20 of the most powerful photos of all time: from space to sports and tragedy

Here are the images that captured our world in a particular moment, but have equally stood the test of time

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  1936: Photojournalist Dorothea Lange was tasked with raising awareness for the plight of farmers in the US during the Great Depression. In 1936, she encountered Florence Owens Thompson and her children in California, where they lived in a camp with other field workers who lost their livelihoods to crop failure. The photograph was widely publicised, and it not only became the defining image for the Great Depression, it also resulted in real-world action, pushing the US government to send food to the camp. Dorothea Lange

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  1941: The head of the Gestapo, Heinrich Himmler, looks at a Soviet prisoner of war (right) during his inspection of a concentration camp in Belarus in 1941. Himmler was responsible for co-ordinating the mass murder of Jewish people in the Third Reich. The photo illustrates the contrast of power between the two figures, and it is the defiance in the prisoner's stance that makes it so very memorable. National Archives / Newsmakers

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  1945: Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Photography for this photo, Joe Rosenthal captures US Marines raising the American flag over Mount Suribachi on the island of Iwo Jima in February 1945. The island witnessed one of the bloodiest battles of the Pacific War in the Second World War, resulting in the death of more than 6,000 soldiers. In the US, the photo became a symbol for triumph and was used as inspiration for the 1954 Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia. AP

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  1945: A mushroom cloud erupts over Nagasaki after US forces drop an atomic bomb on the city on August 9, 1945. The photo was taken by the same man who deployed the weapon, Lieutenant Charles Levy. Just days before, the US dropped the world’s first atomic bomb on another Japanese city, Hiroshima. Claiming the lives of at least 200,000 people, these devastating acts of nuclear warfare obliterated both cities and led to the surrender of the Japanese in the Second World War. Most survivors were maimed for life and suffered radioactive poisoning. Birth defects became common, and cases of cancer spiked, even years after the attacks. Getty Images

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  1951: Here’s one of the greatest minds of the 20th century in a rather silly pose. Though people may be more familiar with the cropped version of this photograph by Arthur Susse, the wider angle version offers a bit more context. Einstein sits in a car with his wife after leaving his 72nd birthday party at Princeton University on March 14, 1951. Exasperated by the surrounding photographers, the scientist, instead of smiling, stuck his tongue out instead. Getty Images

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  1960: It is an image that bolstered Che Guevara’s deification in many parts of the world, but it is also one that has been heavily commodified over the years, on T-shirts, mugs, posters and more. Myths had already formed around the revolutionary, and this photo from 1960 by Alberto Korda, who never claimed money for its use, became the perfect emblem for social activism. Whether or not Guevara lived up to these ideals may differ depending on who you ask, but the photo is undeniably symbolic. Wikimedia Commons

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  1963: In 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC to deliver a speech as part of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Speaking to more than 250,000 people, King expressed his support for civil rights and called for the end of racism in the US. The historic speech cemented King’s role as a leader in the civil rights movement, and it is considered one of the most well-known in history. Getty Images

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  1965: Muhammad Ali’s champion status may well have been cemented by this image from 1965. The heavyweight boxer was only 23 years told when he knocked his 34-year old opponent Sonny Liston to the ground in the first round, defending his world title for the second year. Ali’s star status would endure, and this photo remained one of his most recognisable throughout his life. AP

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  1968: This striking image of the Vietnam War taken on February 1, 1968 shows the execution of a Viet Cong prisoner by Brigadier General Nguyen Ngoc Loan. The shooter looks unfazed, but the expression of the soldier on his left reveals the violence of the moment, right in the streets of Saigon. By the next day, the photo was on the front pages of American newspapers, and it has been credited for changing public opinion on the war, showing the brutality of the conflict. AP

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  1968: Shot on Christmas Eve 1968 by astronaut William Andres, ‘Earthrise’ is the first coloured photograph of planet Earth. Anders was part of Nasa’s Apollo 8 mission, which orbited the moon. Before his photo, no one had seen the Earth in this way, fragile and as if floating in space. Over time, the image’s influence grew, particularly on the environmental movement. In 1970, the first Earth Day was created. Nasa

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  1969: Underneath the spacesuit is Buzz Aldrin who, along with Neil Armstrong, was one of the first humans on the moon. The Apollo 11 crew landed ‘Eagle’, the lunar module, on July 20, 1969. Armstrong, the spaceflight’s commander, was the first to step out and began taking photos with a Hasselblad. He took many photos of Aldrin in action, but this moment of pause is one that’s been fixed to our collective memory. If you look closely at the visor, you’ll see Armstrong’s reflection. AP

