Historical images: sources and permissions

Uruk: Writing Emerges from the Accounting Room

A clay tablet covered with early signs and a seal impression. — Period objectSumerian tablet, c. 3100–2900 BCE, recording barley distribution: material evidence for the accounting practices behind early writing.Sumerian · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · CC0 1.0 Universal Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Proto-cuneiform administrative tablet · ca. 3100–2900 BCE
Creator / rights holder: Sumerian / The Metropolitan Museum of Art / public domain
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Caral: Early Cities in the Andes

Caral’s pyramid and circular court — Present-day viewA pyramid platform and sunken circular court at Caral, Peru. Photograph taken in 2016; the surviving site is shown, not a reconstruction of ancient life.Jon Gudorf Photography · Wikimedia Commons · Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Caral’s pyramid and circular court · 2016
Creator / rights holder: Jon Gudorf Photography / Jon Gudorf Photography
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Indus Cities and Public Infrastructure

A square seal and impression showing a horned animal and signs. — Period objectIndus seal, c. 2600–1900 BCE, with an animal and signs. The impression beside it is modern; the seal is an ancient object from the urban Indus tradition.Indus · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · CC0 1.0 Universal Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Indus stamp seal and modern impression · ca. 2600–1900 BCE
Creator / rights holder: Indus / The Metropolitan Museum of Art / public domain
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The Giza Pyramids and the Nile State

An early photograph of the Great Pyramid rising from a rocky foreground. — Later depictionMaxime Du Camp photographed the Great Pyramid in December 1849. This historical photograph shows the surviving monument, not its construction in the third millennium BCE.Maxime Du Camp · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · CC0 1.0 Universal Image credit & source

Object or photograph: The Great Pyramid in 1849 · December 1849
Creator / rights holder: Maxime Du Camp / The Metropolitan Museum of Art / public domain
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The Code of Hammurabi and Babylonian Kingship

A dark stone stele with a carved scene and lines of cuneiform. — Period objectPhotograph of the ancient Code of Hammurabi stele in the Louvre, dated to Hammurabi’s reign. The carved text is an original legal monument, not a modern reconstruction.Georgezhao · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: The Code of Hammurabi · Date not recorded in source metadata
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The Hittite Capital Hattusha and Bronze Age Diplomacy

A metal ingot bearing Hittite hieroglyphic marks. — Period objectHittite ingot, c. 14th–13th century BCE. Its hieroglyphs offer a surviving object from the Late Bronze Age Hittite world; it does not depict Hattusha’s foundation.Hittite · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · CC0 1.0 Universal Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Ingot with Hittite hieroglyphs · ca. 14th–13th century BCE
Creator / rights holder: Hittite / The Metropolitan Museum of Art / public domain
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Lapita Voyagers Expand into the Pacific

A small pottery rim sherd with stamped geometric decoration. — Period objectA modern photograph of a decorated Lapita pot rim from Bourewa, Fiji. Its dentate-stamped pattern is material evidence of the pottery tradition carried across the Pacific.Patrick Nunn · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Lapita pottery from Bourewa, Fiji · 2008-03-25 09:55:50
Creator / rights holder: Patrick Nunn / Patrick Nunn
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Dynastic Life on the Oracle Bones of Yin Xu

An inscribed bone fragment with columns of carved signs. — Period objectOracle-bone fragment, 13th–11th century BCE, from China: a surviving example of the inscribed bones associated with Shang divination and record keeping.China · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · CC0 1.0 Universal Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Shang oracle-bone fragment · 13th–11th century BCE
Creator / rights holder: China / The Metropolitan Museum of Art / public domain
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Olmec Colossal Stones and Ceremonial Centers

A ceramic vessel shaped with a rounded duck head and beak. — Period objectOlmec duck-head vessel, 1200–900 BCE. This ceramic object comes from the early Olmec artistic tradition; it is not a photograph of a ceremonial centre.Olmec artist(s) · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · CC0 1.0 Universal Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Olmec duck-head vessel · 1200–900 BCE
Creator / rights holder: Olmec artist(s) / The Metropolitan Museum of Art / public domain
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The Persian Empire Connects Languages and Regions

A silver horn-shaped drinking vessel ending in a kneeling animal. — Period objectAchaemenid silver rhyton, c. 5th century BCE, combining a fluted cup with an animal forepart: an example of the empire’s elite material culture.Achaemenid · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · CC0 1.0 Universal Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Achaemenid silver rhyton · ca. 5th century BCE
Creator / rights holder: Achaemenid / The Metropolitan Museum of Art / public domain
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The Death of Socrates and Greek Philosophical Traditions

A painting of Socrates seated on a bed, reaching toward a cup among mourners. — Later depictionJacques Louis David’s 1787 painting imagines Socrates’ final moments. It was made more than two millennia after the philosopher’s death and is not contemporary evidence of the scene.Jacques Louis David · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · CC0 1.0 Universal Image credit & source

Object or photograph: The Death of Socrates, 1787 · 1787
Creator / rights holder: Jacques Louis David / The Metropolitan Museum of Art / public domain
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Alexander's Campaigns and the Hellenistic World

A worn silver coin with seated Zeus holding a staff and eagle. — Period objectSilver tetradrachm minted at Amphipolis during Alexander III’s reign, 336–323 BCE. The reverse shows Zeus; the coin is an original object of the era, not a portrait of Alexander’s expedition.Greek, Macedonian mint at Amphipolis · Cleveland Museum of Art · CC0 1.0 Universal Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Coin of Alexander III’s reign · 336–323 BCE
Creator / rights holder: Greek, Macedonian mint at Amphipolis / Cleveland Museum of Art / CC0 1.0 Universal
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Meroe: A Kingdom on the Upper Nile

A cup decorated with dark geometric patterns on a light surface. — Period objectCup with geometric decoration, 1st–3rd century CE, from the Meroitic period. It is a later object from the kingdom’s history, not a record of the event’s approximate 300 BCE starting point.Maker unrecorded · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · CC0 1.0 Universal Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Painted cup from the Meroitic world · 1st–3rd century
Creator / rights holder: Maker unrecorded / The Metropolitan Museum of Art / public domain
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Ashoka and Ideals of Government Carved in Stone

An early photograph of a tall stone pillar with a lion capital. — Later depictionBenjamin Simpson’s 1865 photograph of the Ashokan pillar at Lauriya Nandangarh. It records the surviving Mauryan monument in the nineteenth century, not Ashoka’s reign itself.Sir Benjamin Simpson · Wikimedia Commons (British Library digitization) · Public domain Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Ashokan pillar at Lauriya Nandangarh in 1865 · 1865
Creator / rights holder: Sir Benjamin Simpson / Public domain; photograph by Sir Benjamin Simpson, British Library
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons (British Library digitization)
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Djenné: Settlements and Markets in West Africa

A seated terracotta figure with its arms wrapped around its raised knees — Related historic objectThe Met identifies this thirteenth-century figure as coming from Jenne-jeno. It illustrates a later phase of the city’s long history, not the earliest settlement around 250 BCE; its archaeological context is uncertain.Middle Niger artist; photograph: The Metropolitan Museum of Art · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · CC0 1.0 Universal Image credit & source

Object or photograph: A later terracotta figure from Jenne-jeno · 13th century
Creator / rights holder: Middle Niger artist; photograph: The Metropolitan Museum of Art / Middle Niger artist; photograph: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
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Qin Unification of the Six States and Imperial Institutions

Rows of excavated terracotta warriors inside a sheltered pit. — Period objectPhotograph taken in 1995 of the terracotta army from the First Qin Emperor’s mausoleum. These funerary figures are archaeological remains of the Qin imperial period, not a view of the conquest of 221 BCE.Arian Zwegers from Brussels, Belgium · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Terracotta warriors of the First Qin Emperor · 1995-05-23 23:01
Creator / rights holder: Arian Zwegers from Brussels, Belgium / Arian Zwegers from Brussels, Belgium
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Ajanta: Buddhist Art on Rock Walls

Ajanta’s surviving Buddhist caves — Present-day viewA view of the rock-cut cave complex at Ajanta, India, whose caves were created over several centuries. Photograph taken in 2004; the surviving site is shown, not a reconstruction of ancient life.Soman (Wikimedia username) · Wikimedia Commons · Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Ajanta’s surviving Buddhist caves · 2004
Creator / rights holder: Soman (Wikimedia username) / Soman (Wikimedia username)
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Sanchi: Stupas and Monastic Space

