Boston, US (1975)

This heartbreaking moment captured perfectly received the Pulitzer Prize. The scene shows 19-year-old Diana Bryant and her 2-year-old goddaughter Tiare Jones falling from a collapsed fire escape as they were trying to get out of a building on fire. Diana passed away instantly from the impact, but her granddaughter landed on her body and survived.

Photo: Stanley Forman

Saigon, Vietnam (1963)

The outrageous act of self-immolation performed by Vietnamese Mahayana Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duc was caught on camera by accident. The unplanned event shocked the world – and it still does. The monk wanted the suicide to be a sign of protest against the discriminatory Buddhist laws.

Photo: Malcolm Browne

Ayod, South Sudan (1993)

This is one of the most controversial photos ever taken – and for good reason. The underfed girl in the photo was struggling to get to one of the United Nations feeding centers in Sudan. As she was lying on the ground, a vulture spotted her and decided to make her its next meal.

Photographer Kevin Carter received many critiques on leaving the girl like that instead of helping her. However, it was later revealed that he actually waited 20 minutes to catch the perfect shot and then chased the bird away. At 33 years old, Carter took his own life. His photo received the Pulitzer Prize.

Photo: Kevin Carter

New York, US (1932)

Although it’s one of the most well-known historical photos to date, there is much mystery regarding this impressive image. The workers were having lunch during a usual work day at the RCA building (today’s GE building) of Manhattan’s Rockefeller Center. The photographer is still unknown; however, some of the men in the photo were found.

Nagasaki, Japan (1945)

Only 3 days after the Hiroshima disaster, the US went on to bomb the city of Nagasaki. This aerial view is basically a 45,000-foot cloud of radioactive particles.

One of the bombardiers, Lt. Charles Levy, described the scene as ‘purple, red, white, all colors—something like boiling coffee. It looked alive.‘

Over 80,000 people died that day.

Photo: Lieutenant Charles Levy

1936

This simple, yet touching black and white photo shows a woman named Frances Owens Thompson along with her children during the Great Depression. The 32-year-old mother had sold everything to buy food for her kids while they killed birds to eat them as dinner. This photo alerted the authorities and made them help people in camps with food and water.

Photo: Dorothea Lange

Republic of Biafra, Nigeria (1969)

The Republic of Biafra only existed for 3 years; during this time, millions of Africans lost their lives from starvation and disease. This is one of the most shocking photos ever taken around the world. The albino boy pictured here is not only suffering from starvation, but is also marginalized by his peers because of his skin condition.

Photo: Don McCullin

New Jersey, US (1937)

Many decades ago, a large crowd was waiting for the LZ 129 Hindenburg passenger airship to slowly fly above New Jersey. As the German ship was approaching, electrostatic discharge made the hydrogen inside it catch fire instantly and the entire ship exploded. Over 30 people on board died by burning and this is one of the few recordings of the moment.

Photo: Sam Shere