Iconic Photos

Forty years ago today, the Apollo 11 crew, who would become the first humans on the moon, lifted of from the Kennedy Space Center at 9:32 a.m. local time. On July 16th 1969, three astronauts, Mission Commander Neil Armstrong, Command Module Pilot Michael Collins, and Lunar Module Pilot Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin embarked on a mission that changed the course of history.

The most memorable photo of the day was taken by Gary Winogrand. Called ‘Moon Shot’, the second photo above was not the picture of the Saturn V Apollo Rocket lifting off, but of the crowd looking at the lift off. Like Cartier-Bresson before him, Winogrand captured eyes (or in this case cameras) that saw history. At the centre of the picture, the woman who pointed her lens at Winogrand, facing the opposite direction from the lift-off, added an interesting commentary on the gender-roles of the day, especially in the male-dominated science sector.