Chapter 1: The Day, 9/11
The picture on the television screen was one no one ever dreamed could happen. The Today Show was broadcasting live footage of the World Trade Center’s north tower on fire. The impossible was underway.
Jay Cochrane, The Great China Skywalk
October 28, 2025, is the 30th anniversary of Jay Cochrane’s Great China Skywalk high above the Yangtze River traversing Qutang Gorge, China. Jay’s photograph standing on the wire, one foot raised to his knee and one arm raised in salute, smiling, with Qutang Gorge beneath him, is a testament to his ability and showmanship.
The Surly Bonds of Earth: Challenger and Discovery
Humans in space. Most can name the first astronaut or the first man on the moon. How many of us remember the name of the ships that carried them to space? We remember Friendship-7 and “The Eagle has landed” on the moon. For me, eight other names were burned into my memory because of one of my photographs. The ship was Challenger and the names were Michael J. Smith, Francis R. “Dick” Scobee, Ronald E. McNair, Ellison S. Onizuka, Gregory B. Jarvis, Judith A. Resnik, and Christa McAuliffe.