Eruption Of Mt. Pinatubo
This photograph shows the driver of a pickup truck desperately trying to outrun a cloud of volcanic ash after the catastrophic eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991 in the Philippines.
This photo has won many awards, and one cannot look at it without feeling a mixture of amazement and sorrow. As impressive as this picture is, one cannot help but think about what they would have done if they were the driver in this terrifying scenario.
Daredevils Playing Tennis On A Plane
This 1925 photograph shows two daredevils, Gladys Roy and Ivan Unger, playing tennis on the wing of a biplane above 1000 meters altitude. As crazy as it sounds, this was very much real, and it helped popularize tennis all over the world.
The stuntwomen also became famous afterward, Gladys gaining much more popularity than Unger. The two were also professional pilots and tried many other stunts over the years. Sadly, Gladys lost her life in one such stunt, accidentally walking into a propeller.
Friend Honoring A Promise
This might look like a funny photo of a man wearing a flashy, neon-green dress, but the story behind it is heartwrenching. This man is attending his friend’s funeral.
The two men had promised each other that if one of them died, the other one would wear a ridiculous green dress to their funeral. None of them thought this would actually happen so soon.
The Elephant’s Foot
This picture shows what looks like a pile of goo and nothing more. In reality, this is the melted nuclear core from the Chernobyl Disaster, and this picture was almost impossible to take.
This is because, after just a few minutes of exposure to this core’s radiation, people would die horrible deaths with symptoms such as hemorrhage, diarrhea, and vomiting. No one knows what happened to the photographer.
Wait For Me, Daddy
This photograph shows a little boy running towards his father to grab his hand while his mother chases after him trying to stop him. As wholesome as it may seem, there’s a very tragic story behind it.
This boy’s father was a Canadian soldier, and he was marching to World War II in 1939. There was a chance that this boy was never going to see his father again, and this was their last goodbye.
Earthrise
We see the sun, and the moon appear and disappear in the sky every single day and don’t think much of it, but have you ever wondered what the view is like from the moon itself?
During the Apollo 8 mission in 1968, this amazing photo was taken, showing what Earth looks like from the moon. It really makes you think about how tiny we are in relation to the universe.
Ghost Trees
No, this is not a painting, as hard as it is to believe. This visual masterpiece is actually a photograph taken in Namibia by photographer Frans Lanting.
It is the product of great skill and a combination of many photography techniques, plus being at the right place at the right time for the sun to give the trees the perfect light. The background shows a sand dune bathing in sunlight.
Bee Peeing
It probably never crossed your mind that bees, like all other animals, pee, probably because it would be extremely rare actually to see it happen in person. But, of course, bees pee just like any other living creature.
A photographer was lucky enough to capture this moment in full HD, and it’s truly beautiful. Bees are marvelous creatures that are vital for the environment, and seeing them like this makes people appreciate them more as living beings and not just ‘some bugs.’
A Few Seconds Before Happiness
This wholesome photo, titled A Few Seconds Before Happiness, could not have a better title. It shows a little boy awaiting a surprise from his dad, who’s already smiling.
The boy can’t see it, but we can clearly see that his father is about to give him the greatest gift a child could receive: a puppy. This was taken in 1955 in Romania.
Man Floating In Space
This impressive photograph shows astronaut Bruce McCandless floating in space, untethered. He was the first person to ever attempt this dangerous task, and luckily, he returned to the ship safely.
No one attempted this before because of how risky it was. Astronauts are usually tethered to the ship to prevent them from floating away into the void, but McCandless was truly fearless.
Girl And Tornado
Most people would run for their lives at the sight of a tornado, but not this girl. This is Audra Thomas, a young woman photographed by her mother in 1989.
The two were going for a nice walk on the beach when they spotted a tornado. Instead of running away, Audra asked her mother to take her picture. The two survived, and the photo became famous all over the world.
Monkey Selfie
Monkeys are extremely smart animals and are very similar to us in many ways. This monkey figured out how to operate a camera and took a selfie showing his beautiful smile. It didn’t take long before this photo went viral.
In a bizarre twist, there has been a copyright dispute over this photo since 2011, as many animal rights organizations claim that the copyright belongs to the monkey and not the owner of the photo, David Slater.
Thousand-Yard Stare
The thousand-yard stare describes the typical blank gaze exhibited by soldiers after going to war. This was first seen in World War I when millions of surviving soldiers were affected by PTSD.
This photo, in particular, shows US Marine T.J. Miller, who was photographed after two days of non-stop fighting in 1944. He had been exposed to so much horror that he became detached from it and dissociated, as shown by his stare.
The First Hubble Ultra Deep Field
This might look like a picture of a starry night, but it is far more than that. This is actually a picture taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, showing a countless number of distant galaxies.
