Making a prediction about the past may seem easy, and indeed, a “picture” of a recent past is typically photographically sharp and clear. However, as we descend deeper into the time abyss, the observational records become scarce, and (figuratively speaking) the full-color pictures get eventually replaced by primitive sketches and even futuristic cartoons. With this pessimistic outlook, what can be learned about the past solar activity? Surprisingly, a lot. A combination of historical records and modern state-of-the-art modeling can be used to infer information about magnetic configurations in coronal mass ejections and properties of solar wind even well before these phenomena were discovered. Observations of stellar activity may also shine a light on evolutionary changes in solar activity. This talk will review some aspects of long-term solar activity and present the results of recent studies of solar magnetic activity based on a combination of historical observations and modeling.