5 Iconic Vintage Photos With Moving Back Stories

Historic images that make us thank camera’s invention.

A lot changed after 1816 when the first photographic camera was invented by a man from France, Joseph Nicéphore Niépce.

Modern history is well preserved by all the photographers of the past, especially in the 20th century.

Most of the major and, let us say, non-major events, incidents, or moments like international politics, tragedies, and even scientific discoveries were captured by someone with a camera willing to capture a historic moment for generations to come.

Some of the most iconic photos come from political unrest, unexpected tragedies, and sports milestones.

These photos have gone down in history as significant artefacts showing humankind’s progress, struggle, and achievements.

This article will try to look into some of the most iconic photos throughout history that depict disaster, defeat, and other emotions and scenarios.

1) 1969, First Human Stepped On The Moon

21st July 1969, Apollo 11 landed on the moon. After over six and a half hours, Neil Armstrong, an American astronaut and aeronautical engineer, stepped out of his spacecraft and set the first-ever human foot on the moon’s surface.

The man who accompanied him on this 240,000 miles journey was Buzz Aldrin. He joined Neil Armstrong on the moon’s surface after about 20 minutes.

He is also the guy you can see in the picture above and Neil in his visor because it was Neil who was snapping most of the time.

While Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon’s surface, he uttered some famous words: one small step for a man, one giant leap for humankind.

2) 1989, The Start Of Becoming One Again for Berlin

Late 1989 marks a significant time for the people of Germany. After twenty-eight extremely tiring and demanding years, the infamous Berlin Wall came toppling.

The wall was built in three stages; the initial stage started on 13th August 1961. The purpose was to divide the non-Communist west from the Communist East.

The fall of the Berlin Wall started accidentally when a misinformed party head told the Berliners that the strict regulations around crossing the border had been eased.

Chaos followed after his statement when thousands of people from East Germany rushed to the border — leaving the unprepared guards with no choice but to let people through — eventually leading to the destruction of the Berlin Wall entirely.

3) 1932, Lunch On The Top Of A Skyscraper

This black and white photograph is of eleven iron workers sitting on a steel beam enjoying the meal during their lunch break 260 meters or 850 feet above the ground.

The image was a publicity stunt to promote high-rise buildings. The image was taken on the 69th floor of the Rockefeller Center in Manhattan, New York on 20th September 1932.

The image was first published during the construction of the RCA building. However, it was later acquired by Corbis Images a couple of years later.

4) 1968, Silent Gesture Of Human Rights

During the medal ceremony in the 1968 Olympics, two African American athletes, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, raise their fists wearing black gloves while the national anthem of the USA is being played.

Smith and Carlos won gold and bronze medals in the 200-meter race, which was held in the Summer Olympics of 1968. Both the men kept their hands raised until the anthem was over.

The gesture was believed to be a salute to Black Power until 30 years later, When Tommie Smith’s autobiography was published, Silent Gesture, in which he stated that the salute was of Human Rights and not Black Power.

The gesture is still regarded as one of the most open political messages in the history of the Olympics.

5) 1972, Napalm Girl And The Vietnam War

The Vietnam War was a war that killed more than 2 million civilians and almost 1.5 million fighters and military officials.

This was the worst time for the people living in the area of war because this was not a conventional war, it was a war fought without any plan, any strategy, and even any goal.

The North Vietnamese heavily used guerrilla warfare, and another thing that was used extensively was Napalm bombs.

The place where the napalm bomb was dropped was nothing less than hell. These bombs scorched and killed anything that was within 2500 yard radius.

The picture that you see above depicts the same thing. In the back, you can see the cloud of black smoke, and the main focus is the kids running away from it — especially the naked girl, commonly known as napalm girl.

The camera’s lens captured this nine-year-old girl at Trang Bang in 1972. The child can be seen running with her back severely burned by a napalm attack.

However, if you are wondering how she is now, well! She is living happily and safely in Canada. But, sadly haunting memories are not like paper airplanes — Can they fly that easily?

Final Words

The list of iconic photos can go on and on forever, with every picture showing us something new and telling a new story — someone’s whole tragic life.

Isn’t the invention of the camera a blessing for those who preserve history and those who love it! It surely is.