57 most powerful photos in US history

Vietnam photo of the wounded soldier with a bandage around his head lying in the mud near a shared-off tree is the one I'm thinking of. And the Iraq war photo of the guy crying in the helicopter next to a body bag.

 

They were trying to honor Obama's presidency by having one for each state.

 

Without looking, but the photo created by the open shutter staring into space and exposing unseen galaxies has always been a favorite of mine.

 

Surprised there were no Katrina photos, like one of these:












I always found this photo (of the aftermath of a fire escape collapse in 1975 in Boston) incredibly powerful as well (the little girl survived):

 

I was surprised that there were no Brian Williams photos.

 

No Katrina photos. No Pearl Harbor photos (maybe FDR's war declaration photo). No Babe Ruth, as someone mentioned above. Maybe Ike talking to Dick Winters or Easy Company at the Eagle's Nest.

But, they did get my all time favorite 'Murica photo, Into the Jaws of Death. To me, nothing embodies the American can-do, shoulder the heavy burden and bravery like the photo of the 1st ID Soldiers leaving the boat, heading to Normandy.

My second favorite is the firefighters raising the flag at Ground Zero. I still get tears when I see it.

 

FWIW.. Wilkins got hosed in that dunk contest.

 

The Dust Bowl picture of the man and kids struggling against the wind should have been included, but perhaps the woman with kids photo takes care of that. Still, that Dust Bowl pic is the definition of "iconic."

 

In 500 years, these will be the two most iconic photos of the 20th Century:

 

I'd pick the photo showing Secretariat with the 31 length lead in the backstretch in the 1973 Belmont Stakes:

 

Amazing how many of those photos were about death and suffering. Not saying that they should not be there, but it's sad.

 

History remembers death and suffering more than anything else.

It's like the Prudential (I think) commercial where people tag the past and future boards with sticky notes of events. The past is littered with hard times and trials and tribulations, while the future is covered with good things.

I know it's just a retirement planning scare tactic, but it's true. Think about it.