Photographs everyone should see

Sometimes words aren't enough

I am a firm believer in the power of photographs. I only wish I had the ability to capture moments, emotions, intangibility in a picture.

I recently stumbled upon LIFE Magazine's collection of Photographs the Changed the World and was so moved by them that I wanted to share them with you.

Some are disturbing but I think that's what makes a wonderful photograph: something powerful, something that engenders incredible emotion. That reminds us we are human.

Dead on the Beach

Source: George Strock, 1943, In Combat: LIFE's Great War Photos

Dead on the Beach - George Strock, 1943

When LIFE ran this stark, haunting photograph of a beach in Papua New Guinea on September 20, 1943, the magazine felt compelled to ask in an adjacent full-page editorial, "Why print this picture, anyway, of three American boys dead upon an alien shore?" Among the reasons: "words are never enough . . .

Buchenwald Slave Laborers Liberation

Source: By Private H. Miller. (Army) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Buchenwald Slave Laborers Liberation - Private H. Miller, 1945

These are slave laborers in the Buchenwald concentration camp near Jena; many had died from malnutrition when U.S. troops of the 80th Division entered the camp. The very ill man lying at the back on the lower bunk is Max Hamburger, who had TBC and severe malnutrition. He recovered and became a psychiatrist in the Netherlands. Second row, seventh from left is Elie Wiesel. This shot taken 5 days after rescue.

Mexico City Olympics

Source: AP Photographer, 1968

Mexico City Olympics - AP Photographer, 1968

Sociologist Harry Edwards had been urging black athletes to boycott the Olympics to protest civil rights inequities in the U.S. The boycott didn't happen, but Edwards struck a chord with many, including San Jose State teammates Tommie Smith and John Carlos. As the national anthem played, they held up their gloved fists. The runners were booted from the Games, but their gesture resonated.