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What happens after we say cheese? The subjects of the following photographs probably didn’t predict the answer to be a morbid plot twist. We have all seen post-tragedy photos of terrible accidents, but there is something particularly ominous and haunting about pre-tragedy photos: smiling families, groups embarking on explorations, and daring stunt attempts, not in the least expecting to be caught in a natural disaster or a horrific plane crash. Some of these pictures appear so unassuming and cheerful that it makes what followed all the more horror story-like.

William Shakespeare famously said, “Men at some times are masters of their fate,” but as you will see in the following photos, this is not always the case. Scroll down below with caution to see the Bored Panda round-up of some of the most creepy photos taken before a tragedy.

#1

Photographer Robert Landsberg Captured The Wall Of Ash That Would Kill Him When Mt. St. Helen's Erupted. He Managed To Protect The Film With His Body

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Robert Landsburg Report

#2

The Crew Of Space Shuttle Challenger On Their Way To Board. Challenger Broke Apart 73 Seconds Into Its Flight, Killing All Seven Crew Members

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NASA Report

#3

Mayinga N’Seka, A Nurse, Is Depicted Here During An Ebola Outbreak In 1976. Her Dedication Meant That She Eventually Contracted The Disease Herself And Passed Away Not Long After

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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Report

#4

The Omagh Bombing. The Red Car In This Photograph Contained A Bomb That Killed 29 People And Injured Some 220 Others. The Man And Child Both Survived, The Photographer Didn't

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Unknown Report

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Anne Bleakley
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Giant space Tiger - I'm from Northern Ireland- lived through the troubles and the situation is extremely complex. Best not to make political comments on a situation you don't understand. We are just grateful that those days have passed and we can go about our lives without worrying about being blown up or shot.

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#5

14-Year-Old Keith Sapsford Hid In The Wheel Of A Flight Leaving Sydney Towards Japan. John Gilspin, An Amateur Photographer, Was Testing His New Camera Lens And Unwittingly Caught Keith Sapsford's 200ft Plunge To Death

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Capt_Blackadder Report

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Sally Appleton
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I've always wondered: if you were to fall like that, would you die upon hitting the ground or would you have a heart attack or something while falling? Can anyone tell me?

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#6

William "Dave" Sanders Guiding More Than 100 Students Out Of The Cafeteria During Columbine High School Massacre, He Was Later Shot Twice In The Chest And Didn't Survive

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Columbine High School Report

#7

Last Image Of Uruguayan Flight 571, Before It Crashed In The Andes On 13-10-1972. 27 Out Of 45 People Survived The Initial Crash. Survivors Were Eventually Forced To Cannibalize The Dead To Stay Alive. 16 People Were Rescued 72 Days Later

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Mr_Funnybone Report

#8

Dave Hally Took One Last Photo Of His Wife And 4-Year-Old Daughter Before Takeoff For Their Dream Vacation Aboard Mh17, Shortly Before It Was Shot Down Over Ukraine By Russia-Led Forces, Killing Everybody On Board

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Dave Hally Report

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Stephanie Chapman
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I remember this happening because it was a huge atrocity and because there were a lot of people on board heading to a conference on AIDS. So doctors, researchers, and a lot of people who were working towards a cure.

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#9

A Dash Cam Captures The Moments Before Transasia’s Flight 235 Crashed In The Keelung River In Taiwan. The Plane Carried 58 People - Only 15 Survived

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CNN Report

#10

Gilles Leclerc And Marianne Labanane Took A Selfie At The Bataclan Theatre As They Waited To See The Eagles Of Death Metal Perform. Moments Later, 4 Gunmen Stormed In And Started Shooting. Gilles Was Killed In The Attack, But Marianne Survived

Gilles Leclerc and Marianne Labanane in The Eagles of Death metal concert Shares stats

Mon frère Gilles Leclerc Report

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Joannie Goulet
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I've heard about them. The man protected his girlfriend by throwing her to the ground out of harms way when the gunman started shooting. She survived thanks to his quick reflexes and selflessness. A true hero.

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#11

Robert Overcracker, A Professional Stunt Man, Drove A Jet Ski Over Niagara Falls To Raise Awareness For The Homeless Back In 1995. This Photo Was Snapped Just As His Parachute Failed To Deploy, Sending Him Down To His Death

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logical fallacy
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Which is why you need a reserve parachute. And a reserve reserve parachute. And a reserve reserve reserve parachure.

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#12

Last Moments Of Harambe, Gorilla Killed After A Child Fell Into His Enclosure At The Cincinnati Zoo In 2016

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TomoNews US Report

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A Little Light Arson
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The fault is of the parents, not keeping an eye on their child. Harambe may have been dangerous, but so is letting your child wander around at that age. They should have been supervising.

