People Are Sharing ‘Alternate Angles’ Of Iconic Events And Places In History, Here Are 30 Of The Best
InterviewClose your eyes, and imagine the Statue of Liberty. You’ll probably picture its gigantic size, powerful posture, its intense face, the seven spikes of its crown, the way she’s holding a torch… Even if you’ve never seen it in real life, your mind most likely has a common image of it that most people have.
Thanks to the media, popular culture and instant access to virtually any information, we all have developed common perspectives of things, places and historical events. But what if we take a look at the Statue of Liberty from a completely different angle, let’s say, the very back of its head?
Well, one excellent corner of Reddit named “Alternate Angles” may have an answer or many answers to things we see at their face value. In fact, this relatively new online community created in 2019 is dedicated to showing a whole new viewpoint of “iconic events and places in history beyond the traditional well-known photos and videos.”
The result is fresh perspectives and never-before-seen angles that prove there’s so much more than what meets the eye! Plus, scroll down for the interview with the awesome moderator team behind the Alternate Angles subreddit.
This post may include affiliate links.
Aa Of The Sphinx - It Has A Tail!
Photo Of A Hiker Watching The Eruption Of Mt. St. Helens From Mt. Adams, About 37 Miles To The East.
Onlookers In Horror And Disbelief As They Watch The Twin Towers Collapse On 9/11
Wow... powerful photo.... so many people were doing this all over the world....clearly remember that morning...
Such a horrible day, i was in school, hoping, praying that my godmother from NY was ok. She surrived. Her brother was never found. RIP Dave <3
I'm so sorry for that terrible loss. We were fortunate in that our godson was nearby but not there. A cousin was in the Pentagon and he too was ok.
Load More Replies...Heartbreaking but interesting fact: if you zoom in on the hi res version of this photo, you can see the smoke billowing as one of the towers falls in the reflection of the gentleman's glasses. I'll never forget seeing this photo for the first time and using the magnifier. This was and is still devastating for so many who remember it like this morning. Bless.
We had two American friends staying with us in England that day, they were in total shock, glued to the tv all day. They couldn't fathom how or why this could happen. That day made us realise the difference between the way news was presented in our two countries and how their news was mostly focused on events in the US.
Really? That was your take-away from that scene? Many Americans at that time had cable access to CNN, BBC, and other sources of world news. THAT event in the US that day changed everything for them, for you, for countries all around the world! I am shocked that you didn’t get that....what did you want them to do that day? Rush off to see the changing of the Guard, again?
Load More Replies...The sight of the poor people who jumped from the towers haunted my dreams for weeks. My niece was born that day and my wife and her sister visited her mother in the afternoon and told her what had happened. She hadn't heard a thing about it. Australia.
The sounds of bodies hitting canopies are indelible.
Load More Replies...It was around 3 pm, I was zapping through the channels and happened by CNN. A wide eyed guy with the towers in the background was live reporting just as the second plane hit, and he didn't realise before his colleague in the studio told him. As time passed shock and disbelief turned into horror. Then devastation and grief.. It was awful. Such a tragic day for humanity.
I was glued to the TV, my friend worked there. I didn’t go to our lady golf tournament . 3 days later I was thankful that my friend called. We sat crying, praying. We went to NYC in April 0f 2002, we were numb and couldn’t believe the orange construction fence, covered with missing people’s photos, there is so much more I could share.
Powerful. Everyone who was old enough to realize what was happening remembers this horrible day... I was at high school. Not American, but I remember the sudden realization that the world would change forever after it...
I'm in Texas. I had just watched my 2 kids walk the 1 block to school, turned on the tv to the first tower already burning and when I watched the second plane hit I knew it was an attack... didn't turn the tv off for days... was worried for everyone I knew in DC & New York and Boston
I wasn't born yet when this happened, but I went to the memorial place a few years ago, it was heartbreaking.
In work when a colleague's husband phoned and said, put the radio on. Not much more work was done that day.
