100 photos that defined the decade

A child sleeps in a bag in the Syrian village of Beit Sawa in March 2018.

Omar Sanadiki/Reuters

Updated 1:56 PM EST, Mon December 23, 2019

As my team sifted through 10 years of historic imagery, I was struck by the amount of devastation and pain the world has endured: the Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill, Benghazi, Ebola, the constant school shootings in the United States, the Las Vegas massacre.

Then there are images calling for democracy and change: the Arab Spring, Venezuela, Hong Kong.

And there are pictures that mold public opinion and push governments to take action: the image of the Honduran toddler crying as her mother is detained near the US-Mexico border and, before then, the plight of 5-year-old Syrian refugee Alan Kurdi, washed ashore after drowning in the waters off southern Turkey.

I also can't help but be inspired by the courage shown by 17-year-old Emma Gonzalez, a school shooting survivor who has helped galvanize the call to action on gun control. I found the moment Serena Williams consoled Naomi Osaka at last year's US Open admirable, just moments after Williams pointedly argued with a chair umpire over a call that eventually cost her the championship.

And the latter part of the decade produced a string of storytelling images from Donald Trump's presidency, his administration and his policies.

All of these stories are woven together in this 100-picture report. Every image is iconic in its own merit, and they are sometimes taken by photojournalists in harm's way. Each photo is memorable, permanently capturing a moment in history, searing its significance and its oddity in our consciousness, oftentimes shaping public opinion and affecting policy.

We present to you the defining photos of the past decade.

Editor's note: This gallery contains graphic images. Viewer discretion is advised.

Cindy Tersme throws herself on the rubble of Ecole St. Gerard, a school in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, after <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2013/12/12/world/haiti-earthquake-fast-facts/index.html" target="_blank">a 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit the country</a> in January 2010. Tersme screamed in anguish after finding the lifeless body of her 14-year-old brother, Jean Gaelle Dersmorne. "I can see my brother's feet but can't pull him out," she said, weeping. The earthquake's death toll has been estimated at 220,000-300,000.

Cindy Tersme throws herself on the rubble of Ecole St. Gerard, a school in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit the country in January 2010. Tersme screamed in anguish after finding the lifeless body of her 14-year-old brother, Jean Gaelle Dersmorne. "I can see my brother's feet but can't pull him out," she said, weeping. The earthquake's death toll has been estimated at 220,000-300,000.

Carol Guzy/The Washington Post via Getty Images

A bird is covered in oil at Louisiana's East Grand Terre Island in June 2010. Two months earlier, an explosion occurred aboard the Deepwater Horizon, a BP-contracted oil rig stationed in the Gulf of Mexico. For 87 straight days, oil and methane gas spewed from an uncapped wellhead 1 mile below the surface of the ocean. President Barack Obama described the oil spill as "the worst environmental disaster America has ever faced."

Charlie Riedel/AP

Lady Gaga wears a dress made of real meat at the MTV Video Music Awards in September 2010. Appearing later on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," Gaga said <a href="http://marquee.blogs.cnn.com/2010/09/14/so-about-lady-gagas-meat-dress/" target="_blank">the dress</a> "has many interpretations, but for me ... if we don't stand up for what we believe in and if we don't fight for our rights pretty soon we're going to have as much rights as the meat on our bones."

Lady Gaga wears a dress made of real meat at the MTV Video Music Awards in September 2010. Appearing later on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," Gaga said the dress "has many interpretations, but for me ... if we don't stand up for what we believe in and if we don't fight for our rights pretty soon we're going to have as much rights as the meat on our bones."

Matt Sayles/AP

This photo of Afghan woman Aesha Mohammadzai appeared on the cover of Time magazine in August 2010. Her Taliban husband and in-laws punished her for running away by hacking off her nose and ears and leaving her for dead. She became a symbol of the oppression of women in her war-torn country. She was flown to the United States, where she underwent multiple surgeries to reconstruct her nose.

Jodi Bieber

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is seen behind the heavily tinted window of a police van as he arrives at a London prison in December 2010. Assange has been a key figure in the major leaks of classified government documents, cables and videos. He spent much of the decade at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London after the government of Ecuador granted him asylum. That asylum was revoked in 2019, and Assange is now fighting extradition to the United States, where he faces charges under the Espionage Act. Assange has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

Akira Suemori/AP

A wave approaches Miyako, Japan, after a 9.1 magnitude earthquake occurred in March 2011. <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2013/07/17/world/asia/japan-earthquake---tsunami-fast-facts/index.html" target="_blank">The earthquake</a> caused a tsunami with 30-foot waves that damaged several nuclear reactors in the area. It is the largest earthquake ever to hit Japan.

