Scientists say that you can’t stop time. No matter how hard we try, we can’t move at 100% the speed of light. But we can capture a moment in time where people and things exist as if they are suspended in time, always there in the moment of the photograph.Sometimes, a photo is taken right before tragedy happens. Other times, the smiling people in aphotographmight have a dark secret that only came to light many years after. Here we have a collection of photographs that might seem normal at first glance, but once you know the story behind them, they become much moresinister.A friendly disclaimer to more sensitive Pandas: the list below contains some disturbing stories and may be upsetting to some.This post may includeaffiliate links.

Scientists say that you can’t stop time. No matter how hard we try, we can’t move at 100% the speed of light. But we can capture a moment in time where people and things exist as if they are suspended in time, always there in the moment of the photograph.

Sometimes, a photo is taken right before tragedy happens. Other times, the smiling people in aphotographmight have a dark secret that only came to light many years after. Here we have a collection of photographs that might seem normal at first glance, but once you know the story behind them, they become much moresinister.

A friendly disclaimer to more sensitive Pandas: the list below contains some disturbing stories and may be upsetting to some.

This post may includeaffiliate links.

Person holding a dessert with a lit candle in a restaurant setting, conveying an eerie vibe for photographs with backstories.

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Vintage family photo in a park, linked to terrifying backstories, with adults in hats and children in dresses.

Upon arriving at Cobh, however, Brown got news from his superior back home that he was to return to Southampton immediately. Perhaps without knowing, the clerical superior saved Brown from a tragic fate.

Photograph from 1892 of a pile of American bison skulls in Detroit (MI) waiting to be ground for fertilizer or charcoal.

Massive pile of buffalo skulls with two men, capturing a chilling historical scene from the keywords: terrifying backstories.

Couple embracing in a cozy room, one wearing a cap, evoking a serene moment despite terrifying backstories linked to photographs.

A frail person with long hair lying in bed, relating to photographs with terrifying backstories.

Othericonic photographsare so ingrained in our memories that it’s impossible to look at them and not know their context. For example, is there anyone who can look at the picture of theFalling Manand mistake it for some sort of art performance or an acrobatic trick?

On October 29th, 2013, four engineers were performing maintenance on 12 turbines at Deltawind’s Piet de Wit wind farm in the Netherlands. During the maintenance work, a fire started in the engine room. While two of the workers managed to escape the blaze and save their lives, the remaining two were left stranded at the top of the turbine.The height of the turbine was approximately 80 meters or 260 feet, making it difficult for firefighters to combat the fire and rescue the trapped employees. Sadly, one of the men was found at the bottom of the turbine, having either intentionally jumped or accidentally fallen. The other engineer was retrieved several hours later. Before their tragic deaths, a photograph was taken of the two engineers embracing each other.

Wind turbine engulfed in flames, black smoke rising; two individuals standing atop, related to terrifying backstories.

13 hours after the photograph was taken, on May 18, 1980, the volcano erupted and k**led 57 people including the volcanologist.

Man in a striped sweater sitting outdoors, linked to photographs with terrifying backstories.

Man celebrating outdoors, people in traditional attire in background, tied to terrifying backstories in photographs.

One common issue people raise withphotojournalismis that they see it as unethical. Richard Drew himself remembers how Ethel Kennedy asked him not to take pictures of Robert F. Kennedy lying on the ground after being shot. “That was her choice, but not mine,” he told CBS News, remembering how he climbed up on the table to take the photographs. “My job is to recordhistory, and I record history every day.”

Human Shadow Etched in Stone is an exhibition at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. It is thought to be the shadow of a person who was sitting at the entrance of Hiroshima Branch of Sumitomo Bank when the atomic b**b was dropped over Hiroshima. It is also known as Human Shadow of Death or simply the Blast Shadow.

Images showing shadows burnt into surfaces, illustrating terrifying backstories related to intense thermal rays.

Two people with hair standing up in the foreground of a cloudy, eerie landscape. Photographs with terrifying backstories.

A large group of people pose in front of an old house, related to photographs with terrifying backstories.

Without photojournalism, we wouldn’t have photographs like those of Alan Kurdi, Omayra Sánchez, or Phan Thị Kim Phúc. But according to Kelly McBride from the Poynter Institute for Journalism in St. Petersburg, Florida, these kinds of photos have to have a broader journalistic purpose.

Family posing in front of a Christmas tree, smiling; haunting backstory linked to the photograph.

