Human history is full of beauty, advancements, and progress. But there has always been a dark side to humanity.
Humans have the awful ability to hurt others. Violence, fear, and power have caused some of the worst wars, crimes, and pain.
Photographs taken through the decades have documented some of the cruelest acts and intense moments. Natural disasters, ghostly hauntings, and freak accidents have also been captured on camera.
These photographs can be extremely hard to look at. But they should serve as a reminder to us to be kinder to others, lend a helping hand when we can, and work to protect, rather than harm each other.
Mary Borders, “The Dust Lady,” who survived the attack of the Twin Towers on September 11th. First Lady, Jackie Kennedy, after realizing her husband had been shot. A Secret Service agent rushes to assist. A photo of a shell-shocked soldier in World War IIJohn Lennon signing an autograph for his soon-to-be murderer, Mark David Chapman hours before he was shot.A hotel manager pouring muriatic acid into the pool to get black swimmers to get out of the poolSiblings pose for a photograph moments before being struck by lightning. Patient Undergoing Treatment For Mental Illness, Germany 1890Christa Macauliffe’s parents watching the Challenger explode in 1986The Self-Immolation of Thích Quảng Đức8 year old Christian Golczynski receiving the flag from his father’s military funeralRobert Overacker jet-skiing off of Niagara Falls. Unfortunately, his parachute didn’t open, and he lost his life.The “Beautiful Suicide” of 23-year-old Evelyn McHale A woman sitting in the ruins of her town after a tsunami. Princess Diana in her car shortly before the fatal crashA young girl facing starvation during the Sudanese famine, with a vulture sitting behind her.12-year-old Muhammad al-Durrah being shielded by his father on the Gaza Strip in 2000. Anne Frank’s father, Otto, returns to the attic after loosing his entire family. The Columbine school shooters walking through the cafeteriaA young girl showing the awful effects of radiation poisoningThe scars of an enslaved man who was severely whippedSome of the survivors of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571, which crashed in the mountains. The survivors had to resort to cannibalism to survive. A portion of the thousands of wedding rings taken from prisoners during the Holocaust. The original, supposedly haunted, Annabelle doll. Omayra Sanchez, the young girl who was trapped in the water after an earthquake.Babies and nurses wearing gas masks during World War II due to the threat of chemical warfareOne of the earliest versions of a diving suitBlanche Monnier, a French girl who was locked away by her mother for 25 yearsThe last photo of The Dyatlov Pass VictimsA young girl carries her brother to safety during the Korean WarThe body of astronaut Vladimir Komarov The caskets of the multiple victims of John Wayne Gacy, finally being put to rest“The Falling Man” who jumped from the Twin Towers after the 9/11 attack.The shadows left behind after the atomic bomb went off in HiroshimaThe Hindenburg disasterA man and his daughter posing for a picture in Ireland. Moments later, the red car on the right would blow up due to a planted bomb Young children working in the minesA Ku Klux Klan parade in 1926Two engineers stand on the edge of a burning wind turbine.Daylenn Pua disappeared on a hike and his disappearance has never been solved. A photo captured on his camera from that day shows what could possibly be a man following him on the trail. Several of the members of the cult, Heaven’s Gate, after committing group suicide.The Exorcism Of Anneliese MichelThe “Elephant’s Foot” of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. It is a toxic, highly radioactive mass of corium and other materials