That someone had the presence of mind to turn and look behind them rather than the horror going on in front is interesting.
This image could so easily have been taken from a movie like Men in Black. Sadly, it's a real life horror with no end in sight.
I was doing this same thing just about 25 blocks north of this spot and a few avenues west. I will never forget that day.
Anyone who was alive and over 13 at the time has the story of a memory about where they were, especially if they lived near the areas of impact. You just can’t forget it. Those of us who were teens and young adults had our worlds changed by that, in one way or another.
I was younger than that and it is still burnt into my memory. It was a terrible, heart wrenching day. I remember I was in fifth grade, my teachers name, how he reacted everything.
Load More Replies...I was working in retail in a large department store. All the staff spent their breaks silently watching it on tv, this was Ireland. No one could take it in.
American here. I was at work too. One of my vendors came in and asked, "Did you see where those planes hit the twin towers?!". I remember saying, "Planes? As in, more than ONE?!". I knew then it was intentional, but in my mind I was picturing those small, single engine Cessna-type planes, not commercial aircrafts. I got the shock of my life when I turned on the news.
Load More Replies...Why do they do that with pictures... makes them black & white so it seems like it is from a longtime ago. Have you noticed how many MLK pics are black and white when colour pics were a norm by then. Might not have been available for everyone, but certainly for newspapers who ran the articles
Because some pictures are either too intense in color, or color would be distracting... A picture in b/w makes you focus on what's important.
Load More Replies...I remember crying when the second plane hit and I realized it was all on purpose.
You'll be one of the few alive at the time but have no memory of the event. :)
Load More Replies...The foresight of that photographer to turn their camera away from one of the biggest events in recent history and take pictures of the crowd behind them. Almost like the picture is fake.
i remember that day. i was in school. everyone in my school was panicking. i left and went for coffee. was a nice cup, too
This brings back so many memories of that day! Those poor people watching helplessly as those in the building had to decide between jumping to their death or being burned alive. I will never forget that.
We were All Americans that awful day, it took a horrible attach to bring us together. Did not matter our religion, color or any other differences. We all flew and took pride in our Flag. We all sang the Stared Spangled Banner together. Never forget. 20 years later, what happened?
Never forget! We were all Americans on that day, no matter color, creed or religion. Everyone flew the American Flag and sung the American anthem, with pride. 20 years later, what happened?
In my country (Thailand) was 7 pm. The evening news just started . It’s one of the horrible day in my life.
I was in the shower getting ready for work when the first plane hit. I had the radio on in the bathroom and for some reason initially thought it was a joke. My brain was unable to wrap itself around that horrific of an event. When I got out of the shower I turned on the tv and saw the second plane hit and quickly realized this was no accident. During the drive to work I was listening to the radio when they announced a 3rd crash that hit the Pentagon. It was at that point that genuine panic had set in fearing what would happen next. I live in western NY and while we are quite a ways from NYC there were rumors that Niagara falls was next as it supplies electricity to all of western NY and Ontario. My cousin was in a cab on her way to WTC for a meeting for work. Luckily she was running late and never made it there. Her work put her up in a hotel near ground zero and she was not allowed to leave for over a week. Every second of that day is burned into my memory along with everyone else who was old enough to truly understand the horror of what was unfolding before our eyes. RIP to the over 3,000 people who met their untimely and awful fate that day. And my sincerest condolences to every person that lost a loved one.
I resided in Alexandria, Va. Woke up to sounds of glass cracking throughout the high-rise. Took the Metro/subway to work. Several trains of people leaving DC. My train stopped at National ariport. More people leaving the airport, walking over the bridge from DC - Arlington. Next stop was the Pentagon station, it was closed. Emergency lights on, thick cloudy yellow dust in the air on the ground, smelled of death. Got to my destination station people in northern Arlington. People there too were leaving in droves. Arrived work (Corporation who assists travel agents with their tickets orders getting submitted to the airlines for their clients). Saw the 2nd plane hit the WTC. Then saw video of the 1st plane. Finally all made sense to the chaos, fear and sadness I saw on everyone's faces. Everyone who was left in the office. We all were glue to the news. By 3PM Arlington was a ghost town.
