The camera was invented in 1685, but it took a long time to develop and become widely used. Over the past century, many photographs have captured significant events across various professions and fields. Behind these images are numerous stories worth mentioning.
Surprising Stories Behind Famous Photographs
1. Earthrise
Astronaut William Anders captured the famous “Earthrise” photograph as the Apollo 8 spacecraft returned from behind the Moon. Apollo 8, NASA’s first crewed mission to the Moon, entered lunar orbit on Christmas Eve in 1968. That evening, the astronauts held a live broadcast showing images of Earth and the Moon from their spacecraft.
In the iconic image known as “Earthrise,” Earth appears as a blue orb rising above immense white clouds, suspended in the dark space above the lunar horizon. Anders described it as “the most beautiful thing I had ever seen” and noted that while they were there to study the Moon, the image of Earth as viewed from the Moon was the most fascinating aspect of the flight.
2. Lunch atop a Skyscraper
The image of 11 men sitting on a steel beam high above New York City tells many stories. It showcases the hard work and skill of laborers. However, what’s even more striking is the almost nonexistent safety precautions they had. These men were immigrant workers with lean physiques. The photo captures the plight of the exploited working class during that era.
To take such a photo, the photographer would have had to sit in a similar precarious position, yet details regarding the photographer and the circumstances of this famous photograph remain unclear.
3. Electric Stimulus Experiment on the Face
Regarded as a pioneer of modern neurology, Guillaume Duchenne de Boulogne graduated from medical school in Paris in 1831. Duchenne sought patients with neurological disorders, using electricity for diagnosis and treatment. He developed a machine to manage localized electrical stimulation to understand the relationship between muscle movement and nerves.
In the mid-19th century, Duchenne conducted numerous studies on facial muscles and documented his work in a series of photographs. The most famous image features an unnamed shoemaker with a complex facial paralysis condition. He is depicted as an elderly, toothless man with a gaunt face and frightening features.
Duchenne’s work significantly impacted the study of muscle diseases, particularly muscular dystrophy and polio, while intriguingly merging the emerging fields of electricity, photography, and physiology.
4. The Kiss in Times Square
Renowned photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt captured the image of a sailor kissing a woman in a white dress in the heart of Times Square, New York City, on August 14, 1945, when Japan announced its surrender to the Allies, marking the end of World War II.
In the years that followed, many claimed to be the two subjects in the photograph. A 2012 book titled The Kissing Sailor identified the couple as sailor George Mendonsa and dental assistant Greta Zimmer. Interestingly, the two did not know each other. They shared that beautiful kiss with a stranger out of sheer joy at the war’s end.
5. Migrant Mother
In a nearly 100-year-old press photograph, Florence Owens Thompson, then 32, gazes into the distance with her small children. This image became a symbol of the Great Depression for many Americans.
The Great Depression devastated lives across the United States. In 1936, photojournalist Dorothea Lange, working for the Resettlement Administration, encountered a destitute mother near Nipomo, California. Florence Owens Thompson had seven children and was an immigrant worker in search of money. In Lange’s photograph, two dirty, disheveled children shyly turn away from the camera while their mother touches her face, staring into the void.
The photograph was published by the San Francisco News along with a detailed story about the widespread hunger in labor camps and the plight of people like Florence. Subsequently, this led to social workers providing assistance and helping them build better lives.
6. The Situation Room
Taken on the afternoon of May 1, 2011, this image shows President Barack Obama and his national security team receiving updates about the Navy SEAL’s covert raid on the housing compound in Pakistan of one of the most wanted terrorists in American history – Osama bin Laden. At 11:35 PM that night, the President appeared on live television to announce that the mastermind behind the September 11 attacks had been killed by SEAL forces.
White House photographer Pete Souza captured the image after Obama and his senior aides crowded into a small meeting room in the West Wing Situation Room. Former President Obama later shared that the 40 minutes during which the SEAL helicopter landed at bin Laden’s hideout were the longest of his life.
