Photos Taken Right Before Tragic Moments In History
By | January 25, 2017
We often get to see the aftermath of many tragedies, because it's far easier to see it after it happened than seconds before, or even while it's happening. Well we've compiled a set of pictures that show what took place seconds, minutes, hours and in some cases, days before a great tragedy happened. If you're curious, start this slideshow.
This is a picture of Concorde Flight 4590 as it caught fire during its takeoff from an airport in Paris, with New York as its intended destination. This tragedy is a result of a domino effect started off by a titanium alloy strip that dropped onto the runway from a Continental Airlines DC-10 which took off earlier.
Dylann Roof church massacre
This photo was captured by the church's surveillance. The man is question is Dylann Roof, who entered the Methodist church and killed a total of 9 people. He was arrested the following day.
Notorious B.I.G.
This is the last photo ever taken of rapper Notorious B.I.G. also known as Biggie Smalls, a 24 year old rapper with his friend Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs. His life ended after he left a party. The mystery of this drive-by shooting remains unsolved.
John Lennon
Pictured here is John Lennon, former member of the Beatles and his wife, Yoko Ono, just outside their New York apartment. Later that night, John would be shot and killed by a man named Mark David; a man who John had just signed an autograph for.
Dave Sanders
On April 20th 1999 Columbine High School, 12 students and one teacher was killed by two students who attended the very same institution. In this picture is the teacher; William “Dave” Sanders who saved many lives by warning students in the cafeteria that a shooting was ongoing.
Bear attack
A group of young adults were hiking when they happened upon a black bear in the forest. The approaching bear caused the group to split up. The bear followed the photographer of this picture, Darsh Patel, and killed him. The picture was recovered from Patel's phone.
Patrick Swayze
Pictured here is actor, singer and Hollywood royalty, Patrick Swayze. Swayze became frail after a pancreatic cancer diagnosis. This was one of the very last pictures taken of the actor before he succumbed to the illness at the age of 57.
Princess Diana
Although the Princess of Wales's face can't be seen in the picture, this was one of the last photos taken of Diana before her driver crashed and caused her death. According to sources, the paparazzo who took this picture, may have very well been the one who caused the crash.
Mt. Everest Explorers
George Mallory and Sandy Irvine are pictured here in 1924 at their camp at the base of Mt. Everest, which they were attempting to get to the top of. The picture was taken shortly before they began their upward journey. The two were never seen or heard from after; their bodies were never found either.
San Bernadino Shooting
This picture was taken moments before married couple Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik opened fire on the employees having a gathering in the building. Fourteen people were killed during this December 2015 tragedy.
Hot air balloon crash
This picture shows an air balloon carrying 11 passengers, as it struck electricity lines during flight in New Zealand. Everyone on board died; a post mortem revealed that the captain had traces of marijuana in his system, which may have caused the lapse in judgement.
Martin Luther King Jr.
Pictured here is the legendary Martin Luther King Jr., moments after he was fatally shot Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968. He was rushed to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead, about an hour later.
Mayor of St. Louis
Here we see the mayor of St. Louis, William Dee Becker, on the left, was seated on a military glider for a test run in 1943. Everyone on board, including other politicians, were killed when the left wing of the glider buckled and collapsed.
Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 182
Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 182 began its descent after crashing into another craft midair. All 137 passengers died and over 20 homes were damaged. The crash took place just over the city if San Diego in 1978.
The Titanic
The ship once deemed ‘unsinkable’ took sail on its first and last voyage on April 14th 1912. This is the last picture of the Titanic afloat, shortly before it hit an iceberg and sunk to the bottom of the North Atlantic Ocean.
James Dean
James Dean’s last picture was taken at a gas station. He is seen standing near his Porsche just hours before the car crash in 1955 that lead to his death. James Dean, just 24 years old was on his way to a racing event.
Virginia Tech Shooting
This photo was taken while 23-year-old student Seung-Hui Cho, opened fire at Virginia Tech, killing a total of 32 people and wounding several others at two different locations. Afterwards, Seung would take his own life.
Robin Williams
His humor may have helped his fans but it could not heal him. Taken at a fast food restaurant, this is the final known image of comedic actor Robin Williams, with a fan a few days before he took his own life. He struggled with anxiety and depression, and a recent diagnosis of Parkinson Disease.
John F. Kennedy
This happy picture was taken of then-President John F. Kennedy and his wife, the day he was assassinated, in that very vehicle. He was on a presidential motorcade, passing through Dallas, Texas.
Memorial Day massacre of 1937
This picture photographs the injustice of the Chicago Police Department. On May 30, 1937. They shot at unarmed steel workers and their families who were striking and marching toward the steel mill. Ten people lost their lives and 30 were injured.
Ski Jump Over Niagara Falls
An act of kindness lead to the death of 39 year old Robert Overacker in October 1995. He was jet skiing over the Niagara Falls to raise awareness for the homeless when his rocket propelled parachute failed to open up.
R. Budd Dwyer
Robert "Budd" Dwyer, the Treasurer of Pennsylvania from 1981 to 1987 was accused of over-withholding taxes on every state employee's income. During his live television trial, Dwyer shot himself in the mouth with a revolver that had been hidden in an envelope. Millions of persons saw it.
Ayano Tokumasu
What seemed to be an innocent family picture, would end up capturing Ayano Tokumasu's last moments, before she jumped over the railing and into the Niagara Falls. The suicide surprised many onlookers, who thought she climbed the railings to enjoy the view.
Transasia Airways Flight 235
Transasia Airways Flight 235 suffered an engine flame-out and crashed not only into a highway, but also the Keelung River in Taiwan. Of the fifty eight people on board, forty two died in the crash. Hundreds witnessed the event.
1961 U.S. figure skating team
The members of U.S. figure skating team, as seen in the picture, posed for a photo before their flight to the World Figure Skating Championship in Belgium. They, as well as their coaches and family members, lost their lives in the plane crash in 1961, on board flight Sabena Flight 548.
Paul Walker
Famous for his roles in the Fast and the Furious movie series, Paul Walker passed away in a Porsche Carrera GT. In the picture, he is seen entering into the car that he, along with his friend Roger Rodas would lose their lives in after crashing into a tree.
9/11
Pictured here is one of United Airlines airplanes, seconds before it crashed into one of the Trade Center buildings, causing one of the worst tragedies in American history. The date of the event is printed on the bottom, left of the photo.
First Ebola virus outbreak
The nurse looking at the camera in the picture; Mayinga N'Seka died Just a few days after. She was caring for persons suffering from Ebola the highly contagious virus, which killed 280 people in the village it was confined to.
Japan Airlines Flight 123
A faulty repair performed seven years earlier lead to the crash of a Boeing 747 flying from Tokyo to Osaka in 1985. The plane crashed 32 minutes after the picture of the cabin and some passengers were taken. There were only 4 survivors.
Ian Curtis
70's pop band Joy Division lost one of its members, just before they began their first ever American tour in 1980. Ian Curtis, who suffered from depression and epilepsy, took his own life just five days after taking this picture.
