Every photographer hopes to snap an iconic picture of history being made, but how many actually get to do so? Over the years, we’ve collected a handful of such photos, some of which have been granted awards and swayed the hearts of millions.
But there are some pictures out there that capture not the exact moments in history that we now talk about, but the events leading up to them. These snippets help us envision the stories in their entirety and in some cases, may paint drastically different pictures- such as a smile right before an assassination, or a seemingly innocuous gesture right before the triumph.
Together, let’s look at some of these photos and recreate iconic moments in history from start to finish.
Tank Man At Tiananmen Square
History’s most iconic depiction of resistance was when an unidentified man known as “Tank Man” single-handedly stood down four Chinese tanks among the Tiananmen Square protests against political corruption and persecution. This photo shot on June 5, 1989 shows the “Tank Man” approaching those tanks in the middle of the street ready to make history.
Adolf Hitler’s Death
This photo captured on April 29, 1945 of Hitler (right) with adjutant Julius Schaub surveying the ruins of the Reich chancellery in Berlin was believed to be the last picture of him prior to his suicide.
6 thoughts on “30 Photos Taken Seconds Before History Was Written”
We Americans lost out here.No way Jack Ruby did this alone;he c;early had underworld toes.
These were so great and a little eerie at the same time!
Thanks,
Great pictures that’s history
Very enjoyable pictures. I had seen the Lee Harvey Oswald one before.
Pictures that are used to distort and are false should be explained or otherwise not used. Hitler
DID NOT commit suicide as declassified FBI reports clearly state. He found refuge in Argentina and his identity was protected by the Dulles brothers who occupied the position of Sec. of State and CIA director.
The Tiannamen Square massacre did not happen. This was erroneously reported and later retracted by eyewitness accounts of WAPO and NYT’s reporters. Even though the lie of Hitler’s suicide continues to be published in most textbooks, it is absolutely false as the skull fragments in location were of a woman. Perhaps the truth is too embarrassing and won’t fit the massive lie so cemented in this lie of history . Please do a search and find it for yourself. The majority of the history I learned in high school was distorted and much of it in accurate.
I’m only 72 but I vividly recall so much of this history as it happened.