Stupa 2 at Sanchi — Present-day viewStupa 2 is one of the surviving Buddhist monuments on Sanchi hill. Photograph taken in 2018; the surviving site is shown, not a reconstruction of ancient life.Kevin Standage · Wikimedia Commons · Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Stupa 2 at Sanchi · 2018
Creator / rights holder: Kevin Standage / Kevin Standage
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Augustus and the Roman Principate

A marble male head with short, carefully arranged curls. — Period objectRoman marble portrait of Augustus, c. 14–30 CE. This idealized imperial image was made after the establishment of the principate in 27 BCE.Roman · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · CC0 1.0 Universal Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Portrait head of Augustus · ca. 14–30 CE
Creator / rights holder: Roman / The Metropolitan Museum of Art / public domain
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Teotihuacan: Planning, Monuments and Influence

The Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacan — Present-day viewThe Pyramid of the Sun, one of Teotihuacan’s surviving monumental structures. Photograph taken in 2023; the surviving site is shown, not a reconstruction of ancient life.Malkowo · Wikimedia Commons · Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: The Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacan · 2023
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Aksum: Royal Power in the African Highlands

Aksum’s monumental stelae — Present-day viewThe stelae of Aksum, Ethiopia, preserved from its ancient royal and funerary landscape. This modern site photograph has a UNESCO record dated 2005; the record does not establish an exact capture date. It shows surviving monuments, not a reconstruction of ancient life.Jim Williams · UNESCO via Wikimedia Commons · Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 IGO Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Aksum’s monumental stelae · Modern photograph; UNESCO record date 2005; capture date not established
Creator / rights holder: Jim Williams / UNESCO
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Gandharan Buddhism and Its Spread Across Asia

A stone relief depicting the Buddha with worshippers. — Period objectGandharan stone relief, 2nd–3rd century CE. Its Buddhist figures are material evidence for the region’s Buddhist artistic tradition during the centuries of cross-Asian exchange.Pakistan (ancient region of Gandhara) · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · CC0 1.0 Universal Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Buddha and Worshippers · 2nd–3rd century
Creator / rights holder: Pakistan (ancient region of Gandhara) / The Metropolitan Museum of Art / public domain
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Writing, Calendars, and Rivalry in Maya Cities

A carved limestone ruler in elaborate dress, surrounded by glyphs. — Period objectMaya limestone stela from El Perú-Waka’, dated 692 CE, portraying Lady K’abel with hieroglyphic text. It is a surviving Classic-period monument linking rulership, writing, and calendrical commemoration.Maya artists of El Perú-Waka’ · Cleveland Museum of Art · CC0 1.0 Universal Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Maya stela of Lady K’abel · 692 CE
Creator / rights holder: Maya artists of El Perú-Waka’ / Cleveland Museum of Art / CC0 1.0 Universal
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Rome's Eastern and Western Rule and Byzantine Continuity

A bronze bust of a crowned woman used as a weight. — Period objectBronze weight in the shape of a Byzantine empress, 5th century CE. This administrative object belongs to the eastern empire after the division of 395.Byzantine · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · CC0 1.0 Universal Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Byzantine imperial weight · 5th century
Creator / rights holder: Byzantine / The Metropolitan Museum of Art / public domain
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Nalanda: Knowledge within a Monastic Institution

Temple 3 at Nalanda — Present-day viewTemple 3 within Nalanda’s archaeological complex, a surviving part of its long-lived monastic and educational landscape. Photograph taken in 2022; the surviving site is shown, not a reconstruction of ancient life.Odantapuribs · Wikimedia Commons · Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 4.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Temple 3 at Nalanda · 2022
Creator / rights holder: Odantapuribs / Odantapuribs
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Sigiriya: A Capital on a Rock

Sigiriya’s rock fortress — Present-day viewThe rock at Sigiriya, where the remains of Kassapa I’s fifth-century capital survive. Photograph taken in 2016; the surviving site is shown, not a reconstruction of ancient life.Wrobell · Wikimedia Commons · Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Sigiriya’s rock fortress · 2016
Creator / rights holder: Wrobell / Wrobell
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The Hijra and the Formation of the Islamic Community

A parchment page filled with broad horizontal Arabic script. — Period objectAn early Abbasid Qur’an leaf from the second half of the 8th century, probably Damascus. It documents the later written Islamic tradition, not the migration to Medina in 622.Maker unrecorded · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · CC0 1.0 Universal Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Early Abbasid Qur’an leaf · second half 8th century
Creator / rights holder: Maker unrecorded / The Metropolitan Museum of Art / public domain
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Borobudur: A Buddhist Monument in Java

Borobudur from the northwest — Present-day viewBorobudur’s restored terraces and stupas in central Java; the monument dates mainly to the eighth and ninth centuries. Photograph taken in 2008; the surviving site is shown, not a reconstruction of ancient life.Gunawan Kartapranata · Wikimedia Commons · Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Borobudur from the northwest · 2008
Creator / rights holder: Gunawan Kartapranata / Gunawan Kartapranata
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Heian-kyo and Court Culture in Japan

An illustrated album leaf with figures in an interior and decorative clouds. — Later depictionA seventeenth-century album illustrates The Tale of Genji, the novel rooted in Heian court culture. The later artists’ clothing and architecture should not be read as exact evidence of Kyoto in 794.Tosa Mitsusada · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · CC0 1.0 Universal Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Later illustration of The Tale of Genji · 17th century
Creator / rights holder: Tosa Mitsusada / The Metropolitan Museum of Art / public domain
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Charlemagne's Coronation and Imperial Ideals in Western Europe

A woodcut showing three armored Christian rulers, including Charlemagne. — Later depictionHans Burgkmair’s woodcut, c. 1516, presents Charlemagne as one of three Christian heroes. This is a Renaissance representation, not a record of his coronation in 800.Daniel Hopfer · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · CC0 1.0 Universal Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Charlemagne among the Three Worthy Christians · ca. 1516
Creator / rights holder: Daniel Hopfer / The Metropolitan Museum of Art / public domain
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Angkor's Temples and Water-Based Urban Landscape

A nineteenth-century photograph of stone architecture at Angkor. — Later depictionÉmile Gsell’s 1866 photograph records surviving architecture at Angkor. It is a nineteenth-century view of the site, not a depiction of the city in 800.Emile Gsell · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · CC0 1.0 Universal Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Angkor photographed in 1866 · 1866
Creator / rights holder: Emile Gsell / The Metropolitan Museum of Art / public domain
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Translation and the Creation of Knowledge in Baghdad

A manuscript painting of a seated physician preparing medicine between trees. — Later depictionA 1224 Arabic copy of Dioscorides shows a physician preparing an elixir. It illustrates the later transmission of Greek medical knowledge, centuries after Baghdad’s ninth-century translation activity.'Abdullah ibn al-Fadl · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · CC0 1.0 Universal Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Arabic Dioscorides manuscript, 1224 · dated 621 AH/1224 CE
Creator / rights holder: 'Abdullah ibn al-Fadl / The Metropolitan Museum of Art / public domain
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Bagan: Temples across a River Plain

Temples across the plain of Bagan — Present-day viewA modern view across Bagan’s surviving temples and stupas, most associated with its eleventh- to thirteenth-century florescence. Photograph taken in 2007; the surviving site is shown, not a reconstruction of ancient life.Corto Maltese 1999 · Wikimedia Commons · Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Temples across the plain of Bagan · 2007
Creator / rights holder: Corto Maltese 1999 / Corto Maltese 1999
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Kilwa and the Swahili Coast

The roofless stone arches and walls of the Great Mosque at Kilwa. — Present-day viewThe Great Mosque at Kilwa Kisiwani photographed in 2021. These surviving ruins illustrate the Swahili trading city’s built heritage, not its complete medieval appearance.Halidtz · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Great Mosque of Kilwa Kisiwani · 2021-07-08 16:06:23
Creator / rights holder: Halidtz / Halidtz
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Cahokia: Mounds and Settlement Networks

Present-day viewMonks Mound at Cahokia, a surviving earthwork of the Mississippian settlement. Photograph taken in 2016; the surviving site is shown, not a reconstruction of ancient life.j_m_d_imagery · Wikimedia Commons · Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 4.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Monks Mound at Cahokia · 2016
Creator / rights holder: j_m_d_imagery / j_m_d_imagery
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Great Zimbabwe and Trade in the African Interior

A view of the oval stone enclosure and surrounding ruins. — Present-day viewA 2015 photograph of Great Zimbabwe’s Great Enclosure and adjacent ruins. The preserved stonework belongs to a city developed over centuries; this is the site’s modern appearance.Janice Bell · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Great Zimbabwe’s Great Enclosure · 2015-07-17
Creator / rights holder: Janice Bell / Janice Bell
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Lalibela: Churches Hewn from Rock

