15 pre-pandemic photos from a year ago that will make you cringe now

Old photos of crowded rooms just hit different these days.Al Seib/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

• The US' first case of COVID-19 was confirmed after a man in Snohomish County, Washington, sought out medical attention on January 19, 2020.
• Precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 have become so ubiquitous that looking at photos from before the pandemic can feel weird.
• Just a year ago, people were attending events in stadiums, hugging strangers, and going about their business without masks.

It's hard to believe that just a year ago, people were packing stadiums, eating in restaurants, hugging strangers, and generally going about their business without worrying about a pandemic.

That changed weeks after the US' first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Washington in January 2020. Because precautions like wearing masks and social distancing have become so ubiquitous, old photos of pre-pandemic life just hit different these days.

Here are 15 photos from a year ago of pre-pandemic life that you'll never be able to look at the same way.