57 most powerful photos in US history

I don't consider the Smith-Carlos picture to be a sports pic. Of the other three, which ones would you take out?

 

Jordan

 

Agreed. The Jordan one doesn't really fit. If you wanted another sports one, I'd go with either Brandi Chastain or the tip before UTEP-Kentucky.

 

Maybe Jesse Owens with the gold medal (was there any one single famous photo from those Olympics?).

 

To be fair, I think there's just as many people around the world who are glad we've stuck our noses and our guns into their business, as ones who curse us. Probably far more of the former than the latter.
Plus, show me one major world power that hasn't exerted its influence beyond its borders. I firmly believe the U.S. has done more good in that realm than perhaps any other power in the last 2,000 years. We've made mistakes, sure. Meddled where we shouldn't have. We're still on the right side of the scales in that debate.

And you're still missing the point of that photo's inclusion.
Whatever we were doing behind the scenes, so to speak, before then, the mid-1990s were generally a time of peace and prosperity. We'd kicked ass in the Gulf War to get our swagger back and to become the "white hats" again, settled into a decent economic run, and things were calm. They were looking up. And then on Sept. 11, 2001, the world changed forever. The World Trade Center became a symbol of the loss of American innocence in much the same way Pearl Harbor did. We've done some unsavory, if necessary, things since then, been shaken out of our comfort zone and seen our country more divided than its been perhaps since the Civil War.
In 1995, that photo of the World Trade Center was nothing special. Twenty years later, with everything that happened in the interim, seeing the words "Peace on Earth" alongside an object that signifies a major turning point in American history is incredibly powerful.

 

I don't get the Jordan one, either. Cool shot, but I can't put it on the same level as Iwo Jima or the First Flight, just to name a few. How about Reagan being shot? "Or Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall"? Or the park scene in Chicago the night Obama was elected President in 2008? Maybe the Time Magazine "haystack" photo of Monica Lewinsky hugging Clinton?

 

Jordan and the hockey team. I'd add a picture of Jackie Robinson.

The cultural impact of the hockey team is wildly, massively overrated. The economy was still tanking, the Tehran hostages wouldn't be released for another year, and the attempted rescue mission would end in disaster two months later.

The hockey team made us feel good for a couple of weeks. That was it.

 

I'd keep the hockey team, but good call on Jackie Robinson.

 

Was there really an iconic photo of Robinson's debut? The only one I can think of from his debut was one where he was waving outside the Dodgers' clubhouse.

The definition for this grouping is important moments in American history captured by photo. While his debut certainly is an important moment, the photos aren't really that iconic. The coolest one of him is getting tagged out (heh, heh) by Yogi in the World Series.

 

You're absolutely correct about the Jordan one. I missed that. It's a cool picture, but it's hardly one of the most "powerful in US history," as the title claims. It wasn't even in a real game, for crying out loud.

The Gehrig, Ali and US hockey ones belong. That US hockey victory was such a massive upset. Say what you want, but that team had the entire country following that one game. Stuff like that just doesn't happen very often.

 

I hate round numbers. I'm glad they didn't limit it to 50, or add 10 more, just to get to 60.

 

Just for Starman. Couldn't resist.