Biete Ghiorgis at Lalibela — Present-day viewThe rock-cut Biete Ghiorgis church, one of Lalibela’s surviving medieval churches. Photograph taken in 2018; the surviving site is shown, not a reconstruction of ancient life.Sailko · Wikimedia Commons · Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Biete Ghiorgis at Lalibela · 2018
Creator / rights holder: Sailko / Sailko
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Nan Madol: A Stone-Built Center in the Pacific Islands

Large horizontal basalt blocks forming a wall at Nan Madol. — Present-day viewNan Madol photographed in 2023. The basalt walls survive from the ceremonial centre developed around 1200–1500; the photograph shows the ruins in their modern setting.Uhooep · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Nan Madol’s basalt walls · 2023-05-16 00:16:36
Creator / rights holder: Uhooep / Uhooep
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
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Chinggis Khan and Mongol Expansion

An album opening with a bearded ruler’s portrait on the right and a Chinese inscription on the left. — Later depictionA Yuan-dynasty album portrait of Genghis Khan in the National Palace Museum, Taipei. It is a later portrayal of the ruler who received his title in 1206, not an image recorded at the proclamation.Anonymous Yuan-dynasty artist · Wikimedia Commons (National Palace Museum digitization) · CC0 1.0 Universal Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Later album portrait of Genghis Khan · Yuan dynasty (13th–14th century); later album mounting
Creator / rights holder: Anonymous Yuan-dynasty artist / Public-domain painting; CC0 image as declared in the Commons file record
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons (National Palace Museum digitization)
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Polynesian Voyagers Reach Aotearoa

Stone tools and pendant-like objects arranged in a museum display case. — Period objectArchaeological objects from Wairau Bar, photographed at Canterbury Museum in 2016. Official archaeological research identifies the site with New Zealand’s earliest settlement phase; this is excavated material, not a reconstruction of an arrival voyage.Szilas (photograph); early Māori makers · Wikimedia Commons; photographed at Canterbury Museum · Public domain (photographer’s dedication) Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Early Māori objects from Wairau Bar · Photographed 2016; archaeological objects from the early-settlement site
Creator / rights holder: Szilas (photograph); early Māori makers / Szilas (photographer; public-domain dedication)
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons; photographed at Canterbury Museum
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Rapa Nui: Moai and Ceremonial Landscapes

The moai at Ahu Akivi — Present-day viewThe standing moai at Ahu Akivi on Rapa Nui, shown after modern restoration. Photograph taken in 2006; the surviving site is shown, not a reconstruction of ancient life.Ian Sewell · Wikimedia Commons · Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: The moai at Ahu Akivi · 2006
Creator / rights holder: Ian Sewell / Ian Sewell
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
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Mansa Musa's Pilgrimage and Mali's Networks

A crowned ruler seated with a gold object against a medieval map. — Later depictionDetail from the Catalan Atlas, c. 1375–1380, attributed to Abraham Cresques. Its image of Mansa Musa is a later European representation, not an eyewitness record of his 1324 pilgrimage.attributed to Abraham Cresques · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Mansa Musa in the Catalan Atlas · c. 1375–1380
Creator / rights holder: attributed to Abraham Cresques / attributed to Abraham Cresques
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
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The Black Death: A Pandemic in Trading Networks

A monochrome etching of a crowded city scene during the plague. — Later depictionLuigi Sabatelli’s etching depicts the 1348 plague in Florence through Boccaccio’s Decameron. Sabatelli lived in 1772–1850: this is a much later interpretation, not a fourteenth-century eyewitness image.Luigi Sabatelli after Giovanni Boccaccio · Wellcome Collection · Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Later etching of Florence’s plague · Undated etching; artist Luigi Sabatelli lived 1772–1850
Creator / rights holder: Luigi Sabatelli after Giovanni Boccaccio / Wellcome Collection / Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
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The Founding of Joseon and the Formation of a Confucian State

The two-storey throne hall standing above a broad stone courtyard. — Present-day viewGeunjeongjeon photographed in 2024. The palace was founded in 1395 after Joseon’s establishment in 1392, but the surviving hall was rebuilt in 1867; it is not the original fourteenth-century building.Basile Morin · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Geunjeongjeon Hall at Gyeongbokgung · 2024-06-05 09:09:51
Creator / rights holder: Basile Morin / Basile Morin
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
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Chan Chan: The Urban Order of Chimor

Chan Chan’s earthen walls — Present-day viewSurviving earthen walls at Chan Chan, the urban centre of the Chimú kingdom. Photograph taken in 1997; the surviving site is shown, not a reconstruction of ancient life.Håkan Svensson · Wikimedia Commons · Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Chan Chan’s earthen walls · 1997
Creator / rights holder: Håkan Svensson / Håkan Svensson
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
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Timbuktu: Learning and Religion in West Africa

Sankore in Timbuktu — Present-day viewThe surviving Sankore mosque and madrasa complex, associated with Timbuktu’s scholarly traditions. Photograph taken in 2021; the surviving site is shown, not a reconstruction of ancient life.Dr. Ondřej Havelka (cestovatel) · Wikimedia Commons · Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 4.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Sankore in Timbuktu · 2021
Creator / rights holder: Dr. Ondřej Havelka (cestovatel) / Dr. Ondřej Havelka (cestovatel)
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
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Zheng He's Fleets Sail into the Indian Ocean

A Chinese woodblock coastal chart with place names and route lines. — Later depictionA seventeenth-century woodblock map from the Wubei Zhi tradition, based on information from Zheng He’s voyages. It is a later published navigational record, not a map sheet dated 1405.Mao Yuanyi, and unknown cartographer · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Mao Kun map of Melaka · 17th century
Creator / rights holder: Mao Yuanyi, and unknown cartographer / Mao Yuanyi, and unknown cartographer
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
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Hunminjeongum and the Korean Writing System

A facsimile page with columns of Chinese characters and early Korean letters. — Later depictionA page from the Korean Language Society’s 1946 lithographic facsimile of the 1446 Hunminjeongeum Haerye. The reproduced text explains the script; this pictured volume is not the fifteenth-century original.Government of Joseon (1446 text); Korean Language Society (1946 facsimile) · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Hunminjeongeum facsimile, 1946 · 1946 lithographic facsimile of a 1446 text
Creator / rights holder: Government of Joseon (1446 text); Korean Language Society (1946 facsimile) / Public-domain text and faithful facsimile
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Official subject reference: Kyujanggak Institute for Korean Studies, Seoul National University ↗
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Inca Roads Span the Andes

A narrow stone-paved trail running along a wooded mountainside. — Present-day viewA 2017 photograph of a stone-paved section of the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. It shows a surviving part of the wider Andean road tradition, rather than a reconstruction of the network in 1450.Mx._Granger · Wikimedia Commons · CC0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Stone-paved Inca Trail · 18 December 2017 (according to Exif data)
Creator / rights holder: Mx._Granger / Mx._Granger
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
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The Ottoman Capture of Constantinople

Later depictionBronze aftercast of Bertoldo di Giovanni’s 1480 medal model portraying Mehmed II. This ruler image is later than the 1453 conquest and does not show the siege.Bertoldo di Giovanni · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · CC0 1.0 Universal Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Portrait medal of Mehmed II · model 1480 (old aftercast)
Creator / rights holder: Bertoldo di Giovanni / The Metropolitan Museum of Art / public domain
Image provider: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
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Gutenberg and the Spread of Printing in Europe

Two columns of blackletter Latin text with red and blue hand-painted initials. — Period objectAn original printed leaf of the Gutenberg Bible, c. 1450–1455, with hand-applied initials. The blackletter columns show early European movable-metal-type printing rather than a later reconstruction of a press.Johann Gutenberg · Cleveland Museum of Art · CC0 1.0 Universal Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Page from a Gutenberg Bible · c. 1450–1455
Creator / rights holder: Johann Gutenberg / Cleveland Museum of Art / CC0 1.0 Universal
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1492: Sustained Contact Across the Atlantic

A large historical painting of Columbus raising a flag on a shore with his crew. — Later depictionJohn Vanderlyn’s painting was completed in 1846 and installed in 1847. It is a nineteenth-century interpretation of the 1492 landing, not an eyewitness image or a neutral record of the encounter.John Vanderlyn · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Vanderlyn’s Landing of Columbus · 1846 (installed 1847)
Creator / rights holder: John Vanderlyn / Public-domain painting; faithful reproduction distributed on Commons
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
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Da Gama Reaches India and Maritime Colonial Expansion

