Over the years, some photos have stayed with me. Whether I saw them in a book, or on the front page of a newspaper, the images never left my mind.
The aftermath of the Charge of The Light Brigade. Crimean War, 1854. Russian cannonballs lying on the ground.
A dead Confederate soldier at Gettysburg. American Civil War, 1863. The body was likely ‘posed by’ the photographer.
British troops waiting to go into action at The Somme. France, 1916. Look at their faces, most would probably be dead within two hours.
The moment a Republican militiaman is struck by a bullet and killed.
Spanish Civil War, 1938.
American troops heading into Omaha Beach on D-Day. France, 1944.
Young survivors of the Holocaust. Auschwitz, 1945.
The mushroom cloud of the first Atomic Bomb as it explodes over Hiroshima. Japan, 1945.
The assassination of John F. Kennedy. Dallas, 1963.
The last helicopter preparing to leave the US Embassy in Saigon. Vietnam, 1975.
beetleypete 
Wow! These are iconic, and many I remember like it was yesterday.
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Me too, Jennie.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Best to you, Pete.
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Thanks, Pete. Some very iconic images there, and they haven’t lost their power.
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I doubt they will ever lose that power, Olga.
Best wishes, Pete.
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A powerful photo needs no words …the impact of one such photo can be remembered for eternity…
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I agree completely, Carol.
Best wishes, Pete. x
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I remember seeing a photo of a young girl running screaming from the atomic bomb at Hiroshima.
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Some time after Japan surrendered, there were also photos of the victims. Many had flash-burns, and then contracted radiation sickness.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Hi Pete, a picture speaks 1000 words 😞
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Before the advent of social media, such photos were really important, Robbie. Even now, a great photo can change things.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Reblogged this on Have We Had Help? and commented:
Our legacy…
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Thanks as always for reblogging, Jack.
Best wishes, Pete.
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I think everybody should have to see these to remind them of the futility if war.
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Front page photos had such impact at the time before social media. Though they can still have power now.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Fine photos, Pete, of not so fine subjects
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More to come, Don. Many will be far less distressing.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Sobering photos. A friend was evacuated on one of the last planes out of Cambodia.
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They were desperate times. Just like the scramble to get out of Kabul more recently.
Best wishes, Pete.
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There is no shortage of photos taken during times of war, social unrest, etc. And that’s unlikely to change anytime soon. Very sad indeed.
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They helped to provoke debate, and sometimes bring changes. One photo at the right time can make a difference, I believe.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Here the image that lasted the longest for me was of the little girl covered with napalm running down the road screaming in pain. It changed the view of the war for many here.
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Yes, ‘Napalm Girl’ was at the centre of the anti-war movement. I used the Saigon evacuation photo to show the desperate scramble of those last hours.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Yes I came to know some of those refugees. Catholic Charities took many into the Pacific Northwest.
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I am now conquered by sadness. Humans can be inhuman to the max. xx Michael
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You are so right about that, Michael.
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That is very true. But powerful images like these managed to change minds about wars and the treatment of people. At least for a while.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Reblogged this on NEW BLOG HERE >> https:/BOOKS.ESLARN-NET.DE.
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There are some photos here that bring back memories, some good, most bad…
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Yes, they do tend to feature the worst things that happen. There will be others in this series that are not so bleak.
Best wishes, Pete.
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These are amazing photographs that epitomize the saying, that a picture is worth a thousand words. My great uncle was in Saigon and was luckily helicoptered out before it was too late.
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He was a lucky man indeed, Darlene. I was 23 when Saigon fell, and remember it like it was yesterday.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Another great collection that illustrates war in all its horrendous face…..good job….chuq
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Thanks, chuq. More photos to follow soon, not all concerning wars.
Best wishes, Pete.
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I look forward to these…thanx chuq
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Thank you for sharing these. Warmest regards, Theo
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More to follow soon, Theo.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Good job! Enjoyed in thoroughly!
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Thanks very much, John.
Best wishes, Pete.
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those photos are imprinted in my memory forever
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The best photos can stop wars, and change lives. More to come, Beth.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Iconic photos indeed.
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I will be featuring some more, soon, GP.
Best wishes, Pete.
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One of the most iconic that changed the Vietnam war
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phan_Thi_Kim_Phuc
This photo has stayed with me and many millions.
I met her a few years ago.
She is a devout Christian and met the pilot that bombed her.
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Yes. ‘Napalm Girl’ had a happy ending indeed.
Best wishes, Pete.
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This photo stayed with me as well, Gavin.
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War. What is it good for? Nothing. No photograph, however good, will ever convince me otherwise. Cheers, Jon.
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Very true. But photos from WW1 and Vietnam did stir up anti-war feelings at the time.
Best wishes, Pete.
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True, so to that extent, they were very useful. Propaganda can be used positively, as well as negatively.
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