37 years of the last century in LIFE photos, from 1936 to 1972

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37 years of the last century in LIFE photos, from 1936 to 1972

Categories: World

The founder of LIFE magazine, Henry Luce, professed a simple principle: "The reader must see life. See the world. To witness great events... must see and be surprised." The magazine, which was published weekly in the middle of the 20th century, adhered to this principle and proved that photo reports are able to tell about events much brighter than ordinary reports. Henry Luce recognized the primacy of the image before the word, and therefore the best photographers of that time worked on the staff of the magazine. Luce spoke about the magazine like this: "An American sees a lot of photos on different topics and from different places in a week, but only LIFE contains the "cream" of all photos from around the world, only it gives the opportunity to see the best from everywhere and about everything in one edition."

37 years of the last century in LIFE photos, from 1936 to 1972

37 years of the last century in LIFE photos, from 1936 to 1972

1. September 1936, Cordoba. The Spanish Civil War. The death of a soldier. (Robert Capa—Magnum)

37 years of the last century in LIFE photos, from 1936 to 1972

2. Astronomer Edwin Hubble at the telescope at Mount Wilson Observatory in California, 1937. (Margaret Bourke-White—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)

37 years of the last century in LIFE photos, from 1936 to 1972

3. US President Franklin Roosevelt at a charity event in Washington, January 1938. (Thomas McAvoy—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)

37 years of the last century in LIFE photos, from 1936 to 1972

4. A DC-4 passenger plane flying over Manhattan, 1939. (Thomas McAvoy—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)

37 years of the last century in LIFE photos, from 1936 to 1972

5. English girl Margaret Curtis, injured during the bombing of London, September 9, 1940. (William Vandivert—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)

37 years of the last century in LIFE photos, from 1936 to 1972

6. Members of the Kappa Sigma Ypsilon Fraternity of Kansas Teachers College throw sheets out of windows, preparing for an open-air sheet party, May 26, 1941. (Walter Sanders—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)

37 years of the last century in LIFE photos, from 1936 to 1972

7. Female servicemen wearing gas masks during exercises at Fort Des Moines, Iowa, September 7, 1942. (Marie Hansen—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)

37 years of the last century in LIFE photos, from 1936 to 1972

8. Professional dancers Willa Mae Ricker and Leon James demonstrate how to dance Lindy hop. 1943. (Gjon Mili—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)

37 years of the last century in LIFE photos, from 1936 to 1972

9. Under fire from the defenders of the Atlantic Wall, American troops land on Omaha Beach, June 6, 1944. (Robert Capa—Magnum)

37 years of the last century in LIFE photos, from 1936 to 1972

10. A sailor kisses a nurse during the celebrations in honor of the victory over Japan on August 14, 1945 at Times Square, New York. (Alfred Eisenstaedt—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)

37 years of the last century in LIFE photos, from 1936 to 1972

11. The children of photographer Eugene Smith — Juanita and Patrick, 1946. (W. Eugene Smith—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)

37 years of the last century in LIFE photos, from 1936 to 1972

12. Heavyweight champion Joe Louis is knocked down by Jersey Joe Walcott, December 1947, Madison Square Garden, New York. (Gjon Mili—Time & Life Pictures/Getty images)

37 years of the last century in LIFE photos, from 1936 to 1972

13. Dr. Ernest Seriani in the kitchen of a hospital in Kremmling, Colorado, after an operation that lasted until 2 a.m., 1948. (W. Eugene Smith—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)

37 years of the last century in LIFE photos, from 1936 to 1972

14. Pablo Picasso draws a centaur in the air with a flashlight, France, 1949. (Gjon Mili—Time & Life Pictures/Getty images)

37 years of the last century in LIFE photos, from 1936 to 1972

15. The war in Korea. American Marines are retreating after the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir along the road in the canyon, which they called the Alley of Nightmares. (David Duncan Douglas)

37 years of the last century in LIFE photos, from 1936 to 1972

16. Three soldiers of the Guard Francisco Franco, Spain, 1951. (W. Eugene Smith—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)

37 years of the last century in LIFE photos, from 1936 to 1972

17. The public enjoys the first full-length 3—D film Bwana Devil, 1952. (J.R. Eyerman-Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)

37 years of the last century in LIFE photos, from 1936 to 1972

18. Senator John F. Kennedy and his fiancee Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy on their wedding day, September 12, 1953. (Lisa Larsen—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)

37 years of the last century in LIFE photos, from 1936 to 1972

19. Creating a contour map of the human head using light. Research is being conducted by the US Air Force in order to develop new flight helmets. 1954.