A round gilded plate with intricate ornament and a central coat of arms. — Period objectA sixteenth-century Portuguese silver-gilt plate. The Met suggests that its arms may belong to Vasco da Gama’s family; that attribution is uncertain, and the plate does not document the 1498 landing.Portuguese · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · CC0 1.0 Universal Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Portuguese plate with heraldic arms · 16th century
Creator / rights holder: Portuguese / The Metropolitan Museum of Art / CC0 1.0 Universal
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The Expansion of the Transatlantic Slave Trade

Printed cotton with repeated scenes of African families and European slave traders. — Period objectDetail of French printed cotton, early nineteenth century, designed by Frédéric Feldtrappe after earlier images. Its scenes condemn the slave trade; it belongs to the later history of the trade, not the opening date of 1501.Frédéric Etienne Joseph Feldtrappe · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · CC0 1.0 Universal Image credit & source

Object or photograph: A textile representing the slave trade · early 19th century
Creator / rights holder: Frédéric Etienne Joseph Feldtrappe / The Metropolitan Museum of Art / CC0 1.0 Universal
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Luther's Theses and the Reformation

A monochrome printed portrait of Martin Luther. — Period objectLucas Cranach the Elder’s 1523 portrait print depicts Martin Luther during the Reformation, six years after the Ninety-five Theses.Daniel Hopfer · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · CC0 1.0 Universal Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Martin Luther, 1523 · 1523
Creator / rights holder: Daniel Hopfer / The Metropolitan Museum of Art / public domain
Image provider: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
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The Fall of Tenochtitlan and Colonial Conquest

A colored woodcut plan showing a lake city connected by causeways. — Later depictionA European woodcut map printed in 1524 with Cortés’s account, after the city’s fall in 1521. It conveys a colonial representation of Tenochtitlan, not a modern survey or an image made during the siege.Friedrich Peypus (1485–1534), probably after drawing made by one of Cortez' men. · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Tenochtitlan map printed in 1524 · 1524
Creator / rights holder: Friedrich Peypus (1485–1534), probably after drawing made by one of Cortez' men. / Friedrich Peypus (1485–1534), probably after drawing made by one of Cortez' men.
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
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The Mughal Dynasty and the Reshaping of South Asia

A manuscript painting of Babur and attendants receiving a bowing visitor. — Later depictionA Baburnama folio, c. 1590, depicts Babur receiving a visitor. It was painted under his successors, decades after the Mughal dynasty’s foundation in 1526.Maker unrecorded · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · CC0 1.0 Universal Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Babur receiving a visitor, c. 1590 · ca. 1590
Creator / rights holder: Maker unrecorded / The Metropolitan Museum of Art / public domain
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The Manila Galleons and Silver Across the Pacific

A blue-and-white decorated ceramic chocolate jar with a dark neck fitting. — Period objectMexican tin-glazed chocolate jar, c. 1700, featured by the Met in its account of the Manila galleon trade and its artistic exchanges. It dates from the later trade network, not the first voyage in 1565.Mexican · The Metropolitan Museum of Art · CC0 1.0 Universal Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Mexican chocolate jar, c. 1700 · ca. 1700
Creator / rights holder: Mexican / The Metropolitan Museum of Art / public domain
Image provider: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
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The Founding of the Tokugawa Shogunate and Edo as a Political Center

Ninomaru Palace with layered tiled roofs and an ornate entrance. — Present-day viewNinomaru Palace photographed in 2016. Nijō Castle was founded for the Tokugawa shogunate in 1603 and subsequently expanded; the surviving palace is not a scene of the shogunate’s inauguration.Martin Falbisoner · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Ninomaru Palace at Nijō Castle · 2016-11-18 15:43:57
Creator / rights holder: Martin Falbisoner / Martin Falbisoner
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Official subject reference: City of Kyoto, Cultural Properties Section ↗
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The Taj Mahal: Courtly Patronage and Remembrance

The Taj Mahal mausoleum, minarets and adjacent red sandstone buildings — Present-day viewA modern photograph of the completed Taj Mahal at Agra, a seventeenth-century Mughal mausoleum. It does not depict the construction works of 1631.David Castor · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain Image credit & source

Object or photograph: The Taj Mahal · Modern photograph; exact date not specified in the source record
Creator / rights holder: David Castor / David Castor
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
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Newton’s Principia: Motion in Mathematical Form

Title page of Newton’s Principia, 1687 — Historical recordThe title page of the 1687 first edition of Newton’s Philosophiae naturalis principia mathematica, from the Dibner Library copy.Isaac Newton; printer Joseph Streater · Smithsonian Libraries via Wikimedia Commons · CC0 1.0 Universal Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Title page of Newton’s Principia, 1687 · 1687
Creator / rights holder: Isaac Newton; printer Joseph Streater / Isaac Newton; printer Joseph Streater
Image provider: Smithsonian Libraries via Wikimedia Commons
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Machines, Coal, and Industrialization

A Watt-type centrifugal governor — Period objectA 2008 photograph of a Watt-type governor on a preserved Boulton and Watt engine at the Science Museum. This is an industrial-era mechanism, not a photograph of the beginning of industrialisation.Dr. Mirko Junge · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: A Watt-type centrifugal governor · 2008-10-17 (photograph); 1788 (engine)
Creator / rights holder: Dr. Mirko Junge / Dr. Mirko Junge
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
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The Thirteen North American Colonies Declare Independence

The engrossed Declaration of Independence — Historical recordThe parchment Declaration held by the US National Archives. Congress adopted the Declaration on 4 July 1776; signing of this engrossed copy began on 2 August.Second Continental Congress; engrossed by Timothy Matlack · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain Image credit & source

Object or photograph: The engrossed Declaration of Independence · 1776
Creator / rights holder: Second Continental Congress; engrossed by Timothy Matlack / Second Continental Congress; engrossed by Timothy Matlack
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
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The French Revolution and the Declaration of Rights

Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen — Period objectJean-Jacques-François Le Barbier’s allegorical presentation of the 1789 Declaration, held by Musée Carnavalet. It is a painting of the text and its ideals, not a view of the parliamentary debate.Jean-Jacques-François Le Barbier · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen · 1789
Creator / rights holder: Jean-Jacques-François Le Barbier / Jean-Jacques-François Le Barbier
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
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Haitian Independence: Enslaved People Transform the Atlantic

An 1870 portrait print of Toussaint Louverture — Later depictionAn 1870 chromolithograph of Toussaint Louverture in the Library of Congress. It commemorates a leader of the Haitian Revolution; it was produced after his death and is not an eyewitness image of independence in 1804.George DeBaptiste (publisher); Corrie’s Detroit Lithographic Office (printer) · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain Image credit & source

Object or photograph: An 1870 portrait print of Toussaint Louverture · 1870
Creator / rights holder: George DeBaptiste (publisher); Corrie’s Detroit Lithographic Office (printer) / George DeBaptiste (publisher); Corrie’s Detroit Lithographic Office (printer)
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Collection or archive: Library of Congress ↗
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Wars of Independence and New States in Spanish South America

A portrait of Simón Bolívar — Period objectA nineteenth-century portrait attributed to Pedro José Figueroa. Bolívar was a leading figure in the independence wars of Spanish South America; the portrait represents a participant, rather than any one battle or proclamation.Attributed to Pedro José Figueroa · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain Image credit & source

Object or photograph: A portrait of Simón Bolívar · Early nineteenth century
Creator / rights holder: Attributed to Pedro José Figueroa / Attributed to Pedro José Figueroa
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
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Brazilian Independence: Another Path in Portuguese America

Independence or Death, painted in 1888 — Later depictionPedro Américo’s 1888 history painting in Museu Paulista depicts the proclamation associated with 7 September 1822. It was painted 66 years later and should be read as a later interpretation, not an eyewitness record.Pedro Américo · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Independence or Death, painted in 1888 · 1888
Creator / rights holder: Pedro Américo / Pedro Américo
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
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Abolition in British Colonies and Incomplete Freedom

A modern statute title sheet with the title Slavery Abolition Act 1833 and a 1998 repeal annotation. — Historical recordThe opening sheet of a modern revised statute entry on legislation.gov.uk, showing the 1833 Act’s title and its 1998 repeal annotation. It identifies the law discussed in this event; it is not a facsimile of the original 1833 enactment.UK Parliament · Wikimedia Commons · Open Government Licence v3.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Modern revised entry for the Slavery Abolition Act 1833 · 1833 (Act); modern revised publication with status at 1998-11-19
Creator / rights holder: UK Parliament / UK Parliament
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Collection or archive: The National Archives – legislation.gov.uk ↗
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The Treaty of Waitangi and Disputes over Māori Sovereignty

