40 Of The Most Powerful Photographs Ever Taken

[warrior1]

http://www.buzzfeed.com/expresident/most-powerful-photographs-ever-taken

[Scuba]

1. Moving, thought-provoking photos. Thanks for the link.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. Many of these are famous; many are obscure......ALL are wonderful!

Thank you so much!

[kayakjohnny]

3. Thanks warrior1. I took a good long look at each and every one of them.

Very captivating and emotional.

Glad you posted these.

[bluesbassman]

4. Some intense, some incredibly sad, all very moving.

Thanks for posting.

[sarge43]

5. Thank you. Those pictures both break and heal the heart. n/t

[liberal N proud]

6. Thanks for posting

Very moving photos.

[Lochloosa]

7. An interesting side to this photo.

They only had one pair of black gloves....that's one is on a right hand and the other the left..

[dana_b]

8. thank you for posting this

each photo was amazing in its own way but the one of the 5 y.o. holding the 105 y.o. lady's hand after Hurricane Katrina really got me.

[Xipe Totec]

9. Good ones, but missed a few powerful ones

Albeit hundreds of thousands of photos were taken during Vietnam, this particular photo makes appearances in text books, war documentaries, and countless dissertations. Given that the photo serves as a shocking reminder of the war, it can be considered an iconic image of the era.


V-J Day in Times Square is a photograph by Alfred Eisenstaedt that portrays an American sailor kissing a woman in a white dress on Victory over Japan Day (V-J Day) in Times Square, New York City, on August 14, 1945.



The Kent State shootings—also known as the May 4 massacre or the Kent State massacre


The Challenger disaster



Bobby Kennedy's assassination



Hiroshima and Nagasaki

[LynneSin]

23. I have to agree, some of the most memorable photos were overlooked like yours and also these...

That last image has always haunted me since 9/11

[deutsey]

27. There's a moving documentary about

determining the identity of the man falling in that last photo. It's also about much more than that, but the atempt to discover who this person was is at the heart of the film.

It's called "The Falling Man" and is available in its entirety on YouTube.

[LynneSin]

28. I knew about the movie - it was based on an article in Esquire

But not sure i could watch it. The whole idea of the people who fell to their deaths from 9/11 is so sad. To be at a point in your life where your choices are to burn to death or fall to your death and you have 5 minutes to decide - just heartbreaking.

That's what made that photo so memorable to me.

[deutsey]

30. I understand

The news about people jumping as the tragedy was unfolding that horrible day rattled me and haunted me for sometime.

However, I have to say the filmmaker was very thoughtful and sensitive in how he or she handled the subject matter. Watching the film was cathartic for me. But that may not be how it is for everyone.

[ThoughtCriminal]

10. I was afraid they had left this one out

At the very bottom - an image I will never forget:



1968 was traumatic in so many ways, but this is how it closed. There we were, except for the three members of Apollo 8, every living person on a beautiful planet.

[Art_from_Ark]

13. Those astronauts started reading from the book of Genesis on live TV

Christmas Eve, 1968. I will never forget that.

[warrior1]

11. Wow

this is the most responses I had in a long while. I'm glad ya'll like the link.

xo

w1

[fizzgig]

12. simply incredible

thank you

[bigwillq]

14. Such amazing photos.

I love how a simple photo can capture so much emotion. Good stuff. Thanks for posting. K and R

[Rhiannon12866]

15. OMG, these are incredible!

A lot of real tearjerkers here, but they sure represent the human condition. Thanks so much for posting! Bookmarking.

[HappyMe]

16. Thank you.

Touching, heartbreaking and healing.

[CrispyQ]

17. Highly recommended!

Thank you for posting.

[BlueIris]

18. Stunning.

Thanks.

[SCantiGOP]

19. Wow

just, Wow.

[hamsterjill]

20. Thanks for posting.

I enjoyed these immensely.

[sinkingfeeling]

21. Tears are running down my checks. Humanity.

[Mira]

22. Thank you! n/t

[riderinthestorm]

24. The Lounge is the place to come and find your humanity again

Thanks for this. Beautiful, thought provoking photos... amazing.

[cyndensco]

25. Thank goodness your post made it to the Cool section of the Homepage.

What a wonderful set of pictures. Thanks so much for sharing the link.

[rateyes]

26. Great pics.

I was expecting the photo of the young Vietnamese girl running naked from an attack. All of these are great.

[LynneSin]

29. Here's another one they forgot.....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghan_Girl

BTW she turned 40 this year

[BDize]

31. Thank you for posting these

[DeSwiss]

32. Thanks.

- K&R

[Curmudgeoness]

33. I had never seen the majority of those photos.

Most were good choices, many missing, and few just didn't need to be included.

For some reason, the one that was the worst for me (maybe because I had already seen most of the other very emotional ones) was the one of the Jewish prisoners leaving the death train. I don't know why it was that one that tore me up.

[Lucky Luciano]

34. Wow...I met one of these people.

In college his son lived on my floor in the dorms. The other son unfortunately worked for Cantor Fitzgerald and didn't make it that day. I remember when the son who died came to visit. We had quite a party that night! Met the father in the picture once too.

[jerseyjack]

35. ---interesting that almost all are of sad occasions.

[ninehippies]

36. Thank you

so much grief on this little blue marble....even the joy seems so intertwined with grief.