37 years of the last century in LIFE photos, from 1936 to 1972

20. James Dean walks through the rain in Times Square, a few blocks from the famous actors studio, where he and other future celebrities studied the Method. (Dennis Stock—Magnum)

37 years of the last century in LIFE photos, from 1936 to 1972

21. Almost perfect execution of the Equal command! men who noticed the movie star Kim Novak in the dining car. 1956. (Leonard McCombe—Time & Life Images/Getty Images)

37 years of the last century in LIFE photos, from 1936 to 1972

22. Martin Luther King speaks to numerous pilgrims in Washington at one of the first meetings of the nascent black civil rights movement, 1957. (Paul Schutzer—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)

37 years of the last century in LIFE photos, from 1936 to 1972

23. On the screen of a car cinema in Utah, Charlton Heston as Moses in the film The Ten Commandments. 1958.

37 years of the last century in LIFE photos, from 1936 to 1972

24. The Duke and Duchess of Windsor bounce for a photo. 1959. (Philippe Halsman—Magnum)

37 years of the last century in LIFE photos, from 1936 to 1972

25. John F. Kennedy and his brother Bobby in a hotel room in Los Angeles before the Democratic Party Convention, 1960. (Hank Walker—Time & Life Pictures/Getty images)

37 years of the last century in LIFE photos, from 1936 to 1972

26. Freedom fighters Julia Aaron and David Dennis along with 25 other activists under the protection of the National Guard of the state, Mississippi, 1961. (Paul Schutzer—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)

37 years of the last century in LIFE photos, from 1936 to 1972

27. Marilyn Monroe performs the song Happy Birthday for John F. Kennedy, 1962. (Bill Ray)

37 years of the last century in LIFE photos, from 1936 to 1972

28. New Yorkers read in the newspapers about the Kennedy assassination, November 1963. (Carl Mydans—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)

37 years of the last century in LIFE photos, from 1936 to 1972

29. Four guys from Liverpool — Paul McCartney, George Harrison, John Lennon and Ringo Starr swim in the pool in Miami Beach during their first trip to the USA. We could not find a pool with warm water, where the press would not be allowed... and agreed to a pool with cold water. And they swam until they were blue in the face. 1964. (John Loengard—Time & Life Pictures/Getty images)

37 years of the last century in LIFE photos, from 1936 to 1972

30. Yankee player Mickey Mantle throws his helmet after a bad hit before the end of his career in 1965. (John Dominis—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)

37 years of the last century in LIFE photos, from 1936 to 1972

31. Wounded Marine Sergeant Jeremiah Prudy (center) tries to approach a wounded comrade after a fight. Vietnam, 1966. (Larry Burrows—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)

37 years of the last century in LIFE photos, from 1936 to 1972

32. Leopard a moment before the baboon was killed, 1967. As it turned out, the frame was staged. (John Dominis)

37 years of the last century in LIFE photos, from 1936 to 1972

33. Senator Robert Kennedy lies in a pool of his own blood in the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, June 5, 1968. He was killed by the Jordanian Sirhan Sirhan. (Bill Eppridge—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)

37 years of the last century in LIFE photos, from 1936 to 1972

34. Visitors to the three-day concert and the Woodstock Art Fair in New York City hiding from the rain, 1969. (John Dominis—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)

37 years of the last century in LIFE photos, from 1936 to 1972

35. Subway car in Manhattan, 1970. (Ralph Crane—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)

37 years of the last century in LIFE photos, from 1936 to 1972

36. Muhammad Ali teases Joe Frazier before a fight in March 1971. Fraser retained the title after 15 rounds of the bout. (John Shearer—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images)

37 years of the last century in LIFE photos, from 1936 to 1972

37. A Palestinian terrorist on the balcony of the complex where athletes were placed during the Munich Olympics. On September 5, 1971, Palestinian terrorists took 11 Israeli athletes and coaches hostage and killed them one by one. This incident, the cruelest in the history of the Olympic Games, became known as the Munich Massacre.

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