The Waitangi sheet of Te Tiriti o Waitangi — Historical recordThe Waitangi sheet of the 1840 treaty, preserved by Archives New Zealand. The photographed sheet is a surviving document; it does not depict the signing gathering.Archives New Zealand (digital reproduction) · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: The Waitangi sheet of Te Tiriti o Waitangi · 1840
Creator / rights holder: Archives New Zealand (digital reproduction) / Archives New Zealand (digital reproduction)
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The Indian Rebellion of 1857 and the Transformation of Colonial Rule

The Lucknow Residency after the rebellion — Historical recordFelice Beato photographed the damaged Lucknow Residency around 1858, after the fighting of the Indian Rebellion. The image records an aftermath rather than the moment the uprising began.Felice Beato · Wellcome Collection · Public domain Image credit & source

Object or photograph: The Lucknow Residency after the rebellion · c. 1858
Creator / rights holder: Felice Beato / Felice Beato
Image provider: Wellcome Collection
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On the Origin of Species and Natural Selection

Title page of On the Origin of Species, 1859 — Historical recordThe title page of Darwin’s On the Origin of Species, first published by John Murray in 1859. This is a reproduction of a printed historical document.Charles Darwin; publisher John Murray · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Title page of On the Origin of Species, 1859 · 1859
Creator / rights holder: Charles Darwin; publisher John Murray / Charles Darwin; publisher John Murray
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
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The U.S. Civil War and the Constitutional Abolition of Slavery

The handwritten opening page of the Emancipation Proclamation — Historical recordThe opening page of Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation of 1 January 1863. It refers back to the preliminary announcement of September 1862; constitutional abolition of slavery followed through the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865.Abraham Lincoln · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain Image credit & source

Object or photograph: The Emancipation Proclamation of 1863 · 1863-01-01
Creator / rights holder: Abraham Lincoln / Abraham Lincoln
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Collection or archive: US National Archives ↗
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The Meiji Restoration and Japan's Transformation

Emperor Meiji photographed in 1873 — Period objectUchida Kuichi’s 1873 portrait of Emperor Meiji. The photograph shows the emperor in the early Meiji era, five years after the restoration; it does not depict the transfer of political power in 1868.Uchida Kuichi · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Emperor Meiji photographed in 1873 · 1873
Creator / rights holder: Uchida Kuichi / Uchida Kuichi
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
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Women in New Zealand Win the Parliamentary Vote

The 1893 women’s suffrage petition — Historical recordA photograph of the rolled petition preserved by Archives New Zealand, released in its official Flickr collection. The surviving document records the campaign before women gained the parliamentary vote in 1893.Archives New Zealand · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: The 1893 women’s suffrage petition · 1893 (petition); digital photograph released 2015
Creator / rights holder: Archives New Zealand / Archives New Zealand
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
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Australian Federation: Six Colonies Form a Nation

Federation celebrations in Sydney, 1901 — Historical recordMacquarie Street, Sydney, during the inauguration of the Australian Commonwealth on 1 January 1901. The State Library of New South Wales preserves this photograph from the federation celebrations.W. A. Gullick, Government Printer · Wikimedia Commons · No restrictions Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Federation celebrations in Sydney, 1901 · 1901-01-01
Creator / rights holder: W. A. Gullick, Government Printer / W. A. Gullick, Government Printer
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Collection or archive: State Library of New South Wales ↗
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The Mexican Revolution and the Constitution of 1917

Emiliano Zapata during the Mexican Revolution — Historical recordA 1911 Bain News Service photograph of Emiliano Zapata, held by the Library of Congress. It shows a revolutionary leader rather than the drafting or signing of the 1917 Constitution.Bain News Service · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Emiliano Zapata during the Mexican Revolution · 1911
Creator / rights holder: Bain News Service / Bain News Service
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Collection or archive: Library of Congress ↗
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The Republic of China Is Founded and Imperial Rule Ends

Sun Yat-sen’s former office in Nanjing — Present-day viewA 2016 photograph of Sun Yat-sen’s former office at the Nanjing Presidential Palace complex. The preserved site relates to the provisional government of 1912; this is a modern view, not a photograph of its inauguration.ScareCriterion12 · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Sun Yat-sen’s former office in Nanjing · 2016-08-03
Creator / rights holder: ScareCriterion12 / ScareCriterion12
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Official subject reference: Nanjing Presidential Palace / Nanjing municipal government ↗
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Global Mobilization in the First World War

British troops in reserve trenches, 1916 — Historical recordJohn Warwick Brooke’s photograph of British troops in reserve trenches during the Battle of Morval on the Somme, 25 September 1916. It documents one front of a global war, two years after its outbreak.John Warwick Brooke · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain Image credit & source

Object or photograph: British troops in reserve trenches, 1916 · 1916-09-25
Creator / rights holder: John Warwick Brooke / John Warwick Brooke
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Collection or archive: Imperial War Museums ↗
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The Russian Revolution and the Formation of the Soviet Union

Celebrating the revolution in Vladivostok, 1917 — Historical recordA Bain News Service image of residents celebrating the Russian Revolution in Vladivostok, published in an American newspaper in June 1917. It belongs to the earlier revolutionary period, not the Bolshevik seizure of power later that year.Bain News Service · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Celebrating the revolution in Vladivostok, 1917 · 1917; published by June 1917
Creator / rights holder: Bain News Service / Bain News Service
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Collection or archive: Library of Congress ↗
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The May Fourth Movement and New Culture Debates

The Peking University Red Building — Present-day viewA 2022 photograph of the Peking University Red Building, a centre of the New Culture Movement and a site associated with the May Fourth Movement. This is a present-day view of the historic building, not a photograph of the 1919 demonstration.N509FZ · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: The Peking University Red Building · 2022-09-08
Creator / rights holder: N509FZ / N509FZ
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Official subject reference: Beijing municipal government / New Culture Movement Memorial ↗
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The Communist Party of China Is Founded

The site of the First CPC National Congress — Present-day viewA 2025 exterior photograph of the Shanghai building where the First CPC National Congress opened in July 1921. The image shows the preserved meeting site; it is not a reconstruction of the delegates’ meeting.N509FZ · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: The site of the First CPC National Congress · 2025-06-10
Creator / rights holder: N509FZ / N509FZ
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Official subject reference: Shanghai Municipal Archives ↗
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The September 18 Incident and Japan's Occupation of Northeast China

The September 18 Incident memorial museum — Present-day viewA 2024 photograph of the September 18 Incident Historical Museum in Shenyang. The memorial commemorates the 1931 incident and occupation of northeastern China; this is a modern museum exterior, not a wartime photograph.N509FZ · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: The September 18 Incident memorial museum · 2024-05-03
Creator / rights holder: N509FZ / N509FZ
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Official subject reference: Central Commission for Discipline Inspection – museum profile ↗
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Full-Scale Resistance to Japan and Civilians at War

Lugou Bridge in a modern photograph — Present-day viewFanghong’s 2005 photograph of Lugou Bridge, near the site of the incident of 7 July 1937. It shows the surviving bridge decades later, rather than the fighting that began the full-scale War of Resistance.Taken by Fanghong · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Lugou Bridge in a modern photograph · 2005-08-20
Creator / rights holder: Taken by Fanghong / Taken by Fanghong
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Official subject reference: Beijing municipal government ↗
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The Second World War and Global Catastrophe

Landing at Omaha Beach on D-Day — Historical recordUS Coast Guard photographer Robert F. Sargent recorded troops landing at Omaha Beach on 6 June 1944. This photograph represents the war’s European theatre, not its beginning in 1939.Robert F. Sargent, US Coast Guard · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Landing at Omaha Beach on D-Day · 1944-06-06
Creator / rights holder: Robert F. Sargent, US Coast Guard / Robert F. Sargent, US Coast Guard
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Collection or archive: US National Archives / US Coast Guard ↗
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The United Nations and the Postwar International Order

The United Nations Charter, 1945 — Historical recordThe opening page of the United Nations Charter held by the US National Archives. The Charter was signed on 26 June 1945 and entered into force on 24 October; the image shows the document, not a later UN headquarters building.United Nations Conference on International Organization · US National Archives · Public domain Image credit & source

