Take A Look At These Photos That Changed The World

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“A picture is worth a thousand words.”

There are those that capture moments that are both iconic and unforgettable. These sort of images tend to shape the way we recollect some of the best and worst moments of contemporary human existence. Today, being World Photography Day, we celebrate some of the most influential photos of all time.

The Terror Of War, Nick Ut, 1972

On July 8, 1972, an Associated Press (AP) photojournalist, Nick Ut, captured an image of children running away from their southern Vietnam village after napalm was dropped on it. This image, also known as “Napalm Girl”, presented the public with a visual record of the inhumanity and destruction caused by war. It also demonstrated the preservative purpose of photography. The photograph won the 1973 Pulitzer Prize.

The Burning Monk, Malcolm Browne, 1963

In June 1963, Vietnamese Mahayana Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duc burned himself to death at a busy intersection in Saigon to show that, to fight all forms of oppression on equal terms, Buddhism needed martyrs. The act became a sign of the volatility of his nation. Captured by AP photographer Malcolm Browne, the image became an iconic visual of the turbulent 1960s, earning him a Pulitzer Prize.

Struggling Girl, Kevin Carter, 1993

Taken in March 1993 by Kevin Carter, this photo shows a vulture waiting for a starving Sudanese girl to die. Carter captured the girl who had stopped to rest while struggling to a United Nations feeding centre nearby. The photo sparked a debate over when photographers should intervene. The child survived but died 14 years later from malarial fever. But in July 1994, three months after winning a Pulitzer for his image, Carter took his own life out of guilt.

How Life Begins, Lennart Nilsson, 1965

This photo, which shows a fetus at 18 weeks, was one of the first pictures taken with the endoscope. In a photo essay published in Life Magazine in 1965, Lennart Nilsson captured the mystery of life from conception to intra-uterine development. Nilsson’s images revealed for the first time what a developing fetus looks like. With its clear, detailed view of human life at its earliest stages, the issue sold out within days. He won the 1966 Photographer of the Year award for his photos.

Black Lives Matter, Jonathan Bachman, 2016

At a time when riots were at the peak in the US in protest of police brutality, Jonathan Bachman captured this photo. Taken on July 9, 2016, for Reuters, it shows lone activist Ieshia Evans standing her ground while offering her hands for arrest outside the Baton Rouge Police Department in Louisiana. The 28-year-old Pennsylvania nurse and mother of one, travelled to Baton Rouge to protest against the shooting of Alton Sterling. Sterling was a 37-year-old black man and father of five, who was shot at close range by two white police officers.