This photo helped prove that the universe is pretty much infinite and that there are millions and millions of galaxies out there, and each galaxy has planets and other objects within itself, just like ours.
The First Solar Eclipse
This photo shows the first solar eclipse caught on camera. This breathtaking image that looks like a painting was taken by Carleton Watkins in 1880.
This photo was extremely hard to take, but Watkins still managed to get the perfect shot of this wonder of nature. During the eclipse, he only had time to make one exposure, and he got it.
Christina In Red
Not much is known about Christina Peddling, except that she was the model in one of the first color photographs to ever exist. In 1913, this young girl posed for a series of photos at the beach, which are now extremely famous.
What stands out is the vivid color of her jacket, which is something that people had never seen before in a photo. Sure, now all our photos are in color, but just imagine how huge this was 100 years ago!
The Kiss Of Life
The Kiss of Life is a famous photograph that seems to tell one story but, in reality, tells another. It looks like two young workers kissing on the job, but that’s not what was really going on.
Randall G. Champion went unconscious after coming in contact with a low voltage line. J.D. Thompson caught him and began giving him mouth-to-mouth, He then carried Champion down to safety. He made a full recovery.
Photo Of A Single Atom
An atom is the smallest particle of a chemical element that can exist, meaning that there is nothing smaller in the whole universe. It’s hard to picture it in our heads, and the thought of getting a photograph of one was unthinkable until recently.
In 2018, an Oxford University student managed to take a photo of a single atom using a standard DSLR camera. The atom is trapped by electric fields, which make it visible.
Pluto In True Color
Pluto is a dwarf planet and it’s the farthest object from Earth in the solar system. Despite being so far away, NASA took a high-resolution photo of Pluto showing its true colors.
The spacecraft that took the photo was 280,000 miles away and yet, the photo looks like a painting. It’s crazy to think how far technology has come.
Nine Kings
We’ve all heard thousands of stories about kings and queens, but it’s extremely rare to see nine kings in one photo. This unprecedented event took place on May 20, 1910, for King Edward VII’s funeral.
The photo shows King Haakon VII of Norway, Tsar Ferdinand of the Bulgarians, King Manuel II of Portugal and the Algarve, Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany and Prussia, King George I of the Hellenes, King Albert I of the Belgians, King Alfonso XIII of Spain, King George V of the United Kingdom, and King Frederick VIII of Denmark.
Afghan Girl
You’ve probably seen this photo at least once in your life, and that’s because it is one of the most famous photographs ever taken. Even though we’ve all seen it, it is still wonderful to see it again.
The girl was Sharbat Gula, an Afghan teenager living in a refugee camp in Pakistan in 1984. The photo was compared to Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa because of the effect it has on the viewer.
First Photo Of A Cat
Although dogs are known as man’s best friend, cats have been loved and worshipped by humans for thousands of years. For example, the ancient Egyptians considered them gods.
As soon as photography became a thing, one of the earliest photographers decided to immortalize this adorable kitty in one of the oldest photos ever taken. It is believed the photo was taken in 1840.
The Unbroken Seal Of King Tut’s Tomb
Tutankhamun, commonly known as King Tut, was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh. His nearly-intact tomb was discovered in 1922, and over 5,000 artifacts were found inside.
This photo shows the unbroken seal on his tomb, which was untouched for 3,245 years. The knotted cord had a delicate clay seal featuring Anubis, the Egyptian god entrusted with the protection of the tomb.
Albert Einstein’s Most Iconic Photo
When we think of the great Albert Einstein, one photo comes to mind: that hilarious shot of the scientist sticking his tongue out. This always made him seem like a cool, down-to-earth historical figure.
It was taken on his 72nd birthday on March 14, 1951. A party was being held in his honor at Princeton, and paparazzi were lurking outside hoping to get a picture of him. As soon as he saw the paparazzi, he stuck his tongue out and gave us this legendary image.
Soviet Soldiers Feeding Polar Bears
Polar bears are beautiful, adorable creatures, but we all know that they can kill us within an instant if we get too close. The Soviet soldiers, however, were known for being fearless, especially when it came to cold environments.
This adorable photo was taken in 1950 during an expedition in the Chukchi Peninsula in the Soviet Union. The temperatures were under -40 Fahrenheit, but the soldiers had an awesome time feeding and playing with the bears.
John Lennon And His Killer
It is widely known that John Lennon was murdered by Mark David Chapman, a crazed Beatles fan who planned the crime for months. But, did you know that Chapman met Lennon the night before he killed him?
Here, you can see Chapman asking Lennon for an autograph outside his home in New York City. A few hours later, when Lennon returned home, Chapman shot him four times.