990s, everything seems brighter, more vivid, and more ethereal. > > Was there some kind of metaphysical change at some point, or does this merely reflect camera technology? What you are seeing are the differences between Kodachrome and other film processes and digital photography. ---
**Author:** ![Archaic\_Entity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/41988e/32.png) [@Archaic\_Entity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Archaic_Entity)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-atmosphere-look-different-in-the-past/657132/5 "2013-04-30T20:21:28Z")
You should have been there for how the atmosphere looked in 1999. Reference the Matrix, pretty good representation of the times. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-atmosphere-look-different-in-the-past/657132/6 "2013-04-30T20:42:31Z")
> [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > What you are seeing are the differences between Kodachrome and other film processes and digital photography. You tell him, **Paul Simon**. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-atmosphere-look-different-in-the-past/657132/7 "2013-04-30T20:54:10Z")
In all seriousness, it is likely that the first 500 milion years, give or take, Earth had a Venus-type cloud cover because of the outgassing of the more-or-less molten surface (which was cooling into rocks during this period. ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-atmosphere-look-different-in-the-past/657132/8 "2013-04-30T21:05:03Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > In all seriousness, it is likely that the first 500 milion years, give or take, Earth had a Venus-type cloud cover because of the outgassing of the more-or-less molten surface (which was cooling into rocks during this period. And none of my pictures turned out. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-atmosphere-look-different-in-the-past/657132/9 "2013-04-30T21:11:38Z")
Well, parts of Los Angeles at least, were total smog bowls around the 1960’s. I think there’s been a general improving trend since then, with environmental regulation and pollution control. I’m worried now that it’s improved about as good as it can get, until our cars and factories go all-solar and the Internet goes all-hamster. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-atmosphere-look-different-in-the-past/657132/10 "2013-04-30T21:14:36Z")
The world didn’t turn color until some time in the 1930s, and it was [pretty grainy color](http://www.reoiv.com/images/random/dadbandwandcolour.jpg) for a time, too. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Fubaya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@Fubaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fubaya)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-atmosphere-look-different-in-the-past/657132/11 "2013-04-30T22:12:59Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > The world didn’t turn color until some time in the 1930s, and it was [pretty grainy color](http://www.reoiv.com/images/random/dadbandwandcolour.jpg) for a time, too. 🙂 I don’t think it happened for the whole world at once. I’ve seen color photos of my grandparents town in the 40s but my grandparents farm was still colorless in the early 50s. I assume they got it later because they were outside the city limits. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-atmosphere-look-different-in-the-past/657132/12 "2013-05-01T00:35:40Z")
It was the RCA, everyone’s heard of them, right? That’s the Rural Colorization Authority. They didn’t really get going until the late 50’s in many parts of the country. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-atmosphere-look-different-in-the-past/657132/13 "2013-05-01T01:05:01Z")
> [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > What you are seeing are the differences between Kodachrome and other film processes and digital photography. Or [Velvia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velvia). Als, it used to be common to use a [polarizing filter](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polarizing_filter_(photography)) to turn the sky really deep blue, but photographers these days seem to prefer a more realistic look. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-atmosphere-look-different-in-the-past/657132/14 "2013-05-01T04:48:05Z")
[This](http://www.wikipaintings.org/en/peter-max/discovery-1992#supersized-artistPaintings-301784) is what the atmosphere looked like back in the '60s. And that was before Photoshop. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-atmosphere-look-different-in-the-past/657132/15 "2013-05-01T08:19:46Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > [This](http://www.wikipaintings.org/en/peter-max/discovery-1992#supersized-artistPaintings-301784) is what the atmosphere looked like back in the '60s. And that was before Photoshop. But it was after LSD… ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-atmosphere-look-different-in-the-past/657132/16 "2013-05-01T22:15:11Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > [This](http://www.wikipaintings.org/en/peter-max/discovery-1992#supersized-artistPaintings-301784) is what the atmosphere looked like back in the '60s. And that was before Photoshop. Only when your peter maxed out. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![BMax](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bmax/32/4267_2.png) [@BMax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMax)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-atmosphere-look-different-in-the-past/657132/17 "2013-05-01T22:56:08Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > [This](http://www.wikipaintings.org/en/peter-max/discovery-1992#supersized-artistPaintings-301784) is what the atmosphere looked like back in the '60s. And that was before Photoshop. It first appeared in San Francisco and London, and gradually spread out to the rest of the world. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-atmosphere-look-different-in-the-past/657132/18 "2013-05-01T23:21:57Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > [This](http://www.wikipaintings.org/en/peter-max/discovery-1992#supersized-artistPaintings-301784) is what the atmosphere looked like back in the '60s. And that was before Photoshop. > [@Duckster](#): > > Only when your peter maxed out. > > 😃 > [@BMax](#): > > It first appeared in San Francisco and London, and gradually spread out to the rest of the world. I misread quote #3 as responding to quote #2 rather than #1 (as it actually does) and was: :eek: