What photograph makes you tremble?
Warning, people may find some of the images below distressing.
“The Falling Man” – 2001
September 11, 2001 is a date that needs no description. After being caught by Associated Press photographer Richard Drew, “The Falling Man” has become one of the most iconic and heartbreaking images of the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers. The image is believed to be of Jonathan Briley, who worked on the 106th floor of the North World Trade Tower.
“How Life Begins” – 1965
The first photograph ever taken with an endoscope, “How Life Begins,” was the first glimpse many people had of a baby in the womb. The image took from the April 30, 1965 cover of Life magazine, which sold 8 million copies in just four days.
“The terror of war” – 1973
Sometimes referred to as “Napalm Girl”, the image depicts Vietnamese civilians fleeing their village following a napalm attack by South Vietnamese forces. The village was thought to be occupied by North Vietnamese forces at the time. The girl, Kim Phúc, nine years old, had her clothes burned during the strike.
Black Power Salute – 1968
African-American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos raise their fists at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City. The image has gone down in history as the most overtly political image ever taken in gaming history. Smith states in his autobiography that it is not a black power salute, but a human rights salute.
Thich Quang Duc – 1963
Thich Quang Duc, a Vietnamese-born Buddhist monk, shocked the world when he blew himself up at a busy Saigon highway intersection in protest of the South Vietnamese government’s persecution of Buddhists. John F. Kennedy said of the image, “No news image in history has generated as much excitement around the world as that one.”
“Earthrise” – 1968
Taken by Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders from lunar orbit, “Earthrise” has been described as “the most influential environmental photograph ever taken.”
The Vulture and the Little Girl – 1993
The picture that made the world sit up and take notice of the humanitarian crisis in Sudan is as grim as it is sad. The vulture waits patiently for the malnourished girl to die so he can eat her. The image was so distressing to photographer Kevin Carter that he took his own life shortly after it was taken. Published in The New York Times in March 1993, the image caused a great deal of help for the Sudanese people. Due to public concern, The Times stated that the girl was able to make it to a food center, but beyond that it is not known what happened to her.
Fat Man nuclear bomb falls on Nagasaki – 1945
When the United States dropped two nuclear bombs on Japan in 1945, it stopped six years of global conflict almost in an instant. The cataclysmic destruction was captured by crew members of the plane that dropped the bomb, and it is estimated that between 129,000 and 249,000 people have perished as a result of the attack.
“Tank Man” – 1989
An unknown man blocks the path of 5 Chinese tanks following the suppression of the Tiananmen Square riots in Beijing the night before. It is not known what happened to the man, but witnesses report seeing him dragged into the crowd by two men dressed in blue, after climbing into the lead tank and chatting with the commander. The image has become known worldwide as a display of silent defiance in the face of overwhelming force.
Saigon Execution – 1968
Taken from a short video clip by American photojournalist Eddie Adams, the image of National Liberation Front member Nguyễn Văn Lém moments before his execution by a South Vietnamese general resonated around the world at the time, bringing home the brutality of war. Taken during the Tet Offensive, Nguyễn Văn Lém was claimed to have led a death squad and perpetrated war crimes, although his involvement is still in dispute. The image helped galvanize the anti-war movement of the time.
