15 Most Iconic and Impactful Photographs in History

1. Diego Frazao Torquato

Diego Fraz?o Torquato, a 12-year-old Brazilian, plays the violin at the funeral of his teacher. The teacher helped him escape poverty and violence through music.

2. Terry Gurrola reunites with his daughter.

Terry Gurrola reunites with her daughter after 7 months of service in Iraq.

3. A hungry boy and a missionary.

A hungry boy and a missionary.

4. Father and son (1949 vs 2009)

Father and son (1949 vs 2009)

5. A firefighter gives water to a koala.

A firefighter gives water to a koala during the devastating “Black Saturday” bushfires in Victoria, Australia, in 2009.

6. “Wait for me, Dad.”

“Wait for me, Dad,” a photo by Claude P. Dettloff, taken in New Westminster, Canada, on October 1, 1940.

7. A heroic villager saves many homeless cats.

During the massive floods in the city of Cuttack, India, in 2011, a heroic villager saved many homeless cats by carrying them in a basket balanced on his head.

8. “Graves”

Graves of a Catholic woman and her Protestant husband, Netherlands, 1888.

9. … at the grave of his mistress.

A dog named “Le?o” sits at the grave of his mistress for the second day in a row. She died in the devastating landslides near Rio de Janeiro in 2011.

10. Haing Te Yu

Haing Te Yu, 29 years old, holds his face in his hands as rain falls on the destroyed remnants of his home near the capital of Myanmar, Yangon.

11. An alcoholic father with his son.

An alcoholic father with his son.

12. A cardiothoracic surgeon

A cardiothoracic surgeon after a 23-hour (successful) heart transplant. His assistant is sleeping in the corner.

13. A young man has just learned that his brother was killed.

14. Sunset on Mars

Sunset on Mars