The most influential photos of all time, according to TIME
The top 3 according to 41 votes from people: Earthrise · Tank Man · Saigon Execution. (Updated Jan 24, 2019.)
In 2016 TIME spent three years with curators, historians and photographers choosing the 100 images that changed the world. These are some of the best known. Which one has stayed with you most?
Top 30
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1
Earthrise
William Anders, Apollo 8, 1968: the Earth rising over the Moon.
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2
Tank Man
Jeff Widener, Tiananmen Square, 1989.
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3
Saigon Execution
Eddie Adams, 1968: a photo that turned opinion on the Vietnam War.
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4
Abraham Lincoln
Mathew Brady's 1860 portrait, which helped him reach the White House.
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5
The Steerage
Alfred Stieglitz, 1907.
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6
V-J Day in Times Square
Alfred Eisenstaedt, 1945: the sailor's kiss at the end of the war.
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7
Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima
Joe Rosenthal, 1945.
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8
A Man on the Moon
Neil Armstrong's photo of Buzz Aldrin, 1969.
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9
The Burning Monk
Malcolm Browne, Saigon, 1963.
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10
The Horse in Motion
Eadweard Muybridge, 1878: proof that a galloping horse leaves the ground.
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11
Oscars Selfie
Bradley Cooper's 2014 selfie with Ellen DeGeneres and friends.
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12
Dalí Atomicus
Philippe Halsman, 1948: Dalí, cats and water in mid-air.
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13
Betty Grable
Frank Powolny's 1943 pin-up, the most famous of the war.
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14
Migrant Mother
Dorothea Lange, 1936: the face of the Great Depression.
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15
The Hindenburg Disaster
Sam Shere, 1937: the airship in flames.
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16
Black Power Salute
John Dominis, Mexico City Olympics, 1968.
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17
The Pillow Fight
Harry Benson, 1964: the Beatles in a Paris hotel.
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18
Windblown Jackie
Ron Galella, 1971: Jackie Onassis on a New York street.
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19
Babe Ruth Bows Out
Nat Fein, 1948: the farewell at Yankee Stadium.
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20
Untitled Film Still #21
Cindy Sherman, 1978.
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21
Starving Child and Vulture
Kevin Carter, Sudan, 1993.
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22
JFK Assassination, Frame 313
Abraham Zapruder's home movie, Dallas, 1963.
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23
Muhammad Ali vs. Sonny Liston
Neil Leifer, 1965: Ali standing over a fallen Liston.
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24
D-Day
Robert Capa on Omaha Beach, 1944.
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25
The Situation Room
Pete Souza, 2011: Obama's team following the bin Laden raid.
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26
Gandhi and the Spinning Wheel
Margaret Bourke-White, 1946.
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27
Fort Peck Dam
Margaret Bourke-White, the first LIFE cover, 1936.
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28
Country Doctor
W. Eugene Smith's 1948 photo essay for LIFE.
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29
Demi Moore
Annie Leibovitz's 1991 Vanity Fair cover.
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30
Alan Kurdi
Nilüfer Demir, 2015: the image that put a face on the refugee crisis.
How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.
Is something missing?
Comments (1)
Earthrise should be number one. One photo and suddenly everyone understood how small and fragile the planet is.