There was an interesting program on ITV last night called The Shot
That Shook The World about photographs
of historic moments.
9/11¶
Mesmeric, tragic, horrific and yet somehow those images are always
compelling. I guess this was the JFK moment for my generation where
everyone can remember exactly where they were and what they were
doing.
I was working for a small Internet company and a colleague was idly
surfing and memorably announced 'A plane has just hit the World Trade
Centre'. The internet soon ground to a halt and we watched the tragedy
unfold on portable TV in disbelief.
I remember early editions of an English newspaper carried photographs
of two people holding hands jumping to their deaths that were
subsequently pulled when they realised that this was real people in
real life with real mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, sons and
daughters.
Sport¶
The Brazil goal against Italy in the 1970 World Cup. My favourite goal
of all time. The way Pele flicks the ball to Carlos Alberto. Pure art.
Moon Landing (1969)¶
I remember the whole school being assembled in the hall to watch these
grainy images on a black and white TV.
Challenger disaster¶
I visited the Kennedy Centre a few years ago and there is a nice,
simple, understated black
memorial
to all the astronauts who have lost their lives during the space
program. Ironically, one was killed in a car crash.
Concorde crash¶
Interesting as this footage was shot by a member of the public from a
moving car. This is much more prevalent now with the widespread use
camera phones which provided almost immediate access to photos of the
London bombings in July 2005.
Hillsborough¶
This wasn't actually featured but those photographs on the front page
of The Independent newspaper of ordinary people dying, squashed
against the railings in the Leppings Lane terrace at a football match
in Sheffield had a big effect on me.