For the next two weeks.Ticket agents were calling in needing help. From time to time an agent from NYC would call in. Sometimes they had to put us on hold. The hold music was different it was a radio station giving out information on where people could find their loved ones who died on 9/11. The people who tragically lost their lives were waiting to be claimed in massive buildings at the ports. Here back home, just like ecerywy else on America. Everyone was nice to one another. Helping one another, trying to find ways to raise money or collect anything for those who lost their loved ones. My brother's birthday is on 9/11. He didn't celebrate his birthday for the next ten years.
Load More Replies...Okay...this was too big an ask, Bored Panda. Everybody immediately forgot the game and went strictly 2001 reality mode. So I will take a deep breath and tell you what they were REALLY looking at: Rudy Giuliani, in a portent of things to come, had come out naked onto a fifth floor balcony of the Four Seasons Hotel* ( portentous, to say the least) and was having his way with a chambermaid. This was surprising, because he was The Enforcer of law and decency in New York, as Mayor!
September 11, 2001. Americans coined the event "9/11" as we refer to the month before the day.
Load More Replies...These days, when there’s so much content being shared on Reddit, it’s becoming hard to stand out from the rest of the subreddits. But the Alternate Angles subreddit proves that the internet can be an incredible place where we can all learn something new every day and expand our horizons.
With 132k members, Alternate Angles has been sharing a bunch of very interesting pics that show various objects, places, and events from unusual angles. It comes as a breath of fresh air where the dedicated and professional moderator team stands at the core of it.
The David Statue Protected By Bricks During Ww2
Without googling, it was common to literally burn bridges during WW2 (to inhibit the advance of enemy troops). However, the Ponte Vecchio was deliberately not destroyed by the Germans.
Charles Ebbets Photographing “Lunch On A Skyscraper”, The Famous Picture Of Workers In NY Eating Their Lunch On A Hanging Steel Beam
Onlookers Reacting To The Explosion Of The Challenger Space Shuttle
“The origins are really quite simple,” the mod team told Bored Panda and continued: “A comment in another subreddit of famous pictures suggested that someone should create a sub of different views of famous pictures, which led to the creation of r/AlternateAngles by u/Murkon and another Redditor who decided to step down and is no longer a moderator.”
Most importantly, we asked the moderators to explain the very concept of Alternate Angles. They said that “it can be summed up by a rule: Limit all submissions to alternate views, or unique perspectives, of well-known locations, items, people, and events. An alternate angle of your kitchen does not qualify but Gordon Ramsay's kitchen does."
Having said that, the moderators added that determining what is "well known" is subjective. Hence, “the occasional post of an obviously non-well-known picture slips through, but we strive to keep with the original objective.”
Bob Ross Before His Perm + Beard
Neil Armstrong’s Family Watching His Launch To The Moon-1969
One small step for man. A giant leap for mankind. Funny how humans haven't been on the moon in almost 50 years.
The Statue Of Liberty At The 1878 Paris World Fair Before Being Fully Assembled And Shipped To The United States
Turns out that much harder posts to moderate are those that are fakes or photoshopped. For this reason, the team relies on "the fantastic and active user base to help out with those."
When asked to share some of their own personal Alternate Angles posts, the moderator team said they “could have spent hours culling through thousands and thousands of posts to pick out more.” However, they picked a couple ones for our readers to enjoy: the Lincoln Memorial before the reflecting pool, recording Leo the Lion (the MGM's iconic mascot), this alternate angle of one of the biggest tragedies in US history, and this rare view of the back panel of Mona Lisa.
