16 Incredible Photos With Disturbing Backstories

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but in some cases, that estimate might be low. Photos have the power to capture not only a moment in time, but the emotion of that moment – and the promise (or threat) of what’s to come afterwards. And a good photo doesn’t just capture a moment – it tells a story. Even in the age of internet video sharing, photos still have enormous power, partly because they’re not videos, so we can fill in any blanks with our imaginations. However, it’s the truth behind these photos, not necessarily what we make up to go along with them, that makes them so full of potential. You have to know what’s going on in them, and once you do, you won’t see them the same way ever again.

CONTENT WARNING: some readers might find the following images disturbing. Discretion is advised.

1. Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels, just after learning the person behind the camera was Jewish.

2. The impact impression on the ground from a man who jumped from a burning Zeppelin in 1916.

3. A B52H about to crash at an airshow in 1994. Although the co-pilot’s ejection capsule can be seen, all four crew members were killed in the crash.

4. A Bosnian Muslim pleads for his life after being captured by Serbian paramilitary group Arkan’s Tigers, the group responsible for much of the ethnic cleansing during the early days of the war in the former Yugoslavia.