20 Of The Most Powerful and Iconic Moments In History Captured On Camera
By far one of the biggest mediums of capturing moments in history is photography. Photojournalists down the ages have given us some fantastic incidents etched on celluloid immortalized by a single time frame in history. Such moments captured through the lens of a photographer will never be forgotten due to their fame derived from being passed down by generations of print media; let’s take a look at ten iconic moments in history captured on celluloid.
1US Paratroopers briefing in WWII
This is a shot of US paratroopers of the 17th airborne division all with Mohawk hairstyles being briefed just before operation Varsity in March 1945. It was platoon leader Lt Tyrrell Devolin who thought it a great idea for the division to sport the Mohawk but when it was noticed by Lt Col Barnett, the entire platoon were made to shave their heads entirely.
Operation Varsity on 24th March 1945 was history’s largest and most successful airborne operations involving 16,000 paratroopers and several thousand aircraft all part of operation plunder that would become part of the assault into northern Germany. The 17th Airborne was in charge of capturing the village of Diesrfordt and clear the area of German forces.
Image Source: www.imgur.com
2 Wounded Civil rights leader James Meredith
This iconic photo by Jack Thornell won the Pulitzer Prize on June 6th, 1966. It showed Civil rights activist James Meredith in pain as he struggles to get off the road of Highway 51 after being shot in Hernando Mississippi on June 6th, 1966. Meredith was the first American African to attend Mississipi University.
Image Source: www.inland360.com
3Young Barack Obama with his Mother
This is one of the rare photographs of Barack Obama as a young boy with his mother Ann Dunham. Barack Obama was born in Honolulu Hawaii on August 4th 1961. His Mother Ann Dunham was from Wichita, Kansas and was of English descent while his father Barack Obama Sr was from Nyangoma Kogelo, Kenya. After a divorce, his father returned to Kenya and remarried while Obama continued living with his mother.
Image Source: www.imgur.com
4Hiroshima bombing survivor winning Boston Marathon in 1951
This is 19 years old Shigeki Tanaka a schoolboy who survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on August 6th 1945.In 1951; he entered the Boston Marathon and won the event. When he crossed the finished line, there was total silence. Tanaka who broke the tape at 2:27:45, described the bombing as a great white light.
Image Source: www.historyphoto66.com
5Japanese soldier about to decapitate a Chinese
The Japanese during the World war era weren’t exactly innocent either. This photo taken during the Nanking massacre in 1938 is shocking no doubt. But even more shocking is the cold-bloodedness involved. It was captured the moment a Japanese soldier was explaining to the Chinese prisoner how to hold his head for a quick decapitation.
Image Source: www.imgur.com