The course of American history has seen a great number of truly iconic photos. When I thought about some of the top photos in American history, I started to realize that there may only be a few that happened in my lifetime. Perhaps that is an encouraging reminder that I am not that old just yet. To me, the images of the World Trade Center being attacked in 2001 will forever be etched in my memory, and there is no question the images of the explosion of the second plane flying into the World Trade Center will never leave my memory bank.
In thinking about the top images from American history, I went down a quick rabbit hole on the internet of a few lists of the top images to see how many I was actually alive for. That did bring a few images back to me like O.J. Simpson trying on the glove,
But this may just be the most historic image in American history of my lifetime…
The Fulton County Sheriff’s office mugshot of Donald Trump, released on Aug. 24, 2023.
No matter what you think about the man in this photo, a mugshot of a former President of the United States is unquestionably an historic moment for the nation. For the first time in the history of the country, a former United States president was forced to surrender himself to a sheriff’s office and pose for a mugshot. This is a photo that will be a part of history lessons forever moving forward. This is an image that will be used in textbooks, lectures, documentaries and more as long as state governments allow for it in the educational curriculum.
I do wish I was joking with that last sentence, but given the headlines I see from around the country, I do think it is a legitimate concern as we look to properly place these last few years in the appropriate historic context for all to understand for generations beyond ours.
But think about the legacy this image will forever carry, regardless of what happens next in the legal proceedings in Georgia or the other states in which Donald Trump has been indicted on similar and related charges. Mugshots never go away. They are forever attached to your public profile, and even more so when you are a noteworthy person. Trump has always been a notable person, even before he became president. But being the first president to have a mugshot is the ultimate stain for a one-term president who sat in the White House. And this is a man who has been impeached not once, but twice.
I fortunately will not need history classes to educate me on the legacy of Trump as president. I lived through it. This image will be in every lesson those who will learn about his rise to president and political downfall will see.
The most iconic photo in American history of my lifetime (so far)
Published by Kevin McGuire on August 25, 2023The course of American history has seen a great number of truly iconic photos. When I thought about some of the top photos in American history, I started to realize that there may only be a few that happened in my lifetime. Perhaps that is an encouraging reminder that I am not that old just yet. To me, the images of the World Trade Center being attacked in 2001 will forever be etched in my memory, and there is no question the images of the explosion of the second plane flying into the World Trade Center will never leave my memory bank.
Reader’s Digest has a great collection of classic images and the backstories behind many of them. This photo archive from LIFE is absolutely worth a look too for some photos that are not necessarily iconic in nature, but brilliant portrayals of other facets of American history.
In thinking about the top images from American history, I went down a quick rabbit hole on the internet of a few lists of the top images to see how many I was actually alive for. That did bring a few images back to me like O.J. Simpson trying on the glove,
But this may just be the most historic image in American history of my lifetime…
No matter what you think about the man in this photo, a mugshot of a former President of the United States is unquestionably an historic moment for the nation. For the first time in the history of the country, a former United States president was forced to surrender himself to a sheriff’s office and pose for a mugshot. This is a photo that will be a part of history lessons forever moving forward. This is an image that will be used in textbooks, lectures, documentaries and more as long as state governments allow for it in the educational curriculum.
I do wish I was joking with that last sentence, but given the headlines I see from around the country, I do think it is a legitimate concern as we look to properly place these last few years in the appropriate historic context for all to understand for generations beyond ours.
But think about the legacy this image will forever carry, regardless of what happens next in the legal proceedings in Georgia or the other states in which Donald Trump has been indicted on similar and related charges. Mugshots never go away. They are forever attached to your public profile, and even more so when you are a noteworthy person. Trump has always been a notable person, even before he became president. But being the first president to have a mugshot is the ultimate stain for a one-term president who sat in the White House. And this is a man who has been impeached not once, but twice.
I fortunately will not need history classes to educate me on the legacy of Trump as president. I lived through it. This image will be in every lesson those who will learn about his rise to president and political downfall will see.