Object or photograph: The United Nations Charter, 1945 · 1945-06-26
Creator / rights holder: United Nations Conference on International Organization / United Nations Conference on International Organization
Image provider: US National Archives
Collection or archive: US National Archives ↗
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Indonesia's Declaration of Independence and Anticolonial War

Sukarno reads the proclamation, 17 August 1945 — Historical recordFrans Mendur’s photograph shows Sukarno reading Indonesia’s independence proclamation with Mohammad Hatta beside him, on 17 August 1945.Frans Mendur · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Sukarno reads the proclamation, 17 August 1945 · 1945-08-17
Creator / rights holder: Frans Mendur / Frans Mendur
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Collection or archive: National Library of Indonesia ↗
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Victory over Japan and the Surrender in the China Theater

The surrender memorial arch at Zhijiang — Present-day viewA 2017 photograph of the memorial arch at Zhijiang, associated with the surrender arrangements discussed there in August 1945. This is a postwar memorial photographed today, not the formal signing ceremony held in Nanjing in September.三猎 · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: The surrender memorial arch at Zhijiang · 2017-10-03
Creator / rights holder: 三猎 / 三猎
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Official subject reference: Hunan provincial government ↗
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Japan's Postwar Constitution and Institutional Reconstruction

Japan’s 1946 constitutional promulgation document — Historical recordThe original promulgation document of Japan’s postwar Constitution, dated 3 November 1946, in the National Archives of Japan. The Constitution came into force on 3 May 1947; the photographed document predates that effective date.Cabinet of Japan · National Archives of Japan · Public-domain legal text; unrestricted archive image reuse Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Japan’s 1946 constitutional promulgation document · 1946-11-03
Creator / rights holder: Cabinet of Japan / Cabinet of Japan
Image provider: National Archives of Japan
Collection or archive: National Archives of Japan ↗
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Independence and Partition in South Asia

The Partition Museum in Amritsar — Present-day viewA 2018 photograph of the Partition Museum in Amritsar’s historic Town Hall. The museum preserves memories of the 1947 division of British India; this is a later place of remembrance, not a refugee scene from 1947.Amritpal Singh Mann · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: The Partition Museum in Amritsar · 2018-09-26
Creator / rights holder: Amritpal Singh Mann / Amritpal Singh Mann
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Official subject reference: Ministry of Tourism, Government of India ↗
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Israel's Establishment and Palestinians' Memory of Catastrophe

Palestine refugees travelling by fishing boat — Historical recordAn archival image of Palestine refugees leaving the Gaza Strip by fishing boat in the wake of the 1948 war. It records displacement following the conflict, rather than a state-founding ceremony.Hrant Nakashian · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 igo Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Palestine refugees travelling by fishing boat · 1948
Creator / rights holder: Hrant Nakashian / Hrant Nakashian / UNRWA
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Collection or archive: UNRWA / UNESCO ↗
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The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Eleanor Roosevelt with the Universal Declaration — Historical recordEleanor Roosevelt holds a Universal Declaration of Human Rights poster at Lake Success, New York, in November 1949, following the declaration’s adoption in December 1948.FDR Presidential Library and Museum · Wikimedia Commons · Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Eleanor Roosevelt with the Universal Declaration · November 1949
Creator / rights holder: FDR Presidential Library and Museum / FDR Presidential Library and Museum
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Collection or archive: Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum ↗
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The People’s Republic of China Is Founded

Tiananmen Gate in 2019 — Present-day viewA 2019 photograph of Tiananmen Gate, from whose rostrum the founding of the People’s Republic of China was proclaimed on 1 October 1949. This is a modern view of the site, not an image of the founding ceremony.Jp16103 · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Tiananmen Gate in 2019 · 2019-09-04
Creator / rights holder: Jp16103 / Jp16103
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Official subject reference: Tiananmen Area Administrative Committee, Beijing ↗
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The Republic of India and Its Constitution Take Effect

India’s Constitution in the 1949 Gazette — Historical recordThe opening page of the Constitution as published in the Gazette of India in 1949. It is the adopted legal text preceding the Constitution’s entry into force on 26 January 1950, not a photograph of Republic Day celebrations.Constituent Assembly of India · Wikimedia Commons · EdictGov-India Image credit & source

Object or photograph: India’s Constitution in the 1949 Gazette · 1949
Creator / rights holder: Constituent Assembly of India / Constituent Assembly of India
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Official subject reference: National Archives of India / Gazette of India ↗
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The Korean War and the Peninsula's Division after the Armistice

Refugees evacuate Hungnam in December 1950 — Historical recordA US government photograph of refugees crowding a vessel during the Hungnam evacuation on 19 December 1950, preserved by the US National Archives. It documents the civilian displacement caused by the Korean War.US Department of the Navy, Naval Photographic Center (photographer unidentified) · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain (U.S. federal government work) Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Refugees evacuate Hungnam in December 1950 · 1950-12-19
Creator / rights holder: US Department of the Navy, Naval Photographic Center (photographer unidentified) / US federal government / Department of the Navy
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Collection or archive: US National Archives ↗
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European Communities: From Coal and Steel Cooperation to the EU

The 1951 European Coal and Steel Community treaty — Historical recordMarc Baronnet’s 2017 photograph of the treaty establishing the European Coal and Steel Community, signed in Paris on 18 April 1951 and preserved by the French diplomatic archives. The photograph shows the historic document.Marc Baronnet · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: The 1951 European Coal and Steel Community treaty · 1951 (treaty); 2017-01-03 (photograph)
Creator / rights holder: Marc Baronnet / Marc Baronnet
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Official subject reference: Archives diplomatiques, French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs ↗
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Egypt's July Revolution and the Establishment of the Republic

Leaders after Egypt’s 1952 revolution — Historical recordAn archival photograph dated 8 November 1952 in the Bibliotheca Alexandrina’s Nasser collection. Sulayman al-Hafez, Muhammad Naguib and Gamal Abdel Nasser appear at an event in Cairo after the July revolution.Photographer not credited in the Nasser archive · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Leaders after Egypt’s 1952 revolution · 1952-11-08
Creator / rights holder: Photographer not credited in the Nasser archive / Photographer not credited in the Nasser archive
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Collection or archive: Bibliotheca Alexandrina – Nasser Digital Archive ↗
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Bandung: Asian and African Countries Speak Together

The curved white facade of Gedung Merdeka in Bandung — Present-day viewA 2009 photograph of Gedung Merdeka in Bandung, the main venue of the 1955 Asian-African Conference. It shows the preserved conference building decades later, not delegates meeting in 1955.slapers (Flickr) · Wikimedia Commons · Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Gedung Merdeka, the Bandung Conference venue · 2009-07-06
Creator / rights holder: slapers (Flickr) / slapers (Flickr)
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Official subject reference: Museum of the Asian-African Conference, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Indonesia ↗
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Ghanaian Independence and the Call for African Unity

The Independence Arch in Accra — Present-day viewA 2023 photograph of Accra’s Independence Arch, a later monument commemorating Ghanaian independence. It is a view of a memorial, not a photograph of the independence celebrations of March 1957.Matti Blume · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: The Independence Arch in Accra · 2023-02-01
Creator / rights holder: Matti Blume / Matti Blume
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Official subject reference: Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Ghana ↗
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The Cuban Revolution: Batista's Rule Ends

Present-day viewPaul Mannix’s photograph of Havana’s Museum of the Revolution, housed in the former Presidential Palace. The building is a later museum commemorating Cuban history, not a photograph of the January 1959 revolution.Paul Mannix · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Havana’s Museum of the Revolution · 1999-08-29
Creator / rights holder: Paul Mannix / Paul Mannix
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Official subject reference: Cuba Travel – official tourism portal ↗
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The Wave of African Independence and the Principle of Self-Determination

Kwame Nkrumah at right stands beside John F. Kennedy behind microphones in a black-and-white photograph. — Related historic objectGhanaian President Kwame Nkrumah (right) with John F. Kennedy on 8 March 1961, photographed by Abbie Rowe. This later record illustrates independent Ghana’s diplomacy after the 1960 African independence wave; it is not a photograph of Congo’s 1960 independence.Abbie Rowe, National Park Service · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain (U.S. federal government work) Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Kwame Nkrumah and John F. Kennedy in 1961 · 1961-03-08
Creator / rights holder: Abbie Rowe, National Park Service / US federal government / National Park Service
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Collection or archive: John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum ↗
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Algerian Independence and the End of Colonial War