Three young women smiling for a selfie with a train approaching in the background, which adds a terrifying backstory.

STS-51-Lwas the disastrous 25th mission of NASA’s Space Shuttle program and the final flight of Space ShuttleChallenger.It was planned as the first Teacher in Space Project flight in addition to observing Halley’s Comet for six days and performing a routine satellite deployment. The mission never achieved orbit; a structural failure during its ascent phase 73 seconds after launch from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39B on January 28, 1986, destroyed the orbiter and k**led all seven crew members—Commander Francis R. “Dick” Scobee, Pilot Michael J. Smith, Mission Specialists Ellison S. Onizuka, Judith A. Resnik and Ronald E. McNair, and Payload Specialists Gregory B. Jarvis and S. Christa McAuliffe.

Astronauts in blue NASA uniforms holding helmets, posing for a group photo. Photographs with terrifying backstories.

“It’s an invasion of privacy to the people in the photo, and it’s hurtful, harmful to the people who view the photo,” McBridetold NPR. “It’s meant to reveal something to the audience so that the audience can uphold their Democratic duties.” Photojournalism, in her eyes, has to be journalistic, nor voyeuristic.

Man in military uniform holding a device; linked to terrifying backstories.

A group of people seated inside an airplane cabin, part of a photograph with a terrifying backstory.

Car interior submerged in brown water, related to terrifying backstories.

Some people might even find unsettling pictures in their old family albums. Back in the day, photography of the deceased was quite popular. In Victorian England, for example, people would oftenphotograph their deceasedbecause it was the only way they could have a picture of that family member.

FINLAND 2015. Jonna had broken up with her 25-year old boyfriend due to the age difference. She moved on and he fell into depression, because he had wanted to marry her.So he abducted her from her usual jogging route he had memorised due to stalking and drove a bit before he SA’d her and knocked her unconscious. Then he drove to an abandoned barn where he tied her to a table, doused the place in gasoline, and lit the place on fire. Second degree burn marks imply he watched as the flames grew and Jonna burned alive.He insisted that the burns were from him trying to lit the barn to commit s**cide, changing his mind but the match fell and he saw Jonna walk into the flames willingly. At court his story wasn’t believed and he received life in prison for the crime.

Person sitting on a tree branch in a schoolyard, related to photographs with terrifying backstories.

Airplane passengers sitting, two wearing maroon sweaters, unrelated to terrifying backstories.

This is the last image of a woman called Corrie Van Veggel, who went missing on her descent of the Mardi Himal trek in Nepal in Feb 2018. I was lucky enough to meet her in a hot spring a couple days before, she’d come to Nepal on her own to do some trekking and a yoga retreat.She only had 4/5 days of trekking left which included a hike up from the hot springs to Mardi Himal basecamp and then back down to the city Pokhara. I only knew she’d gone missing because I saw her missing person poster in the mountain village I was staying in a few weeks later.She was a lovely person full of life and adventure, sociable and kind and its weird to think I was one of the last people she’d ever met. Rest in peace.

Hiker posing at a snowy mountain base; missing person poster hints at photographs with terrifying backstories.

As having a portrait of a deceased family member painted was quite expensive, a daguerreotype was the most affordable option. Many children would pass away before the age of five from measles, diphtheria, scarlet fever, or rubella. So, parents would get a family portrait with a deceased child: a chance to have a permanent record of a beloved family member.

A vintage family photo with a hidden terrifying backstory, showing three adults and four pixelated children.

Vintage photograph of a couple standing together, related to terrifying backstories.

Person in a playful pumpkin costume, smiling inside a home, with a terrifying backstory.

Couple posing at a railing while others look over; linked to terrifying photographic backstories.

This was during a time called the 60s scoop where hospitals would claim that children had passed during delivery, and would be put into foster care from there. Neither kid nor parent would know. They are finding their way home but the road is long.

Children’s adoption poster with highlighted section, related to photographs with terrifying backstories.

Graduate in cap and gown holds diploma, linked to photographs with terrifying backstories.

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In some photographs, it can be hard to tell whether the subject is alive or not. One giveaway was that the deceased appeared more sharply in the photographs. Because of long exposures when taking the photos, the living would sometimes appear slightly blurred. Lack of movement from the deceased would guarantee a more clear-cut image.

Woman in a floral dress enjoying a red cocktail, related to photographs with terrifying backstories.

