Some photos possess a power that transcends time, becoming symbols of resistance, hope, and human triumph. These photos are not merely snapshots of a moment, but rather testimonies to history.
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02-11, 2025However, hidden behind each photo are untold stories about the people in the pictures, the events that shaped them, and the photographers who created history. These stories imbue the photos with deeper meaning, making them worthy of our understanding and remembrance.
The following are some of the most iconic news photos in the world's memory, along with the stories behind them. These stories reveal the context in which the photos were created, as well as their impact on society and history.
Tank Man (1989)
An unidentified man, unarmed and carrying only shopping bags, stood in the path of a column of tanks in the streets of Beijing. This occurred in the aftermath of the Tiananmen Square incident, when Chinese troops suppressed pro-democracy demonstrators, causing hundreds or even thousands of casualties.
The photo is considered "dangerous" by the Chinese government, deleted from history books, and blocked on the internet. But elsewhere, it persists as a powerful symbol of resistance. The dissemination of this photo showcases the power of the people.
Interestingly, there are several nearly identical versions of this photo. The few international journalists who captured this tense standoff were stationed at the same hotel, affording them similar vantage points. ABC reporter Max Uechtritz and photographer Willie Phua captured video footage of "Tank Man."
Uechtritz vividly recalled the shocking moment. "Willie yelled at me that morning, 'Max, you've got to see this.'"
"So I ran out of the room and looked into the viewfinder of his camera. There was a man standing in front of the tanks. You immediately felt…you immediately felt afraid for him."
"He climbed onto the tank and said some things, like 'Why are you bringing chaos to our city?'"
"We all held our breath. He could have been shot at any moment by any one of the numerous snipers. But he was then taken away by a group of people, and we don't know if they were secret police or just demonstrators trying to save his life."
Uechtritz's experiences in Beijing inspired a key plotline in the new season of the ABC iview drama "The Newsreader."
"We certainly hope he got away, survived, and is somewhere...but we'll never know," he said.
"The reason that moment has lived on is that it has become a symbol of resistance and people power. It's something I'll never forget."
Moon Landing (1969)
In one of the most anticipated moments in modern history, Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to set foot on the moon.
Many may be surprised to learn that while Armstrong is known for being the first person to walk on the moon, he is not actually the subject of this photo. He was the photographer, and the astronaut in the photo is Aldrin.
While the footage was broadcast on television to approximately 650 million people, Aldrin's photo remains a symbol of the triumph of human progress – and one that is artistically beautiful. This photo is one of 166 taken during the two and a half hour moonwalk.
According to NASA, these photos are the only still images of humans on another world. On the lunar surface, the astronauts erected an American flag, which Aldrin said was blown over by the ascent engine's exhaust during liftoff. They also left behind a silicon disc displaying messages of goodwill from world leaders, including Queen Elizabeth II. Their mission remains a pinnacle of human exploration.
Napalm Girl (1972)
Nick Ut's Pulitzer Prize-winning photo is widely regarded as one of the most iconic images of the 20th century, but it almost didn't see the light of day. Ut submitted the photo to the Associated Press (AP), but it was nearly rejected due to its strict rules about publishing nudity.
The photo shows a nine-year-old girl running naked after a U.S. napalm attack during the Vietnam War. She had torn off her burning clothes. The girl in the photo, Phan Thi Kim Phuc, believes that photographer Ut saved her life.
Kim Phuc said that after capturing the harrowing moment, Ut quickly took her to the hospital and demanded that she be treated. She suffered burns on 65% of her skin. The two have remained friends ever since. Ut has been an active advocate for journalists to provide assistance in similar situations, rather than adhering to a principle of non-intervention.
Now residing in Canada, Kim Phuc founded the Kim Phuc Foundation International to support child victims of war. The photo was recently embroiled in controversy after the Sundance Film Festival released a documentary, "The Stringer," which claimed that Ut was wrongly credited as the photographer of the image, and that the photo was allegedly taken by NBC News driver Nguyen Thanh Nghi. Ut and the AP have vehemently denied the claims, and according to Ut's lawyer, the claims will be the subject of a defamation lawsuit.