A wave approaches Miyako, Japan, after a 9.1 magnitude earthquake occurred in March 2011. The earthquake caused a tsunami with 30-foot waves that damaged several nuclear reactors in the area. It is the largest earthquake ever to hit Japan.

Mainichi Shimbun/Reuters

A rebel celebrates as his comrades fire rockets at troops loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi in April 2011. <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2013/09/26/world/africa/moammar-gadhafi-fast-facts/index.html" target="_blank">Gadhafi was killed in October 2011</a> after being captured by rebel forces. He had been in power since 1969.

A rebel celebrates as his comrades fire rockets at troops loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi in April 2011. Gadhafi was killed in October 2011 after being captured by rebel forces. He had been in power since 1969.

Chris Hondros/Getty Images

Britain's Prince William kisses his new wife, Catherine, on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in April 2011. <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2016/04/29/europe/will-kate-five-year-wedding-anniversary/index.html" target="_blank">The wedding</a> was watched by millions around the world.

Britain's Prince William kisses his new wife, Catherine, on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in April 2011. The wedding was watched by millions around the world.

Dylan Martinez/Reuters

US President Barack Obama and members of his national security team monitor the Navy SEALs raid that killed Osama bin Laden in May 2011. "Fourteen people crammed into the room, the President sitting in a folding chair on the corner of the table's head," said CNN's Peter Bergen as he relived the bin Laden raid five years later. "They sat in this room until the SEALs returned to Afghanistan." (Editor's note: The classified document in front of Hillary Clinton was obscured by the White House.)

Pete Souza/The White House via Getty Images

A couple kisses on a street after riots broke out in Vancouver, British Columbia, in June 2011. Angry hockey fans, fuming over their team's loss in the Stanley Cup Final, wreaked havoc across downtown sections of Vancouver.

Rich Lam/Getty Images

Hillary Clinton, while US secretary of state, checks her BlackBerry on a military plane in October 2011. Clinton said she used a private email account for her official work at the State Department and that she did so out of convenience. The FBI investigated whether Clinton or her aides had mishandled classified information either intentionally or in a grossly negligent way. In 2016, FBI Director James Comey said he would not recommend charges against Clinton, but he rebuked her and her aides for being "extremely careless" in the handling of classified information.

Kevin Lamarque/AP

Tarana Akbari, 12, screams after a suicide bomber attacked the Abul Fazel Shrine in Kabul, Afghanistan, in December 2011. <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2011/12/06/world/asia/afghanistan-violence-analysis/index.html" target="_blank">Twin bomb blasts</a> killed dozens of Afghan people on the holy day of Ashura.

Tarana Akbari, 12, screams after a suicide bomber attacked the Abul Fazel Shrine in Kabul, Afghanistan, in December 2011. Twin bomb blasts killed dozens of Afghan people on the holy day of Ashura.

Massoud Hossaini/AFP/Getty Images

Egyptian soldiers arrest a protester during deadly clashes in Cairo's Tahrir Square in December 2011. Images of the protester being stomped <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2011/12/19/world/meast/egypt-unrest/index.html" target="_blank">stoked anger among the pro-democracy demonstrators battling Egyptian security.</a> Tahrir Square was the symbolic center of the uprising that brought down President Hosni Mubarak earlier in the year.

Egyptian soldiers arrest a protester during deadly clashes in Cairo's Tahrir Square in December 2011. Images of the protester being stomped stoked anger among the pro-democracy demonstrators battling Egyptian security. Tahrir Square was the symbolic center of the uprising that brought down President Hosni Mubarak earlier in the year.

Stringer/Reuters

A protester reacts as the US mission in Benghazi was set on fire in September 2012. The US ambassador to Libya and three other US nationals were killed during the attack. The Obama administration initially thought the attack was carried out by an angry mob responding to a video, made in the United States, that mocked Islam and the Prophet Mohammed. But the storming of the mission was later determined to have been a terrorist attack.

Esam Al-Fetori/Reuters

An amusement park in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, is left in ruins after Hurricane Sandy hit the area in October 2012. <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2013/07/13/world/americas/hurricane-sandy-fast-facts/index.html" target="_blank">The storm</a> affected 24 states and all of the eastern seaboard, causing an estimated $70 billion in damages.

An amusement park in Seaside Heights, New Jersey, is left in ruins after Hurricane Sandy hit the area in October 2012. The storm affected 24 states and all of the eastern seaboard, causing an estimated $70 billion in damages.

