What happened to the people in the famous historical photographs?
There are photos that everyone has seen at least once in their life. They can be called the common cultural heritage of humanity. The nature of the images can be very different — from triumph to deep sorrow. This also applies to people caught on camera. Most often, we see famous personalities, politicians, athletes, cultural figures, and scientists. However, there are memorable and even poignant photos featuring “nameless” characters. Sometimes, many years later, a silent story can be discussed briefly.
The Terror of War
American photographer Nick Ut took this photo in the summer of 1972. Vietnamese children are fleeing from a village engulfed in flames. In the center is a girl screaming in terror and pain. She stretches her arms forward, seeking protection. The picture was named “The Horror of War” and won the Pulitzer Prize. Two decades later, Ut recalled the circumstances of the incident.
A South Korean plane dropped Napalm, covering several houses. The baby’s skin was peeling off. Nick rushed to help, trying to pour water over the girl from a nearby ditch. She screamed nóng quá (very fervently) all the time but held out until the paramedics arrived. Kim Phuc was only 9 years old, and it took 17 surgeries and long-term rehabilitation to recover.
After some time, having received political asylum, the Kim family moved to Canada. Phuc discussed feeling angry and deeply confused about why this had happened to her. There were thoughts of settling accounts with life. As she grew older, she found solace in Christianity and created a charity foundation to help children affected by armed conflict.
The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
The image captures the essence of the Holocaust. An adult man in a military uniform points a weapon at a child. The reason is simple: the boy is of Jewish origin. The photo was taken immediately after the suppression of the uprising in the Warsaw ghetto. The child is scared and does not fully understand what is happening around him.
As punishment for resisting, the Nazis deported all Jews from the city. Many were shot, and the rest were sent to concentration camps. Visit. A F R I N I K . C O M . For the full article. SS General Jürgen Strop was proud of his work. This, along with several other pictures, was sent by the authorities. An accompanying note was also attached.
The boy’s identity remains unknown, as does his fate. However, the man with the gun was named Josef Blosche. In May 1945, he surrendered to the Soviet troops, visited a labor camp, and returned to East Germany. After another wave of denazification in 1969, Blosche’s identity was revealed. Detention, war crimes charges, and the death penalty followed this.
The workers are at their best
The famous group photo of workers relaxing during a break at a great height. Many sources mistakenly believe that the Empire State Building is under construction in the picture. However, this is the 69th floor of the Rockefeller Center, and the photo itself is staged, taken to draw attention to the project, as they would say today, for the sake of HYPE. The guy on the right is holding a bottle in his hand, presumably with alcohol. His name is Gustavo Popovich, a Slovak immigrant who came to work.
Marishka’s wife remained at home. The details became known to her. A copy of the photo was attached to one of the letters. Gustav asked not to be sad and promised to return soon. And so it happened. Having earned enough money, the man bought land in Slovakia and intended to start farming. World War II soon began, and the young family’s house was bombed. Mariska survived, but Gustav did not have time to run outside and was buried under the burning rubble.
A displaced mother
It depicts the face of the Great Depression — a desperate mother who does not know how to feed her children. The photo was taken by Dorothea Lange, who, like a magnet, was attracted by an image that demonstrates the depth of the disaster that struck rural America in the 1930s. People abandoned their homes and other possessions, trying to move to large cities where they could find at least some kind of work. The journalist took some photos and talked to the woman for a while.
It turned out that she was only 32 years old and, in addition to having two children, she had four more. For many years, the identity of the displaced mother remained unknown. In 1978, a letter came to the editorial office of The Modesto Bee. Florence Owens Thompson reported that this is her in the famous photo. A subsequent personal meeting with journalists confirmed the accuracy of the information. The woman said that she had not received a cent for the iconic image.
Moreover, the journalist did not even send her a copy of the picture, despite her promise. In 1983, 79-year-old Thompson was diagnosed with terrible cancer. One of the sons turned to the media, and the story gained a second life. The caring public raised the necessary $35,000 for treatment. It didn’t help, and Florence died the same year, but the family finally managed to break out of poverty.
The man in the hood
In 2004, the world saw shocking photos and videos from Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison. American soldiers are incredibly cruel to defenseless prisoners. No excuses could change the situation; the public in the United States began to demand more loudly that troops be withdrawn and the war ended.
The man in the hood is named Ali al-Qaisi — he was released shortly after the scandal broke out, underwent several operations, and received financial compensation. The amount has never been announced. Meanwhile, everyone was well aware that there were hundreds, if not thousands, of such “Ali’s,” just not all of them caught on camera. The man on the right is Ivan Frederick, a senior sergeant in the U.S. Army.
The court found him guilty of torture and sentenced him to 8 years in prison. After serving three years behind bars, Frederick was released early. The lawyer publicly stated that Ivan was not an angel, but he was made a classic scapegoat. The real evil lies in the offices where journalists are not allowed to work.