Wave Hill (1975)
This symbolic gesture between Prime Minister Gough Whitlam and activist Vincent Lingiari marked the end of a nine-year protest and ushered in a new era for Aboriginal land rights. On August 16, 1975, Whitlam handed over a leasehold title to the Gurindji people at Daguragu, making them the first Aboriginal community to have land returned to them by the federal government.
But what many Australians may not know is that this photo, taken by Aboriginal photographer Mervyn Bishop, was actually re-staged after the fact. Bishop previously told NITV: "It was dark at the time. We took photos with flash. But it didn't look too good."
"After the ceremony, I immediately approached Mr. Whitlam and said, 'Mr. Whitlam, can we retake this photo in the bright blue sky?'"
"'Good,' the Prime Minister replied. 'So I sort of arranged him, posed him, with the land title in his left hand, dropping his right hand. Mr. Whitlam bent down, picked up a handful of dirt, and said, 'Is this okay?'" This striking, posed photo became a key and symbolic image of the Aboriginal land rights and reconciliation movement.
Princess Diana (1987)
In April 1987, Princess Diana opened Britain's first purpose-built HIV/AIDS unit, shaking hands with a patient – without gloves – to demonstrate that the virus could not be transmitted through touch. This was her way of setting the record straight, as media coverage of the epidemic was rife with misinformation, hysteria, and fear-mongering.
John O'Reilly, a nurse on the ward during Princess Diana's pivotal visit, previously told the BBC that her presence was a major coup for everyone affected by the disease. "If a member of the Royal Family can shake hands with a patient, then someone at a bus stop or in a supermarket can do the same. It really educated people," he said.
Hospital staff were eager for photo opportunities, but patients shied away from the media due to sensationalist reporting on HIV/AIDS. But one patient, the man in the now-famous photo, agreed to be photographed with the Princess of Wales. "I don't think it took much persuasion because he was dying, and he thought, 'Well, what the hell? I'll do it,'" O'Reilly said.
He also recalled how Princess Diana rebuffed a condescending doctor who asked her if she knew what an X-ray was. "He held up a chest X-ray. She just very politely said, 'I'm a patron of the British Heart and Lung Foundation, I certainly know what an X-ray is.'"
Black Summer Bushfires (2019)
With its dramatic, scorched red sky, respirator masks, and an innocent child seemingly caught up in danger, you could be forgiven for thinking this photo was from an apocalyptic movie. Widely shared at the time, the image captured not only the devastation but also the resilience of those facing one of Australia's worst natural disasters.
The photo was taken by Alison Marion, depicting her 11-year-old son Finn as they evacuated from the Mallacoota bushfires by boat. Marion said in an early 2020 interview with ABC Radio that she had no idea her photo would have such an impact. "I just took those photos as a record, I thought, of our family's story," she said.
"My two sons were little legends, they were so calm...Finn was driving the boat, my other son was looking after the dog in the boat." Marion said she lost track of time, but they were lucky to join a convoy with other locals and families. "We followed them to Goodwin Sands, where we stayed for a day. There were a lot of Mallacoota people sheltering there," she told the ABC.
"Our street somehow escaped the fire, but, I feel so sad for so many people in our community who have lost their homes. It's just been so sad." While approximately 60 homes were destroyed in Mallacoota, Marion's family was able to return to their undamaged home.
What Makes a Photo Iconic?
Dr. Robert Hassan, Professor of Media and Communications at the University of Melbourne, says that the formation of an iconic image is largely driven by the media itself. "These photos were taken, developed, and disseminated through newspapers, the old traditional media."
"They had time to gestate, they had time to sink into the world's consciousness. Then they became recognizable symbols." However, Dr. Hassan believes the digital age has changed this. "Once [a photo] goes online, which is how most people get their news now, someone can copy it and get into the source code, start manipulating it – colorizing it, changing it...we become confused," he said. "The provenance of everything we see is questionable. If nothing is true, then nothing is real. This is one of the big problems facing journalism."