Mario Tama/Getty Images

Children are escorted out of Sandy Hook Elementary School after <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2013/06/07/us/connecticut-shootings-fast-facts/index.html" target="_blank">a mass shooting occurred at the school</a> in Newtown, Connecticut, in December 2012. Six adults and 20 children were killed by Adam Lanza, who had earlier killed his mother in their home. The photograph, taken by local journalist Shannon Hicks, made it onto the front pages of newspapers, magazines and websites around the world. "I knew that, coming out of the building — as terrified as they were — those children were safe," Hicks later told Time magazine. "I just felt that it was an important moment."

Children are escorted out of Sandy Hook Elementary School after a mass shooting occurred at the school in Newtown, Connecticut, in December 2012. Six adults and 20 children were killed by Adam Lanza, who had earlier killed his mother in their home. The photograph, taken by local journalist Shannon Hicks, made it onto the front pages of newspapers, magazines and websites around the world. "I knew that, coming out of the building — as terrified as they were — those children were safe," Hicks later told Time magazine. "I just felt that it was an important moment."

Shannon Hicks/Newtown Bee

African migrants in Djibouti raise their phones to try to catch an inexpensive signal from neighboring Somalia in February 2013. Djibouti is a common stop-off point for African migrants seeking a better life in Europe and the Middle East.

John Stanmeyer/VII/National Geographic

Police officers stand over marathon runner Bill Iffrig as a second explosion sounds near the finish line of the Boston Marathon in April 2013. Three people were killed and at least 264 were injured in the terror attack.

John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Two victims are seen in the rubble after <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2013/10/24/opinion/bangladesh-garment-workers/index.html" target="_blank">an eight-story building collapsed</a> in Savar, Bangladesh, in April 2013. More than 1,000 people were killed.

Two victims are seen in the rubble after an eight-story building collapsed in Savar, Bangladesh, in April 2013. More than 1,000 people were killed.

Taslima Akhter

A Turkish police officer uses tear gas in May 2013 as people protested the government's plans to demolish Istanbul's Gezi Park. <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2013/06/14/world/europe/turkey-protests/index.html" target="_blank">Protests evolved into anti-government dissent</a> across the nation.

A Turkish police officer uses tear gas in May 2013 as people protested the government's plans to demolish Istanbul's Gezi Park. Protests evolved into anti-government dissent across the nation.

Osman Orsai/Reuters

Robin Thicke and Miley Cyrus perform on stage during the MTV Video Music Awards in August 2013. <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2013/08/26/showbiz/music/miley-cyrus-mtv-vmas-gaga/index.html" target="_blank">The provocative performance</a> dominated the headlines and had many people discussing whether it was too risque.

Robin Thicke and Miley Cyrus perform on stage during the MTV Video Music Awards in August 2013. The provocative performance dominated the headlines and had many people discussing whether it was too risque.

Andrew H. Walker/WireImage via Getty Images

People take cover behind a counter at the Westgate shopping mall after a shootout in Nairobi, Kenya, in September 2013. The Somali terror group Al-Shabaab, an affiliate of al Qaeda, claimed responsibility for a bloody four-day siege at the upscale mall. At least 67 people were killed.

Tyler Hicks/The New York Times/Redux

Pope Francis embraces Vinicio Riva, a disfigured man suffering from a non-infectious genetic disease, during a public audience at the Vatican in November 2013. Images of the embrace went viral on social media. Pope Francis was elected in February 2013 after Pope Benedict retired.

Agf/Shutterstock

Anti-government protesters clash with police in Kiev, Ukraine, in February 2014. Kiev's Independence Square had been the center of anti-government protests since November 2013, when President Viktor Yanukovych reversed a decision on a trade deal with the European Union and instead turned toward Russia. The protests soon led to the ouster of Yanukovych and triggered a chain of events that included Russia's annexation of the Crimean Peninsula.

Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

Oscars host Ellen DeGeneres takes a moment to orchestrate a selfie with a group of movie stars at the awards show in March 2014. Actor Bradley Cooper, seen in the foreground, was holding the phone at the time. "If only Bradley's arm was longer," DeGeneres tweeted. "Best photo ever." It became the most retweeted post of all time.

Ellen DeGeneres/Twitter

In August 2014, a helicopter delivering aid to Yazidi civilians <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2014/08/08/world/meast/iraq-yazidi-people/index.html" target="_blank">trapped by ISIS militants</a> crashed in the Sinjar Mountains in northern Iraq. In this photo, survivors of the crash are loaded onto a second rescue helicopter bound for Kurdish territory. The pilot killed in the crash lies under the wounded.

In August 2014, a helicopter delivering aid to Yazidi civilians trapped by ISIS militants crashed in the Sinjar Mountains in northern Iraq. In this photo, survivors of the crash are loaded onto a second rescue helicopter bound for Kurdish territory. The pilot killed in the crash lies under the wounded.

Moises Saman/Magnum Photos