6 Introduction 10 The Arts 28 Photographic Art 52 Society 94 Trick Photography 98 War&Peace 146 Stop Action 150 Science & NatureThe Premise Behind These Pictures Let us first pose a question Is i folly to nominate 100 pho- tographs as having been influential to world events, ors this Valid historic inquiry? LIFE wel, hare an in the following, pages, put forh its argument. You be the judge. Having been in the business of presenting stirring, eve latory photography since 1936, LIFE has a vested interestin claiming for phatnjonraliem a place of high importance Given its preferences and an endless page count, IPE would put fort thousand and more photos of substance, each of them worth at least a thousand words. ‘Words. Ever since chisel was taken to slate, it has been aceepted that words can and do change the world. Whether ite the Torah, the New Testament or the Koran, the Magna Carta or the Declaration of Independence, JAceuse, Oliver ‘Twist or Catch-22, Common Sense or Silent Spring, the effect ‘of words can reach so many hearts and minds thacitimpacts the human condition and the course of mankind, Speeches incite, editorials persuade, poems inspire Gan photographs perform similarly? or several weeks inthe spring af 208, LIFE saliited an ‘swers to that question on ts own Web ste (wwvwLIFF-com) and that ofthe highly regarded Digital Journalis (www ‘talioumalix.org), an online publication affiliated with the University of Texas. We received many opinions, most of ‘hich supported our conceit that a photo could change the ‘world-music to our eats—along with one detailed, intelli ‘gent rebuttal,“ eally co not beieve that photographs acu ally change anything, least ofall the "World” wrote Joshua’ Harun, "To suggest that photographs, ike che writen word, have had a profound effect on our lives is simply weong. Just imagine suggesting that Picture Post or Time or LIFE. hhad as mach impact on our lives 2s Das Kapital, Mein Kampf or the Bible... Photographs can be very beautiful, informative, ugly or any- thing else the photographer choos ‘esto shows. Photographs can defi nitely inspire us, but the written ‘word has the ability to spark the [maginacion vo grearer deprhs man. any photograph, whose content is limited to what exists in the fame.” ‘Mr Hacuni is, by the way, a docu- ‘mentary photographer. 6 MB wwreooucrion ‘Aworld-changing portrait of Caden Zane Brown, is argument forced us to once again confront our prem ‘se, We compared Mr: Harun’ thoughts and those of other respondents and finally determined: A collection of pictures that “changed the world” isa thing worth contemplating, if only to arrive at some resolution abour the influential nature of photography and whatheritis limited, vast or in berween, ‘We do net alaim that LIF 100 are the 100 or the top 100, Dur that they, and the other related landmark images pre- sented here, argue on bekalf ofthe power of pictures. Not every icone image will be found here. Many nos nated the 1937 crash of the Hindenburg. We looked bard at the picture, the event and the aftermath, and decided against. ‘We may be remiss about the Hindenburg, and we may be ‘wrong about excluding our friend Alfred Bisenstaed’s pic- ture ofthe allo Kissing the nurse in Times Square. Some of ‘you will, no doubt, be disappointed by some choices and ‘omissions. But many who answered our query willbe pleased to see their passions shared. “The lone Chinese demonstra. toras he stops a column of advancing tanks in Beijing was a perann oF ool" were Mask Taster S Cayabynb, a journal ism student in Manila. Jacob Meade, a “photo fan” from ‘Amherst, NIH, wont find his Hindenburg, but he offered a ‘compelling argument for “the portrait of Anne Frank: The poignancy of her gaze haunts the world to this day, pointing up the horror of Hitler's genocide and making us wonder hhow many briliant young women such as herself were lost.” We took all nominations seriously, added our own, and then solicited the advice of some old LIFE hands. Renowned photographers such as John Loengard and Gordon Parks, ‘who writes the evocative introduction immediately fllow- ing, contributed their expertise, And then, just before we closed the book on this book, an [E-mail eame fram Gary and Anita ender of Celina, Ten., that putthe project in perspective. Attached was a photo of their infant grandson, aden Zane Brown, born March 16, 2003, “He's changed our world,” the Fenders wrote, implying a truth ‘hat undertes every picture these pages, Its, inthe end, a personal relationship between viewer and Image. The power of apietare isin the mind of the beholderThis Rare Collection LUPE asked one of our Tngtime friends and associates, the storied ‘photographer filmmaker, painter, riter and poet Gordon Parks, to provide the itrocueion ro thie special volume. Happily 2 Parks consented, cand crofed an essay both moving and characteristcally selfless Then we went back to Ar Parks and asked him to meditate jus abit {further on any of his own images that might have affected change. He chose ‘wo. When Mr: Parkss portrait of Flla Watson, 1 government cleaning woman in Washington, DG, was published in 1942, it focused attention ‘on contiring inequities in ‘the land of the ree. And When he produced a story In 1961 on Flavio da Siva, ‘an impoverished 12,yearold dying in a favela in Rio, 4 flood of contributions washed over Flavio and his amity. The boy lived. An essay, poetry and pictures by Gordon Parks hange has spread itself graciously over the centuries. Mankind, living in the middle of this vast uncertain space, has always been around to record the light, or darkness, hovering over it—but even during the very darkest of times, change somehow manages to arrive, leaving us in awe. Bewildering, at times enlightening, change moves in to alter the course of our lives. Without doubt, words have helped influence universal thought and action. As was cited in the précis on the opposite page, a glance back to the words in the Bible, the Koran, the Magna Carta or the Declaration of Independence instantly proves the point. Sculptors and painters, with their particular poetry, have also established new attitudes down through the years, But I have come to believe that no art form transforms human apathy quicker than that of photography. Having absorbed the message of a memorable photograph, the viewer's sense of compassion and newfound wisdom come together like two lips touch- ing, And it is an extraordinary thing when an unforgettable photograph propels you from an evil interlude to the convietion that there must come a better day. Let us give thought to those who distinguish themselves with eameras. They ate no ordinary lot. In publications, they dontt show up as the heroes, but they are the ones ‘who put themselves in the position to find the memorable images of the maimed or dead, and thus try to help pull together a broken world. Hoping to make that world ‘weary of disasters, certain photographers attack scenes of overwhelming emotion. They allow their cameras to become swords in their hands. When scanning the pages ahead, tone should not grow tired of witnessing these things—corpses stacked, awaiting the fire of a Holocaust oven; two young black lynch vietims, dead before a cheerful white mob; a Viet Cong guerilla, his eyes tightly shut, grimacing as a policeman fies a bullet into his head—for that is the photographer's charge to us, that we never forget. Recalling such shocking tragedies makes our thoughts bum as if doused with oil, and we no longer walk around forgetful. We remember the black hours with fury and shame, and we are changed, The eameras keep watch as mankind goes on filing the universe with its behav- ior, and they change ws. ‘The photographs that take their rightful place in this rare collection come wrapped in a kind of mystery. Perhaps providence intended these things to be photographed, at just that instant. Or maybe the camera lenses that captured these instances on these particular days did so purely by chance. This mystery applies equally to a photograph, recording the moment the Beatles arrive in New York City as it does to that when pro- wrepucrion EB 7