Ahmed Ben Bella visits the White House, 1962 — Historical recordAn official US government photograph of Algeria’s prime minister Ahmed Ben Bella meeting President John F. Kennedy on 15 October 1962. The visit followed Algerian independence that year; it is not an image of the independence proclamation.Abbie Rowe, National Park Service · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Ahmed Ben Bella visits the White House, 1962 · 1962-10-15
Creator / rights holder: Abbie Rowe, National Park Service / Abbie Rowe, National Park Service
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Collection or archive: John F. Kennedy Presidential Library / US National Archives ↗
Reuse terms: Public domain ↗ · Item-specific rights record ↗
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The U.S. Civil Rights Act: Challenging Segregation and Employment Discrimination

Signing the Civil Rights Act in 1964 — Historical recordCecil Stoughton’s official White House photograph of President Lyndon B. Johnson signing the Civil Rights Act on 2 July 1964, with Martin Luther King Jr. and others present.Cecil Stoughton, White House Photo Office · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Signing the Civil Rights Act in 1964 · 1964-07-02
Creator / rights holder: Cecil Stoughton, White House Photo Office / Cecil Stoughton, White House Photo Office
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Collection or archive: Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library / US National Archives ↗
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Australia's Referendum and the Constitutional Status of Indigenous Peoples

A badge from the 1967 referendum campaign — Period objectA “Vote Yes” campaign badge from the 1967 Australian referendum, in a museum photograph by Jon Augier for Museums Victoria. The badge is a surviving campaign object, rather than a polling-day photograph.Jon Augier · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: A badge from the 1967 referendum campaign · c. 1967 (badge); photograph date not recorded
Creator / rights holder: Jon Augier / Museums Victoria
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Collection or archive: Museums Victoria ↗
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The Founding of ASEAN and Regional Cooperation in Southeast Asia

The ASEAN Declaration of 1967 — Historical recordA scanned page of the declaration signed in Bangkok on 8 August 1967. The document records the establishment of ASEAN; it is not a photograph of the ministers’ signing ceremony.Governments of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain Image credit & source

Object or photograph: The ASEAN Declaration of 1967 · 1967-08-08
Creator / rights holder: Governments of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand / Governments of Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Collection or archive: ASEAN Secretariat / National Archives of Singapore ↗
Reuse terms: Public domain ↗ · Item-specific rights record ↗
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Apollo 11 and the First Crewed Moon Landing

Buzz Aldrin on the lunar surface — Historical recordNeil Armstrong photographed Buzz Aldrin on the Moon during Apollo 11, July 1969. NASA image AS11-40-5903.Neil Armstrong / NASA · NASA Image and Video Library · Public domain — U.S. federal government work Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Buzz Aldrin on the lunar surface · July 1969
Creator / rights holder: Neil Armstrong / NASA / Neil Armstrong / NASA
Image provider: NASA Image and Video Library
Collection or archive: NASA Johnson Space Center ↗
Reuse terms: Public domain — U.S. federal government work ↗ · Item-specific rights record ↗
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ARPANET: The First Message on an Internet Precursor

An ARPANET Interface Message Processor — Period objectAn early ARPANET Interface Message Processor photographed at the Computer History Museum in 2007. The preserved machine illustrates packet-switching hardware, not the first-message scene itself.Steve Jurvetson · Wikimedia Commons · Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: An ARPANET Interface Message Processor · 2007-03-13
Creator / rights holder: Steve Jurvetson / Steve Jurvetson
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Official subject reference: Computer History Museum ↗
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Fiji’s Independence and Pacific Nationhood

A scanned page headed Fiji Independence Act 1970, with the first statutory section beneath the Royal Arms — Historical recordThe opening page of the Fiji Independence Act 1970, granted Royal Assent on 23 July 1970. Its first section sets 10 October 1970 as the date when the United Kingdom would cease to have responsibility for Fiji’s government. This is the contemporary legal document, not a photograph of the independence ceremony.UK Parliament; printed by Her Majesty’s Stationery Office · legislation.gov.uk; scan delivered by Wikimedia Commons · Open Government Licence 3.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: The Fiji Independence Act 1970 · 1970-07-23
Creator / rights holder: UK Parliament; printed by Her Majesty’s Stationery Office / Crown copyright
Image provider: legislation.gov.uk; scan delivered by Wikimedia Commons
Collection or archive: The National Archives, legislation.gov.uk ↗
Reuse terms: Open Government Licence 3.0 ↗ · Item-specific rights record ↗
Required source acknowledgement: Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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The Change in UN Representation and U.S.-China Rapprochement

Nixon and Zhou Enlai at the 1972 arrival ceremony — Historical recordRichard Nixon and Zhou Enlai shake hands on arrival in Beijing on 21 February 1972. This records the bilateral visit, distinct from the UN representation vote in New York in 1971.White House Photo Office (Nixon Administration) · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain — U.S. federal government work Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Nixon and Zhou Enlai at the 1972 arrival ceremony · 1972-02-21
Creator / rights holder: White House Photo Office (Nixon Administration) / White House Photo Office (Nixon Administration)
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Collection or archive: U.S. National Archives, Nixon White House Photo Office ↗
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Khmer Rouge Rule and Cambodia's Social Catastrophe

Black garments and a checked scarf in a Choeung Ek museum display — Present-day viewA museum display of clothing associated with the Khmer Rouge, photographed at Choeung Ek in August 2009. This later exhibit is not a contemporary photograph of the regime or proof of who wore the garments.Toony (Wikimedia username) · Wikimedia Commons · Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Clothing displayed at the Choeung Ek museum · August 2009
Creator / rights holder: Toony (Wikimedia username) / Toony (Wikimedia username)
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Official subject reference: UNESCO; Cambodian Memorial Sites ↗
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Saigon Changes Hands and the Vietnam War Ends

Evacuees aboard USS Hancock during Frequent Wind — Historical recordA South Vietnamese helicopter pilot and his family are escorted aboard USS Hancock during the evacuation of Saigon in April 1975. U.S. Marine Corps photograph 127-GVB-279-A801617.U.S. Marine Corps (individual photographer not named in the record) · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain — U.S. federal government work Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Evacuees aboard USS Hancock during Frequent Wind · April 1975 (event in caption; archival record date 1975-11-07)
Creator / rights holder: U.S. Marine Corps (individual photographer not named in the record) / U.S. Marine Corps (individual photographer not named in the record)
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Collection or archive: U.S. National Archives, Records of the U.S. Marine Corps ↗
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New Zealand's Waitangi Tribunal: Treaty Claims Enter a Public Process

The Waitangi sheet of the Treaty of Waitangi — Period objectThe 1840 Waitangi sheet of Te Tiriti o Waitangi. It is an earlier document central to the Tribunal’s later work, not a record of the Tribunal’s establishment in 1975.William Hobson, James Busby and James Freeman; Māori translation by Henry and Edward Williams · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain Image credit & source

Object or photograph: The Waitangi sheet of the Treaty of Waitangi · 1840
Creator / rights holder: William Hobson, James Busby and James Freeman; Māori translation by Henry and Edward Williams / William Hobson, James Busby and James Freeman; Māori translation by Henry and Edward Williams
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Collection or archive: Archives New Zealand ↗
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Reform and Opening Up and Changes to the Economic System

Deng Xiaoping and Jimmy Carter sign agreements — Historical recordDeng Xiaoping and Jimmy Carter at a signing ceremony on 31 January 1979. The photograph records China’s diplomatic opening after the 1978 policy turn; it is not a photograph of the Third Plenum.Karl H. Schumacher / White House · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain — U.S. federal government work Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Deng Xiaoping and Jimmy Carter sign agreements · 1979-01-31
Creator / rights holder: Karl H. Schumacher / White House / Karl H. Schumacher / White House
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Collection or archive: U.S. National Archives, Jimmy Carter Presidential Library ↗
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The Iranian Revolution and the Establishment of the Islamic Republic

Carter’s letter to Khomeini, November 1979 — Historical recordA U.S. presidential letter addressed to Ayatollah Khomeini on 6 November 1979 about the embassy hostages. This diplomatic document records relations with Iran’s new leadership after the revolution.Jimmy Carter / White House · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain — U.S. federal government work Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Carter’s letter to Khomeini, November 1979 · 1979-11-06
Creator / rights holder: Jimmy Carter / White House / Jimmy Carter / White House
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Collection or archive: U.S. National Archives, Jimmy Carter Presidential Library ↗
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The Opening of the Berlin Wall and a Turning Point in the Cold War Order

