What Is Being Captured in These Famous Photos?

On January 15, 2009, pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger III made an emergency landing in New York City’s Hudson River after flying into a flock of geese.

Photographer Charles O’Rear captured the image in January 1996. Microsoft found it through a stock photo agency and paid six figures to use it as the Windows XP background.

Following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, a photographer captured this image of Sharbat Gula, a young refugee evacuated to Rome.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks made history when she was arrested for refusing to give up her bus seat for a white passenger.

Orville and Wilbur Wright made history on the beaches of North Carolina while taking the first human flight on December 17, 1903.

Apollo 11 commander Neil Armstrong took this famous picture in 1969. The photo features astronaut Buzz Aldrin, and Armstrong can be seen in the reflection on Aldrin’s visor.

One of history's most famous protest images is “Tank Man,” taken by Jeff Widener during pro-democracy demonstrations in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. The shot was captured on June 5, 1989, from Widener’s sixth-floor hotel window. The photographer watched in awe as a man slowly stepped out in front of military tanks before being pulled away to safety by onlookers.

“Dalí Atomicus” is a 1948 photo by Philippe Halsman, featuring Spanish artist Salvador Dalí. The airborne scene took a reported 26 takes, but the result became one of the most famous photos of Dalí. Halsman called his technique “jumpology” — he also photographed Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Richard Nixon, and other celebrities with this method.

“Gandhi and His Spinning Wheel” features famed civil rights activist Mohandas Gandhi sitting peacefully beside his spinning wheel in 1946. It was captured by Margaret Bourke-White while on assignment for “Life” magazine in India. The May 1946 edition of the magazine focused on Indian leaders ahead of the country’s separation from Great Britain, and this image of Gandhi became its most famous.

This famous portrait was captured by Yousuf Karsh during one of Winston Churchill’s visits to Canada in 1941, at the height of World War II. Just before the image was taken, the prime minister gave a rousing speech on the war, exclaiming, “To fight on in unity together!” According to Karsh, Churchill is scowling because he was asked to remove his cigar to take the photo.

“Lunch Atop a Skyscraper” was taken on September 20, 1932, as part of a publicity stunt to stimulate excitement for the near completion of Rockefeller Center. The image shows ironworkers enjoying lunch while dangling 850 feet above New York City. However, much of the photo remains a mystery — only two of the 11 ironworkers have been identified, and the photographer is unknown.

The Hindenburg disaster was caught on film on May 6, 1937, during its first transatlantic flight. The LZ 129, known as the “Hindenburg,” was a giant German passenger airship. As the airship was landing in New Jersey, it burst into flames and crashed to the ground.

This famous photo of Marilyn Monroe was captured on September 15, 1954, by photographer Sam Shaw in New York City. The actress was filming a scene for “The Seven Year Itch” in which a breeze from a subway grate lifts her skirt. Instead of quickly pushing it down, Monroe, as “The Girl,” exclaims, “Isn’t it delicious?” The image was later used to drum up publicity for the film.

NASA’s Apollo 8 crew — Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders — became the first humans to orbit the moon and to witness the “Earthrise” on December 24, 1968. Anders captured this amazing photo with a regular camera while onboard the spacecraft. The image depicts the Earth peeking out behind the lunar surface.

The 1965 World Heavyweight Championship boxing match between Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston is one of the most famous moments in sports history. The fight lasted 2 minutes and 8 seconds until Ali knocked Liston to the ground. There are many images from this fight, but “Sports Illustrated” photographer Neil Leifer is often credited with capturing the best one.

On August 15, 1945, thousands of people flocked to Times Square in New York City to celebrate Japan’s surrender from World War II, a day known as V-J Day. Amid the celebration, photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt captured a U.S. Navy sailor spontaneously kissing a nurse in a white dress. The photograph was printed in “Life” magazine one week later.

On April 10, 1912, the RMS Titanic left for her maiden — and final — voyage from Southampton, England. Before crossing the Atlantic Ocean toward New York, the ship also made a port call at Queenstown (now Cobh), Ireland. This image was taken at the shores of Crosshaven, Ireland, on April 12, just two days before the ship struck an iceberg and sank.

This powerful image, featuring American athlete John Carlos, made headlines during the height of the civil rights movement.

Captured on May 2, 1945, this image of the red flag followed a successful offensive operation by the Soviet Union against Germany.

Named for Loch Ness (“loch” means “lake” in Scottish vernacular), this mythical lake monster was reportedly captured on film in 1934.

On this infamous day, Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as President in mid-air, just hours after the assassination of John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963.

Scottish photographer Iain Macmillan took this famous image of the Fab Four crossing Abbey Road outside EMI Studios in London on August 8, 1969. The photo became the cover of the Beatles’ 11th studio album, “Abbey Road,” and in 1976, the studio was officially renamed Abbey Road Studios.

In 1936, American photographer Dorthea Lange was wandering a migrant workers’ campsite in Nipomo, California, when she encountered a distraught mother and her two children. The women didn’t exchange many words, but Lange snapped a photo of the mother with one hand lifted to her mouth while two children hid their faces against her shoulders. The image was made famous the following week by a San Francisco newspaper.

Joe Rosenthal’s Pulitzer Prize-winning photo, “Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima,” is one of the most recognizable images of the 20th century. It captures the moment when six U.S. Marines raised the American flag on Mount Suribachi in Japan on February 23, 1945. The photo was used on war bond posters and postage stamps, and later became the model for the Marine Corps War Memorial statue in Arlington, Virginia.

This famous image of Nobel Prize-winning scientist Albert Einstein was taken on March 14, 1951, as he left his 72nd birthday party at Princeton University. Due to his international acclaim, the celebration was flooded with photographers, and Einstein was tired of posing for the cameras. Legend says he shouted, “That’s enough!” before sticking his tongue out for this now-iconic photo.