By Topic

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The Story of Berlin Wall in Historical Pictures From 1961-1989

Erected in the dead of night on August 13, 1961, the Berlin Wall (known as Berliner Mauer in German) was a physical division between West Berlin and East Germany. Its purpose was to keep disaffected East Germans from fleeing to the West. When the Berlin…

The American Civil War in Historical Pictures (Part Two), 1861-1865

The second part of the American Civil War photo collection covers the people of the Civil War: the generals, slaves, civilians, politicians, and soldiers that lived through those turbulent years. For other parts: The American Civil War in pictures (part…

The American Civil War in Historical Pictures (Part One), 1861-1865

The Civil War was certainly the most catastrophic event in American history. More than 600,000 Northerners and Southerners died in the war, a greater number than all those who had died in all other American wars combined.  (The other parts of these…

The Story of the Iconic Migrant Mother Photograph From 1936

Dorothea Lange took this photograph in 1936, while employed by the U.S. government’s Farm Security Administration (FSA) program, formed during the Great Depression to raise awareness of and provide aid to impoverished farmers. In Nipomo, California, Lan…

President Johnson Taking the Oath of Office on Air Force One, 1963

President Lyndon B. Johnson takes the oath of office aboard Air Force One at Love Field in Dallas, Texas, following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Jackie is angled in such a way as to hide the blood on her coat. It’s the perfect image t…

Reindeer in Murmansk: The Story Behind an Iconic Image From 1941

World War II planes bomb a hillside while a shellshocked reindeer looks on. The stark interface between the killing machines of man and the natural grandeur and beauty of the reindeer was not “natural”. Yevgeny Khaldei, the famous Soviet photographer wh…

Danuta Danielsson’s Iconic Photo: A Woman Hitting a Neo-Nazi with her Handbag, 1985

The photograph titled A Woman Hitting a Neo-Nazi with Her Handbag, captured by Hans Runesson on April 13, 1985, in Växjö, Sweden, has become an iconic image. It portrays a 38-year-old woman striking a Nazi skinhead with her handbag during a demonstratio…

The Solvay Conference: Probably the Most Intelligent Picture Ever Taken, 1927

The Solvay Conference, founded by the Belgian industrialist Ernest Solvay in 1912, was considered a turning point in the world of physics. Located in Brussels, the conferences were devoted to outstanding preeminent open problems in both physics and chem…

The Kiss of Life: A Utility Worker Giving Mouth-To-Mouth to Co-Worker after He Contacted a Low Voltage Wire, 1967

Taken in 1967 by Rocco Morabito, this photo called "The Kiss of Life" shows a utility worker named J.D. Thompson giving mouth-to-mouth to co-worker Randall G. Champion after he went unconscious following contact with a low voltage line. They h…

The Lynching of Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith, 1930

On a hot August night in 1930, a crowd gathered in front of an Indiana jail — men, women, and children shouting and jeering, demanding that the sheriff release his three prisoners. Three African-American teenagers: Tom Shipp, Abe Smith, and James Camero…

Named by Life Magazine as the “The Most Beautiful Suicide”: Evelyn McHale Leapt to her Death from the Empire State Building, 1947

This powerful photo taken by Robert C. Wiles was published as a full-page image in the 12 May 1947 issue of Life Magazine. It ran with the caption: “At the bottom of the Empire State Building the body of Evelyn McHale reposes calmly in grotesque bier, h…

John Lennon Signs an Autograph for Mark Chapman — His Murderer, 1980

According to Chapman he actually had the gun in his pocket when this photo was taken, but he chickened out. He hung around in front of the Dakota getting his nerves up until John and Yoko came home later that night. Chapman waited outside Lennon's apart…

The Vulture and the Little Girl: The Tragic Story Behind an Iconic Photo

The vulture is waiting for the girl to die and to eat her. The photograph was taken by South African photojournalist, Kevin Carter, while on assignment to Sudan. He took his own life a couple of months later due to depression. In March 1993 Kevin Carter…

Burst of Joy: The Sad Story Behind the Iconic Picture, 1973

After spending more than five years in a North Vietnamese camp, Lt. Col. Robert L. Stirm is reunited with his family at Travis AFB, on March 13, 1973. Burst of Joy is a Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph by Associated Press photographer Slava “Sal” Veder…

The 2800 Years Old Kiss: The Iconic Photo of The Hasanlu “Lovers”

These human remains were unearthed in 1973 at the Teppe Hasanlu archaeological site, located in the Solduz Valley in the West Azerbaijan Province of Iran. The site was burned after a military attack. The “head wound” is actually from modern-day excavators.…

Laughing at Auschwitz: SS Auxiliaries Pose at a Resort for Auschwitz Personnel, 1942

These photos were taken between May and December 1944, and they show the officers and guards of Auschwitz relaxing and enjoying themselves — as countless people were being murdered and cremated at the nearby death camp. In some of the photos, SS officers c…

The Cologne Cathedral Stands Tall Amidst the Ruins of the City after Allied Bombings, 1944

Seen here is an aerial black and white photo of the famous Cologne Cathedral during World War II. The cathedral suffered fourteen hits by aerial bombs during the war. It did not collapse but stood tall in an otherwise flattened city. The twin spires are…

Einstein’s Desk Photographed a Day after His Death, 1955

Albert Einstein, whose theories exploded and reshaped our ideas of how the universe works, died on April 18, 1955, of heart failure. He was 76. His funeral and cremation were intensely private affairs, and only one photographer managed to capture the ev…