35 Iconic Photos In History And Their Inspiring Backstories

Many of the things we enjoy and take for granted today were fought for by someone in the past through their blood, sweat, and tears. It takes a lot of effort to create a change even today, and we can only imagine the trials our predecessors went through that catapulted society to where we are today.

#1

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A Filipino survivor of the Battle of Manila shows the scar where a Japanese officer tried to behead him, 1945.

During the final months of World War II, the Battle of Manila turned into one of the most brutal urban battles in the Pacific Theater. Between February and March 1945, as American and Filipino forces closed in to retake the city from the Japanese Imperial Army, retreating Japanese troops and marines, rather than surrendering, carried out systematic executions of civilians. Photographs and accounts from survivors often show people revealing deep scars from bayonet wounds, saber cuts, or failed executions.

It’s estimated that over 100,000 civilians perished in Manila during this month-long carnage. The memory of these crimes remains a painful chapter in Philippine history that is largely unknown and forgotten in the West.

#2

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In 1963, Franca Viola was kidnapped and assaulted by a former suitor who, according to the custom of a so-called “rehabilitating marriage,” expected to marry her to erase the dishonor and avoid prosecution.

Instead of submitting to this deeply rooted practice, Franca and her father refused to be silenced or shamed. Their decision to press charges challenged a tradition that had forced countless women into marriages with their attackers. Her courage, and her family’s unwavering support, sparked national debate and helped pave the way for the abolition of the law (in 1981) that allowed perpetrators to escape punishment through marriage.

In 1966, her attacker was sentenced and imprisoned for 10 years. He was released in 1976, after which he remained barred from returning to Sicily. In April 1978, he met his demise in a Mafia-style execution near Modena, before he could return home.

As for Franca, she went on to build the life she chose for herself. In 1968, she married her childhood sweetheart, a man who stood by her through the ordeal. Their wedding drew national attention and was seen as a triumph of dignity over a cruel custom. Franca and her husband had three children and built a quiet family life in Alcamo, Sicily, where she still lives today.

#4

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A road in Pompeii, built before the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, demonstrates the Romans’ practical ingenuity.

The small white stones you see embedded in the darker basalt paving stones were intentionally chosen and set into the road surface. Their purpose was to reflect the faint glow of moonlight, helping travelers and carts navigate more safely after dark.

This clever technique turned the road itself into a primitive form of “street lighting” long before lamps were common. It’s a subtle example of how Roman engineers considered not just durability and drainage in their roads, but also usability at night, a testament to the sophistication of everyday infrastructure in the ancient city.

#5

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Krystyna Trześniewska was a young Polish girl whose life was cut short at Auschwitz.

Born on December 8, 1929, in Majdan near Zamość, she was only 13 when she and her father Julian were taken during the “Zamość Action,” a campaign to remove Polish villagers and make room for German settlers.

Deported on December 13, 1942, she was registered as prisoner number 27129. Her photograph has become a powerful reminder of the thousands of Polish children swept into the horrors of Auschwitz. Krystyna’s life ended on May 18, 1943, only a few months after her arrival.

Polish prisoners were among the first and largest groups held at Auschwitz. When the camp opened in 1940, it mainly held Polish political prisoners—teachers, priests, resistance members, and anyone seen as a threat to German rule. Many were arrested during mass round-ups or village expulsions. Brutal conditions, forced labor, starvation, and executions were common.

While Jewish people later became the largest group deported to Auschwitz, around 150,000 non-Jewish Poles were imprisoned there, and many never returned. Their suffering shows how the camp was part of a broader plan to destroy Polish society and leadership.

#6

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Published in The Baltimore Sun, Maryland, June 15, 1924.

#7

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Wedding rings taken from prisoners at the Buchenwald concentration camp in Germany, May, 1945.

Shortly after the camp’s liberation, General George S Patton forced 1,000 local citizens to tour the camp to witness firsthand the atrocities that had taken place.

In response to the horrors discovered at the Ohrdruf concentration camp, General Dwight D. Eisenhower ordered U.S. troops to visit the camps, stating, “We are told that the American soldier does not know what he is fighting for. Now, at least, he will know what he is fighting against.”

#8

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2,400 year-old skeleton mosaic discovered in Turkey with the caption: “Be cheerful, enjoy your life”

#9

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Mary Vincent’s story is one of astonishing endurance and unbreakable will.

In 1978, at just fifteen, she was attacked by a man who picked her up while she was hitchhiking in California. He brutally assaulted her, severed both her forearms with an axe, and hurled her down a ravine, assuming she wouldn’t survive.

But Mary refused to give up. She dragged herself back up the sheer embankment, packing her arm stumps with mud to stop the bleeding, and then walked for miles, unclothed and grievously wounded, until she found help from a passing couple.

Mary not only lived but testified against her attacker, ensuring he was imprisoned, not once, but twice! Later, she built a life for herself, raised a family, and became an advocate for victims’ rights, showing extraordinary resilience in the face of a crime that could have destroyed her.

#10

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An Auschwitz survivor holds her great-granddaughter.

To be honest, I felt really uneasy being able to use the number (49398) tattooed on her arm to look her up, but I wanted to know her story.

Her name was Marie Soifer and she was born in Paris, France on September 9, 1915. She was 28-years-old when she was sent to Auschwitz. She spent close to 16 months there before being liberated on January 27, 1945.

#11

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Robin Williams cheerleading for the Denver Broncos, November 11, 1979.

The Denver Broncos secured a dominant 45–10 win over the New England Patriots, but it was Robin Williams’ appearance as Mork from Ork that stole the spotlight.

In a spirited halftime stunt tied to his hit TV show Mork & Mindy, Williams became the NFL’s first male cheerleader, dressed in full Broncos cheer attire. His outfit included white knee-high cowboy boots, a sequined mini skirt and top, an orange scarf, and gloves, all worn with characteristic flair. Bursting with energy, Williams danced and joked on the sidelines, turning the game into a moment of surreal comedy and pop culture history.

#12

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Gustav Klimt was only 17-years-old when he drew this Portrait of a Girl (1879).

He was still a young art student at the Vienna School of Arts and Crafts. This piece is a drawing done in pencil or chalk, showcasing Klimt’s remarkable draftsmanship before he developed the highly decorative, symbolist style he’s most famous for.

In this early period, Klimt’s work focused on precise, academic realism and portraiture, reflecting his classical training. The drawing likely depicts a young girl in a delicate, naturalistic pose, rendered with soft lines and subtle shading. Unlike his later golden, mosaic-like paintings, works like this show Klimt’s roots in traditional figure drawing and his keen observation of human expression and anatomy.

#13

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French soldier from a small village in Normandy, Georges Roy was wounded at the front, losing both arms and his sight, becoming what the French called a “gueule cassée” (literally, a “broken face”), a term used more broadly for severely disfigured veterans.

Marguerite Lavenue came from the same village but was only an acquaintance before the war. When news of his devastating injuries reached home, she felt moved to do something extraordinary. Rather than see him face a future of isolation and dependency in an era when state support for such wounded veterans was minimal and families often struggled to care for them, she offered to marry him. They wed in Paris in 1917 while the war still raged on the Western Front.

Newspapers at the time covered their wedding as a symbol of sacrifice, devotion, and a different kind of bravery. Marguerite stepping forward to share a life with a man who would forever rely on her for even the simplest tasks. The couple settled down in Normandy after the war. Accounts suggest that Marguerite dedicated herself fully to her husband’s care.

#14

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The shaman of Bad Dürrenberg are the remains of a 25-35 year old woman, who was burried 8,600 to 9,000 year ago in Germany.

What makes this burial so extraordinary is the elaborate grave goods and the striking head dress placed around her. The head dress was made from an intricate combination of animal parts, including bones and teeth from deer, wild boar, crane, and pieces of turtle shell.

This rich mix of materials strongly suggests that she held a special role in her community, most likely as a spiritual figure, a shaman or healer, who connected people with the spirit world.

#15

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Being ticketed for indecent exposure at Rockaway Beach (New York City), 1946.

In my humble opinion, the bathing suit looks very decent and her hairdo looks fabulous. I also like her scowl.

#16

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18,000-year-old puppy discovered in the Siberian permafrost near Yakutsk, Russia.

Nicknamed “Dogor” (a Yakut word meaning “friend” and also a play on “dog or…”), the specimen had intact fur, whiskers, nose, and even teeth. It was an exceptional find because soft tissues rarely survive so long.

Genetic testing revealed that the animal belonged to a period when dogs were first being domesticated from wolves, but its DNA didn’t clearly match either modern wolves or domestic dogs. This has led researchers to believe that Dogor might belong to an ancient population right at the evolutionary split between wolves and the first domesticated dogs or possibly an extinct lineage altogether…

#17

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After being abandoned during the 1996 Everest disaster (once by his team and again later by rescuers who assumed he would not recover) Seaborn Beck Weathers somehow regained consciousness in the freezing dark and walked, frostbitten and nearly blind, back into camp. His return stunned everyone.

