10 Photos That Show the Best and Worst of Humanity
The following photographs show humanity at its best and worst. Many of the images will touch your heart, whilst others may break it.
Warning: Some readers may view the following photographs as distressing.
1. The Black Saturday Bush Fires
image via www.telegraph.co.uk
A series of bushfires took place in Victoria, Australia, on Saturday 7th February 2009. The Black Saturday bushfires is regarded as one of the worst bushfire disasters in history, as 173 died and 414 people were injured following the 400 recorded individual fires.
Here a kind-hearted fire fighter takes a break to give a koala a drink of water following the fire.
2. Auschwitz Gas Chamber
image via iotwreport.com
Auschwitz Concentration Camp was a network of German Nazi concentration camps and extermination camps, which were built and operated by the Third Reich during World War II.
The above image was taken inside an Auschwitz gas chamber. The scratches on the wall are from prisoners who were trapped inside. Approximately 1.1 million prisoners died at Auschwitz, and 90% of the victims were Jewish.
3. The Motorcycle Wreckage
image via www.cnn.com
As dark as the world can be, there are good people out there who would risk their own lives to save another – even a stranger. The above photo is a testament that fact, as onlookers heroically saved an unconscious motorcyclist from a burning wreckage, after his bike collided with a car.
4. Holodomor
image via www.listverse.com/
Holodomor translates from Ukrainian to English as “killing by hunger”. The word is now the term for Josef Stalin’s forced starvation genocide, which took place in the Ukraine from 1932 to 1933. Many historians are confident the Russian dictator was aware of the Ukrainian famine and refused to provide food aid. He even went as far as diverting food shipments from the Eastern European country and confiscating what little food they had left.
He reportedly imposed the forced starvation out of retaliation, as Ukraine was striving for independence. While Ukraine is today a country in its own right, during Stalin’s reign it was known as “the Ukrainian SRR”, and was one area of Russia. His goal was to make the starvation look like a mere accident. If anyone attempted to flee, they would meet the NKVD, who would either shoot a person or bring them back home to starve. A reported 190,000 tried to flee within the first year. As records were not kept at the time, Holodomor’s death poll is believed to range from 1.8 million to 12 million.
5. Zanjeer the Dog
image via www.boredpanda.com
It is hard to believe that one dog can save thousands of lives, but that’s exactly what Zanjeer the dog done during the Mumbai serial blasts in March 1993. The brave dog detected over 3,329 kgs of the RDX explosive, as well as 600 detonators, 6406 rounds of live ammunition and 249 hand grenades. Zanjeer died of bone cancer in 2000, and the above photograph shows how he was buried with full honours.
6. Hurricane Sandy
image via www.slice.ca/
Hurricane Sandy was one of the most destructive hurricanes in the Atlantic in 2012, taking the lives of 213 people across eight countries. In the wake of the natural disaster, humans demonstrated just how wonderful they are, offering a helping hand to all those who had been affected by the hurricane.
Take a look at the above image, which shows how one kind soul offered the use of their power to those who needed it most.
7. Starving Monglian Woman
image via www.viralnova.com/
The above photograph was taken by Stefan Passe, and was published by National Geographic in 1913. When this photo was taken, Mongolia was newly-independent, and a regular punishment for criminals was to place them in a public box, and they would most likely stay there until they starved to death.
8. Jacqueline Nyeptipei Kiplimo
image via thedailyst.com
During the 2010 Zheng Kai marathon, Jacqueline Nyeptipei Kiplimo, a world class runner from Kenya, noticed a Chinese disabled athlete was struggling to open a bottle of water. Instead of leaving the man to bag the top spot in the race, she passed an open bottle of water to the dehydrated runner, slowing her race time down.
Not only that, she ran with him from the 10km to the 38km mark, helping him at all water stations. Jacqueline consequently came second in the race and failed to win the $10,000 cash prize.
9. The Shanghai Baby
image via militaryhistorynow.com
The Second Sino-Japanese War overlapped World War II, taking place from 1937. The above photo was taken after the Japanese bombed a Chinese train station that was housing women and children. Remarkably, this baby survived the attack, and cries alone for someone to help.
10. The Bus Riders
image via www.viralnova.com/
These quick-thinking bus riders sprang to action when a passenger attempted to take her own life, saving the life of a stranger.
Want to view more amazing moments from humanity? Read 10 Photos to Restore Your Faith in Humanity. Follow The List Love on Facebook, G+ and Twitter.
