They say a picture is worth a thousand words.
Sometimes it can illuminate much more.
A photo can represent millions of deaths, the struggles of a nation, the evil of man and the good of humanity.
Here are ten photos that have shaped the world in one way or another, a single snap that captured an entire war, an entire mood or an entire movement. They will never be forgotten.
The execution of a Viet Cong Guerrilla in 1968. This picture was taken seconds before the trigger was pulled, demonstrating the savageness of war. The photographer said “The general killed the Viet Cong; I killed the general with my camera.”
The hanging of black men accused of raping a white woman and killing her boyfriend in 1930. People smile as the bodies decay.
The falling man, September 11 2001. The representation of human choice in terrorism. The identity of this man was eventually discovered in a documentary.
Kim, aged 9, runs away naked in the Vietnam war in 1972 after a napalm attack.
In 1989 a protestor holding shopping bags stood before the tanks of the Government in Tiananmen Square. He then climbed on the tanks and screamed for them to stop, but was dragged away by a group of unknown people. His fate was never determined.
Three dead American boys on the shores of Papua New Guinea, 1943, where the phrase ‘words are never enough’ echoed.
The rise of Earth, captured in 1968, said to be the most influential environmental photo ever taken. Captured from the moon.
The raised flag at Iwo Jima in 1945 to spark hope in a nation.
The girl who couldn’t be saved, 1985. Red Cross workers could only comfort the girl, as nothing could be done. She died after 60 hours due to exposure.
The Pulitzer prize winning photo of a vulture watching a starving child in Sudan, 1993. The child was trying to reach food. People often wonder; why did the photographer not choose to help. He later killed himself.
If you have any photos you believe should be included in this list, please comment below.
Chris Sutton
