A photograph only captures a single moment, but that moment communicates so much more.
These 20 historical photos all come from pivotal moments in time, be it for the history around them or their nostalgic impact. Because photos aren't just still images documenting the past. They're memories.
1
Stalin
Informed that Germany had begun invading the Soviet Union. June 22, 1941, at 4:31am.
2
Ferdinand Behr
(Mistakenly) arrested after the shooting of Archduke Ferdinand.
3
Vice President Cheney
Watching television on 9/11.
4
A6M Zero Kamikaze
Moments before hitting the starboard side of the USS Missouri on April 11, 1945.
5
Titanic Survivors
Rowing their lifeboats.
6
“A Moment Before Happiness”
Romania, 1955.
7
A Boy in a KKK Rally
Touching a police officer’s shield, 1992.
8
Firefighter Looks at the the Ušće Tower
Following the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, 1999.
9
Nagasaki
The moment the bomb dropped, 1945.
10
The Beatles
Lining Up About to take an album cover photo, 1969.
11
Pablo Escobar’s Mugshot
Before he rose to prominence. Early 1970s.
12
Elvis
Sharing a moment with his dad after the death of his mother.
13
Dutch Resistance Members
Learning of Hitler's death, 1945. Colorized.
14
President John F. Kennedy
Innocent photo by Wyoming native Robert Croft, November 22, 1963.
15
Kennedy and Eisenhower
At Camp David, discussing the failed Bay of Pigs invasion, April 22, 1961.
16
Peak 1990s
Living in the moment.
17
Pet Bear
A man in Arkansas shows a kid his pet bear in 1996. It attacked a woman moments later.
18
Charlie Chaplin
Meeting Helen Keller on the set of Sunnyside. 1919.
19
Michael Dukakis
Driving a tank before losing to George H.W. Bush.
20
Michael Jackson
Hitting the moonwalk on TV for the first time. 1983.
