Only the photograph can freeze for all time the unique moment, the event that stands out in history. Some such pictures are the result of careful planning; some just happen. In June 1934, LIFE photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt, then working for the Associated Press, went to Venice to cover the first meeting between Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. He stationed himself at midday in front of a crowd in the Piazza San Marco and waited. When II Duce at last stepped onto a balcony to address the throng, Eisenstaedt snapped the memorable photograph above.
By contrast, when the German Zeppelin Hindenburg arrived at Lakehurst, New Jersey, on May 6, 1937, completing its 37th Atlantic crossing, Sam Shere of International News Photos had no inkling that he would be taking anything more than routine shots for the Sunday supplements. Then the huge airship suddenly exploded over his head, completely destroying itself in less than a minute. In an instant of tragedy, he shot the picture of a lifetime.
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