War, Peace & Small Slices of Life

Life magazine was created to help people see the world:  "war, peace, small slices of life and epic themes" were all covered by the photo journalist periodical which debuted on November 23, 1936 at 10 cents a copy.  Originally started in 1883 as a humour publication, it folded during the Great Depression and then was bought by Henry Luce who turned it into a picture based magazine.  At its peak, Life enjoyed a circulation of over 8 million.  Churchill and other statesmen chose to have their memoirs published in the magazine.  One of its most famous photographs appeared in the August 27, 1945 edition depicting a nurse in the arms of a sailor in New York City on VJ Day which marked the end of World War II. 



Photo courtesy http://dailymail.co.uk.

 

Fort Peck Dam was featured on the cover of the first issue of Life.  Here are some other famous photographs that have graced its cover over the decades:

1.  The Dionne Quintuplets, May 17, 1937.

2.  The Golden Gate Bridge, May 31, 1937.

3.  A British Air Raid Victim, September 23, 1940.

4.  General Dwight D. Eisenhower on D-Day, June 19, 1944.

5.  Billy Graham, July 1, 1951.

6.  Queen Elizabeth's Coronation, April 27, 1953.

7.  The Conquest of Mount Everest, July 13, 1953.

8.  The Sinking of the Andrea Doria, August 6, 1956.

9.  School Integration, Little Rock, Arkansas, October 7, 1957.

10.  Neil Armstrong Landing on the Moon, July 25, 1969.