Large group photo in a gymnasium setting, related to photographs with terrifying backstories.

This is the last photo of her alive which was taken sometime in August 2017. Within minutes of this photo, her boyfriend Loren Bunner pulled out a gun and shot Jollee 2 times in the back of the head on the Pinhoti Trail, Alabama.According to reports, after he had shot and k**led her. He then pushed her body down the cliff.

Woman standing on a cliff edge, facing misty forest, linked to terrifying backstories.

Gothic cathedral towers with ominous cages; notable for terrifying backstories.

Couple taking a selfie on a mountain overlook, related to photographs with terrifying backstories.

John Wayne Gacy was an American serial kler and sx offender who rped, tortured, and mdered at least 33 young men and boys in Norwood Park Township, near Chicago, Illinois. He became known as “the K**ler Clown” due to his public performances as a clown prior to the discovery of his crimes.

A man and woman in red outfits posing together, linked to photographs with terrifying backstories.

A grainy black and white photograph showing a man and a child with a terrifying backstory.

Two children with pixelated faces pose outside, with a terrifying backstory of a large cloud looming in the background.

Colorful sneakers dangling over a cliff edge with waves below, capturing a frightening moment related to terrifying backstories.

Ann Marie Burr(December 14, 1952 – disappeared August 31, 1961) was an American child who vanished under mysterious circumstances from her home in the North End section of Tacoma, Washington in August 1961. Her disappearance, which made national headlines, received renewed attention when it was theorized that serial k**ler Ted Bundy – who lived in Tacoma as a teenager at the time – might have been responsible for her abduction.

A young girl in a white dress and veil stands outdoors, associated with photographs with terrifying backstories.

The next day, he drove down to Dallas for the OU-Texas football game, where he stayed in a hotel with his friends and posted this candid photo on Instagram, in what I assume would be an attempt to build an alibi. Didn’t work, as he quickly confessed and received multiple life sentences.Still, I can’t imagine what the people in this photo – and others who were probably in that hotel room – must’ve felt when they learned what had happened.

Young man in sunglasses using a phone, sitting on a bed beside a woman, related to terrifying backstories.

James Warren Jones was an American cult leader and mass mderer who founded and led the People’s Temple between 1955 and 1978. In what Jones termed “revolutionary sicide”, Jones and the members of his inner circle planned and orchestrated a mass m***r-s***e in his remote jungle commune at Jonestown, Guyana, on November 18, 1978.

A man in a suit holding a plaque and speaking into a microphone, with a photo projected behind him.

Divers in a cave pool with international flags overhead, relating to photographs and their terrifying backstories.

Yale graduate student Kevin Jiang was shot and k**led in New Haven on February 6. He was 26-years-old. As a result of his death, Police have started a homicide investigation and a multi-state manhunt for a person of interest for 29-year-old MIT graduate Qinxuan Pan Jiang served in the US Army National Guard, distributed food to and cooked for a homeless shelter, and even mentored youth. He was enrolled at the Yale School of Environment and was part of the class of 2022. A week before his death, Jiang proposed to his girlfriend Zion Perry. His 27th birthday was this month.

Man kneeling in the snow, proposing with a ring, as a woman smiles at a scenic icy backdrop. Photographs with terrifying backstories.

Los Angeles Times headline about the 2003 Station nightclub fire, highlighting photographs with terrifying backstories.

A little backstory - my 2 friends and I were hiking in a pretty popular spot in our area. it’s a 150-ft waterfall that takes about 45 mins of uphill hiking to get to.Qe decided to go bouldering around the bottom of the waterfall, there are various little pools and boulders where the water runs off from the waterfall. This bouldering trail is not on the main trail, and not many hikers ever veer off of the main trail.Qhen we found her, obviously we called 911 and gave her any supplies we had. eventually a helicopter showed up and they flew her to the nearest hospital. turns out she was hiking with her friend the NIGHT BEFORE when they both fell off of the waterfall.Her friend must have gone to get help, but unfortunately died less than 100 yds from where we found the girl. So no one knew she was hurt or that she was even there. It’s a miracle she was still alive and mind blowing to think what she had gone through when we found her 20 hours later.

Climber on a rocky path with a hidden snake, illustrating terrifying backstories of photographs in nature.

Person decorating a holiday tree in a living room; scene with a television in the background related to photographs' backstories.

Airplane wing on the tarmac at sunrise, with the text “ICT→DCA,” linked to photographs with terrifying backstories.

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