Despite the massive toll the experience took on his body, including the loss of his nose, right hand, and parts of his left fingers, he went on to continue a successful career as a pathologist. He also became a motivational speaker and has appeared on crime and medical shows, often offering insight drawn from both his profession and his personal experience.

The helicopter rescue that finally brought Beck off the mountain has become legend. Nepalese pilot Lt Col Madan Khatri Chhetri pulled off a nearly impossible feat. He flew a chopper far above its rated ceiling, where the thin air made lift almost nonexistent. With no space to gain speed, he launched the helicopter by dropping off a ledge, letting gravity carry them downward until the blades could catch enough air to keep them stable.

#18

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An Inuit otter amulet. Engraved and pigmented ivory, c.1870-1880.

“According to oral tradition, a man who was collecting shellfish was surprised by the in-rushing tide; to save himself he cried out, ‘I wish I might turn into a sea otter!’ His wish was granted, which is why, it is said, the internal organs of a man and a sea otter look the same. This ivory hunting charm was fastened inside the cockpit of a kayak. The otter’s ribs and spine are shown, perhaps because an otter’s soul was believed to reside in its skeleton. Its bones were returned to the sea so a new otter could be born.”

Source: https://www.si.edu/object/nmnhanthropology_8348741

#19

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Jewish prisoners after being liberated from a train that was intended to reach another concentration camp deeper within German territory, Friday, April 13th, 1945.

These are the words of Sgt. George C. Gross who was there that day.

“The major led our two tanks, each carrying several infantrymen from the 30th Infantry Division on its deck, down a narrow road until we came to a valley with a small train station at its head and a motley assemblage of passenger compartment cars and boxcars pulled onto a siding. There was a mass of people sitting or lying listlessly about, unaware as yet of our presence. There must have been guards, but they evidently ran away before or as we arrived, for I remember no firefight. Our taking of the train, therefore, was no great heroic action but a small police operation. The heroism that day was all with the prisoners on the train.

Major Benjamin took a powerful picture just as a few of the people became aware that they had been rescued. It shows people in the background still lying about trying to soak up a bit of energy from the sun, while in the foreground a woman has her arms flung wide and a great look of surprise and joy on her face as she rushes toward us. In a moment, that woman found a pack left by a fleeing German soldier, rummaged through it, and held up triumphantly a tin of rations…”

#20

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Jan van Eyck’s “Arnolfini Portrait”, painted in 1434, is one of the most mysterious and technically astonishing works in Western art history.

At the center of its fascination is the tiny convex mirror on the back wall (only about three inches wide) yet it reflects the entire room in stunning detail. In the mirror’s surface, we see not only the backs of the man and woman, but also two additional figures standing in the doorway, one of whom may be van Eyck himself. The clarity of this miniature reflection showcases van Eyck’s unmatched skill with oil paint and his deep understanding of perspective and light.

The man in the painting is believed to be Giovanni di Nicolao di Arnolfini, a wealthy Italian merchant living in Bruges. The woman beside him may be his wife, though scholars continue to debate whether the scene depicts a marriage, a betrothal, or even a memorial. Every object in the room (the dog, the oranges, the bed, the lit candle) has been interpreted as symbolic, though van Eyck gives no clear explanation.

Adding to the mystery is van Eyck’s signature written above the mirror:
“Johannes de eyck fuit hic 1434” (which translates to “Jan van Eyck was here, 1434”)—as if he were a legal witness to the event. Whether this was an actual documentation of a ceremony or some mysterious artistic statement remains unknown.

#21

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Terry Fox was just 18 when he lost his right leg to osteogenic sarcoma, a bone cancer that changed the course of his life, but didn’t break his spirit.

In 1980, with a prosthetic leg and an unshakable will, he set out on the “Marathon of Hope,” aiming to run across Canada to raise both awareness and funds for cancer research. He ran a full marathon (26 miles) every single day for 143 days, covering over 3,300 miles before the return of his cancer forced him to stop just outside Thunder Bay, Ontario. He passed away less than a year later, at only 22.

But his legacy endures. His run galvanized a nation and continues to inspire people around the world. The Terry Fox Run, held annually in dozens of countries, has raised over $850 million for cancer research to date.

#22

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Mugshot of John Wojtowicz who unsuccessfully tried to rob a bank in 1972 to pay for his wife Eden’s gender reassignment surgery.⁣
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Apparently, Wojtowicz had based his plans on the movie, “The Godfather” (1972) which he had watched earlier that day. His robbery attempt failed and he was arrested and sentenced to 20 years in prison of which he served five.⁣
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His story was later turned into a movie called “Dog Day Afternoon” (1975) starring Al Pacino and John Cazale, both of whom, interestingly enough, had starred in “The Godfather”.