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#13

West Milford Took This Photo While On A Hike In New Jersey, Moments Before The Bear Attacked And Killed Him

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#14

Nicholas Mevoli After His Last 'Free Dive'. He Was Attempting To Dive 236ft Deep. He Completed The Dive, Surfaced, Gave The Ok Sign, Tried To Speak, And Then Passed Out. He Never Regained Consciousness And Died That Same Day From Pulmonary Edema

Picture of Nicholas Mevoli after his last free dive Shares stats

Lia Hyun-Joo Barrett Report

#15

This Unsuspecting Family Snapped The Last Moments Of Ayano Tokumasu’s Life. The 20-Year-Old Student In Red Threw Herself Over The Railings Outside The Niagara Falls To Her Death

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#16

Archduke Ferdinand And His Wife Sophie 1h Before They Would Be Shot And Killed By Serb Nationalist Gavrilo Princip - This Event Was The Trigger For The Wwi

Archduke Ferdinand and His Wife Sophie 1h before shot and killed Shares stats

Bettmann Report

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stellermatt
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

it's incredible how he was actually killed. An assassin had tried to throw a bomb under their passing car, but it missed and exploded the car behind, the assassin then took his cyanide pill, but it was faulty and just caused him to throw up (a lot) so he panicked and threw himself in the river, but it had been a long hot summer, so the river was shallow... Ferdinand then was rushed away but later wanted to go and see the survivors or the earlier bomb, it was when he was on his way there that he was shot.

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#17

In 1978, Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 182 Tragically Crashed Into A Small Private Cessna 172 Plane And Fell From The Sky. This Picture Captures The Plane Just Before It Hit The Ground

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Hans Wendt Report

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Don Flynn
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I saw that happen... it was PE class and we were playing soccer on the upper field at Junipero Serra High School in San Diego. We watched the PSA jet go across the sky on fire until it hit the ground

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#18

This Photograph Was Recovered From Japan Airlines Flight 123 After It Crashed. In Total 520 Passengers And Crew Were Killed, Only 4 Survived

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Nadja Lambacher
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5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I am honestly curious how 4 people managed to survive. That is incredible luck.

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#19

Christopher McCandless'es (The Man From "Into The Wild") Final Self Portrait - His Decomposed Body Was Found By Moose Hunters In 1992. He Lived In An Abandoned Bus For Over 100 Days. His Cause Of Death Was Officially Ruled As Starvation, But The Exact Cause Is Still Debated

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Chris McCandless Report

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Susan Forbes
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And now people who are "inspired" by the book have to be rescued from their own lack of preparation. They obviously didn't think about what happened IRL

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#20

This Photo Shows Parkour Enthusiast Pavel Kashin Performing The Trick That Would Lead To His Death. He’s Pictured Attempting To Back-Flip To The Wall, But He Would Soon Lose His Balance And Fall To Ground Below

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#21

James Dean Is Seen Here Getting Gas For His Porsche 550 Spyder Not Long Before He Crashed It And Died. Legend Has It That The Car Is Cursed, As It Was Involved In Several More Accidental Deaths Before Disappearing In The ’60s

James Dean getting gas for his Porsche 550 Spyder Shares stats

Corbis Report

#22

One Of The Last Known Photos Of Titanic Afloat. It Sank On 15 April 1912 After Colliding With An Iceberg. There Were An Estimated 2,224 Passengers And Crew Aboard - More Than 1,500 Didn't Survive

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BusLady
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The last survivor, Millvina Dean, died in 2009, at the age of 97. She was 2 months old at the time of the tragedy.

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#23

The Concorde Crash - Moments After Takeoff One Of The Plane’s Engines Caught On Fire, Causing The Plane To Crash Into A Nearby Hotel, This Killed 113 People

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GiantSpaceTiger
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It killed Concorde, too. Not just that one - all the planes were mothballed soon after. Now if you want to fly supersonic you need to be Military :(

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#24

Diana Princess Of Wales (Head Turned Away In Backseat), Her Bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones, Left, And Driver Henri Paul Shortly On The Night Of August 31, 1997 Before The Fatal Crash

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Associated Press Report

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Max L.
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Who took the photo contributed to the crash and their death (not sure her bodyguard survived)

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#25

George Mallory And Sandy Irvine Just Before They Began Their Ascent Of Mt. Everest In 1924, It's Still Debated If They Reached The Top, Either Way, They Never Made It Back

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AP Report

#26

Paul Walker Climbing Into The Car That Eventually Crashed, Taking His And The Driver’s Lives Back In 2013

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Herb Eaversmells
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ricardo miller posthumously awarded Paul Walker his bjj black belt. Already a brown belt at the time of his passing, his coach thought nothing would,stop him from receiving his,black belt. This was a real honorable gesture by his,coaches part and a real cool thing to do

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#27

The Band Great White Playing At Rhode Island’s Station Nightclub, Just Before Their Pyrotechnics Caused A Fire That Killed More Than 100 People. In This Eerie Photo See You Can See The Destructive Fireworks On Display

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WPRI Report

#28

R. Budd Dwyer Was The Treasurer Of Pennsylvania Between 1981-1987, Before Being Accused Of Bribery And Withholding Taxes. He Shot Himself On His Televised Trial, Watched By Millions

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#29

Joseph Avery Crashed His Boat In The Niagara River. 2 Other Men Died Immediately, But Avery Managed To Cling To A Rock For 18h, Waiting For A Rescue Boat. Unfortunately, The Boat Capsized Almost Immediately After Avery Managed To Climb In, Dooming Him

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