Backside Of Tutankhamuns Mask
Prince William Giving “Middle Finger” After Prince Louis’ Birth
The Tank Man Photo From The Day Of The Tiananmen Square Massacre In 1989, Uncropped
The Beatles Lining Up For The Abbey Road Album Cover Photo
Paul McCartney: Okay guys, who took my shoes? Lennon: *sniggers*. Harrison: Wha? I’m smoking a joint, exactly what are we doing here? Ringo: Yay, they let me sing a couple of songs!
A More Depressing View Of The Taj Mahal
Been there. The Taj Mahal is beautiful, but it is right next to a plastic, effluent filled river.
Queen Filming The Iconic Bohemian Rhapsody Music Video In 1975
Different View Of The Pyramids
Lincoln Memorial Before The Reflecting Pool
Sydney Opera House From Top
I Have A Dream
The Leaning Tower Of Pisa Is Empty On The Inside
The Nevermind Baby Getting Out Of The Pool
Lady Liberty
On the one hand, it is an amazing photo. On the other hand, the compulsive in me is bothered that the platform/enclosure wasn't constructed with top/bottom symmetry when it is so nearly geometrically satisfying.
Star Wars Episode Iv Opening Crawl
North Korean Founder Kim-Il Sung Had A Baseball Sized Tumor On The Back Of His Head. North Korean Propaganda Officials Had All Photos Taken Of Him From The Left Side. This Is One Of The Few Candid Photos Of The Tumor
Wow! That was huge! Wikipedia says it was a calcium deposit tumor and his death was from a heart attack.
Tiananmen Square Before The Infamous Picture, The Guy Is In The Top Left, 1989
Behind The Price Is Right Wheel
Alternate Angle Of The Phantom Menace
Not The Typical View Of The Tiananmen Square Protests...
The Position Of The Camera Man Who Took The Picture Of The Dallas Shooter
Soldiers At A Port In England Waiting To Leave For Normandy On D Day
Note: this post originally had 43 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
Every image that I was alive for brought back the emotions I felt at the time. Some missing ones not mentioned here but that also sprang to mind, not as photos as they were happening but as news reports quickly afterwards: Chernoble, Boxing Day Tsunami, Columbia, Wako. Why is it mostly the bad ones we remember? Why not the Berlin Wall? End of apartheid or the fall of the USSR? The Good Friday Agreement? The closing of the Ozone hole?
I think this photo fits here https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRJ85QZnQGH1SwdjJGI54SW1DzE-CtfEkntw2OAdZz3Fd0012DTvpP1nXM&s=10
Those were fantastic photos. Amazing what a different view can show!!
These are awesome!!! Not your average photos. Cudos to the photographer
Flashback from a time when bp was all about this stuff.Nowadays it is mostly woke bs.But i guess people rather want to see "social issues" than things that we all can admire without dividing people
Everything has a time and place. If you're a marginalized person, you have no choice but to see unjust "social issues", as that is their reality.
Load More Replies...Every image that I was alive for brought back the emotions I felt at the time. Some missing ones not mentioned here but that also sprang to mind, not as photos as they were happening but as news reports quickly afterwards: Chernoble, Boxing Day Tsunami, Columbia, Wako. Why is it mostly the bad ones we remember? Why not the Berlin Wall? End of apartheid or the fall of the USSR? The Good Friday Agreement? The closing of the Ozone hole?
I think this photo fits here https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRJ85QZnQGH1SwdjJGI54SW1DzE-CtfEkntw2OAdZz3Fd0012DTvpP1nXM&s=10
Those were fantastic photos. Amazing what a different view can show!!
These are awesome!!! Not your average photos. Cudos to the photographer
Flashback from a time when bp was all about this stuff.Nowadays it is mostly woke bs.But i guess people rather want to see "social issues" than things that we all can admire without dividing people
Everything has a time and place. If you're a marginalized person, you have no choice but to see unjust "social issues", as that is their reality.
Load More Replies...