Chipping a souvenir from the Berlin Wall — Historical recordA West Berliner chips a piece from the opened Berlin Wall on 14 November 1989, several days after the border opening.SSgt. F. Lee Corkran / U.S. Department of Defense · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain — U.S. federal government work Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Chipping a souvenir from the Berlin Wall · 1989-11-14
Creator / rights holder: SSgt. F. Lee Corkran / U.S. Department of Defense / SSgt. F. Lee Corkran / U.S. Department of Defense
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Collection or archive: U.S. Department of Defense ↗
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The Dissolution of the Soviet Union and a Turning Point in the Cold War Order

First page of a declassified White House memorandum headed Telephone Conversation, dated 25 December 1991 — Historical recordThe opening page of the White House memorandum of the 25 December 1991 telephone conversation between Mikhail Gorbachev and George H. W. Bush. Gorbachev tells Bush he will announce his resignation later that day. This U.S. official record documents one diplomatic perspective during the Soviet Union’s final days.White House / National Security Council; notetaker Nicholas Burns · National Security Archive, facsimile of a U.S. National Archives federal record · Public domain — U.S. federal government work Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Gorbachev’s final call to Bush as Soviet president · 1991-12-25
Creator / rights holder: White House / National Security Council; notetaker Nicholas Burns / U.S. federal government work
Image provider: National Security Archive, facsimile of a U.S. National Archives federal record
Collection or archive: George H. W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum / U.S. National Archives ↗
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The Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda

A displaced Rwandan family near Goma — Historical recordA Rwandan family at the Kibumba refugee camp near Goma, 3 August 1994. The photograph documents the displacement crisis following the genocide and war; it does not establish the individuals’ ethnicity or role in the conflict.TSgt. Val Gempis / U.S. Department of Defense · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain — U.S. federal government work Image credit & source

Object or photograph: A displaced Rwandan family near Goma · 1994-08-03
Creator / rights holder: TSgt. Val Gempis / U.S. Department of Defense / TSgt. Val Gempis / U.S. Department of Defense
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Collection or archive: U.S. National Archives, Defense Visual Information Center ↗
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South Africa Holds Its First Non-Racial National Election

Nelson Mandela casts his vote in 1994 — Historical recordNelson Mandela votes at Ohlange School, Inanda, in April 1994. Paul Weinberg photographed the election on commission for the Independent Electoral Commission.Paul Weinberg · Wikimedia Commons · Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Nelson Mandela casts his vote in 1994 · April 1994
Creator / rights holder: Paul Weinberg / Paul Weinberg
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Official subject reference: Nelson Mandela Foundation, Centre of Memory ↗
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Hong Kong's Handover and the Establishment of the Special Administrative Region

Present-day viewFlag raising at Golden Bauhinia Square on 30 August 2008. The square and its sculpture commemorate the 1997 handover; this photograph was taken eleven years later.Tksteven (Wikimedia username) · Wikimedia Commons · Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Flag raising at Golden Bauhinia Square · 2008-08-30
Creator / rights holder: Tksteven (Wikimedia username) / Tksteven (Wikimedia username)
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Official subject reference: Hong Kong Home Affairs Department ↗
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Macao's Handover and the Establishment of the Special Administrative Region

Cover of the Macao SAR Official Bulletin dated 20 December 1999 — Historical recordThe first Official Bulletin of the Macao Special Administrative Region, dated 20 December 1999. This primary legal publication records the new regional administration’s establishment.Imprensa Oficial de Macau · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain Image credit & source

Object or photograph: The Macao SAR’s first Official Bulletin · 1999-12-20
Creator / rights holder: Imprensa Oficial de Macau / Imprensa Oficial de Macau
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Collection or archive: Macao SAR Government, Imprensa Oficial ↗
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China Joins the World Trade Organization

The WTO’s Geneva headquarters — Present-day viewThe Centre William Rappard in Geneva, photographed in 2006. This is the WTO headquarters building, not the meeting at which China’s accession was approved in 2001.E. Murray / ILO Historical Photo Archives · Wikimedia Commons · Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: The WTO’s Geneva headquarters · 2006
Creator / rights holder: E. Murray / ILO Historical Photo Archives / E. Murray / ILO Historical Photo Archives
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Collection or archive: World Trade Organization; ILO Historical Photo Archives ↗
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The Launch of the African Union and Continental Cooperation

Present-day viewThe African Union conference centre in Addis Ababa, a headquarters complex inaugurated in 2012. This 2015 photograph illustrates the institution, not its launch in Durban in 2002.Andrew Moore · Wikimedia Commons · Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: The African Union conference centre · 2015-05-21
Creator / rights holder: Andrew Moore / Andrew Moore
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Official subject reference: African Union ↗
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Shenzhou 5: China's First Crewed Spaceflight

The preserved Shenzhou 5 reentry module — Period objectThe Shenzhou 5 reentry module in a display photograph uploaded in January 2005. This is a photograph of preserved spacecraft hardware, not the October 2003 landing itself.Yxk (Wikimedia username) · Wikimedia Commons · Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: The preserved Shenzhou 5 reentry module · Photograph published January 2005; spacecraft flew October 2003
Creator / rights holder: Yxk (Wikimedia username) / Yxk (Wikimedia username)
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Official subject reference: China National Space Administration ↗
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The Global Financial Crisis and Cross-Border Risk

Lehman Brothers’ New York headquarters — Present-day viewLehman Brothers’ Manhattan headquarters photographed in August 2007, before its September 2008 bankruptcy. The building provides contemporary context for the financial crisis.David Shankbone · Wikimedia Commons · Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Lehman Brothers’ New York headquarters · 2007-08-12
Creator / rights holder: David Shankbone / David Shankbone
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Official subject reference: Federal Reserve History ↗
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Beijing Hosts the 2008 Summer Olympics

Visitors at Beijing’s 2008 Olympic opening ceremony — Historical recordGeorge W. Bush and Laura Bush at the opening ceremony in Beijing’s National Stadium on 8 August 2008, photographed by White House photographer Eric Draper.Eric Draper / White House · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain — U.S. federal government work Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Visitors at Beijing’s 2008 Olympic opening ceremony · 2008-08-08
Creator / rights holder: Eric Draper / White House / Eric Draper / White House
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Collection or archive: U.S. National Archives, George W. Bush White House archive ↗
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The Paris Agreement and Global Climate Cooperation

Signing the Paris Agreement in New York — Historical recordU.S. Secretary of State John Kerry signs the Paris Agreement on 22 April 2016. This is the later signing ceremony, distinct from the agreement’s adoption in Paris in December 2015.U.S. Department of State · Wikimedia Commons · Public domain — U.S. federal government work Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Signing the Paris Agreement in New York · 2016-04-22
Creator / rights holder: U.S. Department of State / U.S. Department of State
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Collection or archive: U.S. Department of State ↗
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Reports of the Wuhan Outbreak and a Global Health Alert

SARS-CoV-2 under an electron microscope — Period objectA negatively stained SARS-CoV-2 particle photographed by CDC scientists in 2020. This is a scientific micrograph made after the early reports, not a photograph taken in Wuhan or evidence of the virus’s ultimate origin.Hannah A. Bullock and Azaibi Tamin / CDC · CDC Public Health Image Library · Public domain — U.S. federal government work Image credit & source

Object or photograph: SARS-CoV-2 under an electron microscope · 2020
Creator / rights holder: Hannah A. Bullock and Azaibi Tamin / CDC / Hannah A. Bullock and Azaibi Tamin / CDC
Image provider: CDC Public Health Image Library
Collection or archive: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ↗
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The COVID-19 Pandemic and the Global Public Health Response

COVID-19 intensive care in São Paulo — Historical recordMedical staff care for COVID-19 patients in São Paulo’s Vila Nova Cachoeirinha hospital on 12 May 2020. The photograph records the pandemic response in Brazil, not the WHO’s March announcement.Gustavo Basso · Wikimedia Commons · Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 4.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: COVID-19 intensive care in São Paulo · 2020-05-12
Creator / rights holder: Gustavo Basso / Gustavo Basso
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Official subject reference: World Health Organization ↗
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Chang'e 6 Returns the First Samples from the Moon's Far Side

Chang’e 6 lunar samples on display — Period objectLunar samples returned by Chang’e 6, photographed at the International Astronautical Congress in Milan on 16 October 2024. This is a later exhibit of returned material, not the June landing scene.BugWarp (Wikimedia username) · Wikimedia Commons · Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 4.0 Image credit & source

Object or photograph: Chang’e 6 lunar samples on display · 2024-10-16
Creator / rights holder: BugWarp (Wikimedia username) / BugWarp (Wikimedia username)
Image provider: Wikimedia Commons
Official subject reference: China National Space Administration ↗
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