Very strange, 150 year-old phenakistoscope, zoetrope, thaumatrope images converted into GIFs

What your great (maybe great-great) grandparents saw, 150 years ago, when "artists relied on optical tools, things like zoetropes, phenakistoscopes, thaumatropes and other gadgets with very strange names, to bring their illustrations to life:"

Story, more illustrations:
http://www.wired.com/design/2013/12/these-150-year-old-gifs-are-insane/