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  1985: Her image graced the cover of 'National Geographic' in 1985, but no one knew her identity until 2002. Photographed by the renowned Steve McCurry at the Nasir Bagh refugee camp in Pakistan, Sharbat Gula was only around 12 to 13 years old at the time when the Soviet-Afghan war turned her into a refugee. After she was finally located, 'National Geographic' set up the Afghan Girls’ Fund, which raised a million dollars for Afghan children and refugees. Steve McCurry

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  1986: An aerial view at the site of the worst nuclear disaster in history. In April 1986, the nuclear reactors at the Chernobyl ruptured and exploded, causing radioactive contamination in the surrounding areas. A few photographers risked exposure to radiation in order to document the disaster. This photograph was taken in May 1986 just weeks after the accident. Getty Images

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  1989: From 1961 to 1989, Berlin was a divided city. Physically by a concrete barrier, but also ideologically by the Soviet government in the East and Germany’s Federal Republic in the West. Civil unrest led to the eventual fall of the wall on November 11, 1989. In this photo by Gerard Malie, West Berliners watch as the East German border guards demolish sections of the wall, the first step to the unification of both sides. AFP

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  1990: A leader of the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa, Nelson Mandela was sentenced to life in prison for charges of sabotage in 1964. After serving 27 years in prison, he was released in 1990 by then-president Frederik Willem de Klerk, and the two worked together to end apartheid. At 71 years old, Mandela walked out of prison wearing a triumphant expression that revealed his undefeated spirit. Getty Images

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  2001: It was a day that changed the world. On September 11, 2001, terrorist group Al Qaeda executed a series of four co-ordinated attacks across the US. The ripple effects of 9/11 extended to the Middle East, instigating two wars in the region. Though there were multiple attacks that day, it was the destruction of New York’s World Trade Centre that truly made a mark on collective memory as two planes flew into the towers and caused their collapse.Reuters

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  2010: The 2010 BP oil spill remains the largest marine oil spill in history. High-pressure gas ignited as it rose to the drilling rig, causing an explosion and the sinking of the Deepwater Horizon rig. Subsequently, oil began to leak from the site and wreaked havoc on the surrounding wildlife. This photo by Charlie Riedel of a pelican attempting to raise its oil-drenched wings was one of the few that documented the spill’s impact on birds, and it served as proof of the wide-ranging damage that the disaster had caused. AP

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  2011: Although the Arab uprisings started in Tunisia, it was the Tahrir Square protests in Cairo that caught the attention of the world. The Egyptian revolution that started in January 2011 overthrew Hosni Mubarak, who until then had served as the country’s president for 30 years. AFP

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  2011: US president Barack Obama and his national security team await live updates from US forces as they conduct Operation Neptune Spear, which led to the execution of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in May 2011. We don’t know exactly what they are looking at, but the expressions on the faces of these top US officials create an intensity that gave the photo its fame. Taken by photographer Pete Souza, the picture has also drawn many comments from historians and political analysts who see it as a glimpse into the dynamics of leadership in the White House. AFP

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  2017: 'It’s a photo that I wish didn’t exist but now that it does I want everyone to see it,' writes wildlife photographer Justin Hofman about his picture, which made him a finalist for Wildlife Photographer of the Year in 2017. He took it while snorkelling along the coast of Sumbawa, Indonesia. It is not just the cotton bud that’s problematic here; Hofman, whose work focuses on marine plastic pollution, has pointed out that the white blobs in the background are plastic bags. He asks: This photo serves as an allegory for the current and future state of our oceans. What sort of future are we creating?' Justin Hofman

Images have influence. They can change minds or strengthen convictions. They can shock, inspire, anger or amuse. But what makes them last? It’s hard to determine exactly what gives a photograph staying power, but these powerful images might offer a clue.

Here we have collated 20 images that are easily identifiable as some of the most powerful photographs of all time. These are ones that have spurred social change, captured history in the making and elevated their subjects to a globally recognised status.

Among our selection is the image of a seahorse carrying a cotton bud that provoked environmental concern, the image of Albert Einstein sticking out his tongue for a camera man and Steve McCurry's photograph of Sharbat Gula, The Afghan Girl, which was featured on a 1985 cover of National Geographic. 

Click through the gallery above to see the full collection of powerful photographs.