For the rights to his story, Wojtowicz was paid $7,500 and 1% of the movie’s net profits, which he gave to Eden. After her operation, she married someone else before succumbing to pneumonia in 1987. Wojtowicz attended her funeral and delivered a eulogy.⁣

#23

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It should be noted that Kant did have a manservant by the name of Martin Lampe who was integral to Kant’s rigid daily schedule, helping to maintain the predictable, clockwork regularity that Kant believed was essential to his work and well-being. Lampe would wake Kant at the same time every day, prepare his meals, and manage his household affairs, freeing Kant to focus on his writing and teaching.

Lampe also faithfully read all of Kant’s work. However, when Kant published, “The Critique of Pure Reason” in 1781, he began to read it, but gave up halfway through, saying he’d end up in an asylum if he continued.

#24

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A British soldier scolding a German woman who reportedly laughed during a mandatory screening of footage showing the concentration camp conditions.

These screenings were part of a broader Allied policy to force German civilians to confront the reality of the war crimes perpetrated in their name. In this specific case, the woman was removed from the screening after laughing, and then ordered to return and watch the film again.

Her reaction was documented to highlight the range of German civilian responses—shock, denial, indifference, or in rare but disturbing cases, mockery.

#25

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The Dutchiest father of all time, 1966.

He should invest in a bakfiets though—much safer way to transport two kids.

#26

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Welsh wrestler Adrian Street with his coal miner father, 1974.

Adrian Street, born into a coal mining family in Brynmawr, Wales, rejected the harsh, traditional life of the mines that his father and generations before him had endured. By the 1970s, he had reinvented himself as an androgynous, flamboyant figure in the macho world of British wrestling, known for his peroxide hair, heavy makeup, and feather boas. His persona was designed to provoke and unsettle audiences expecting gritty, working-class brawlers.

In the photo, Street stands in full glittering wrestling regalia next to his father, still in his miner’s gear, covered in coal dust, looking every bit the symbol of the old industrial working class. The contrast is striking: the proud, defiant son gleaming in glam costume beside his stoic, exhausted father, who seems bemused and perhaps a bit bewildered by what his son has become.

#27

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Woman carrying hay on her head in Cogne, Italy, 1959. Photo by Pepi Merisio.

I briefly worked on a farm for a summer when I was a college student and I learned that if farmers don’t properly dry the hay they’re baling, the hay bales can spontaneously combust and they’re really hard to put out because the fire comes from deep inside the bale.

I know everyone is concerned about this lady’s back and neck, but I’m hoping she never experienced spontaneously combustible hay while it was on top of her head.

#28

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Mississippi’s first interracial bride and groom, ⁣Berta and Roger Mills, enjoying their wedding cake in 1970.⁣
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“Roger and Berta Mills, newlyweds, live in a modest apartment, but only a few close friends know its location. They avoid grocery shopping at peak hours. ‘We don’t want to advertise,’ Mills explains. They have no home phone and their mailing address is the law office where Mills works as a clerk. ‘We are trying to remain anonymous to avoid as much hate mail or calls as we can,’ Mills said.⁣
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Despite the problems, Mills, who is white, describes his 11-week marriage to Berta Linson, a black, as ‘a very, very pleasant experience.’ ‘It’s been real smooth. I feel like I’m still on my honeymoon.’⁣
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Roger and Berta get together socially with four other interracial couples living here, all of whom were married in other states. ‘The whites I know in Jackson are attorneys and some wealthy people,’ Mills said. ‘It would be a step down for them to visit us where we are.’ Despite the problems, Mills said, he regards Mississippi as a ‘pretty good state.’ ‘Things are progressing. I kind of like Jackson and the state but Berta is fed up with the tension.’⁣
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He said she is looking forward to moving to Washington next year when he returns to law school at George Washington University… Although the U.S. Supreme Court long ago ruled that no state could prohibit interracial marriages, there was a law in Mississippi banning such unions. It was only after the couple experienced considerable publicity and secured a federal court order that the marriage took place in Jackson’s Central United Church. ⁣
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‘Berta hated every minute of it and it caused her a great deal of anguish,’ said Mills. Publicity followed them all the way to Gatlinburg, Tenn., where they honeymooned at the foot of the Smoky Mountains. ‘Everywhere we stopped we saw newspapers carrying stories of the marriage,’ Mills said.”⁣
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Source: The Cincinnati Enquirer on November 26, 1970

#29

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Kickin Jeans, also known as Action Jeans, were popular from 1977 to 1991. They looked like classic western jeans but featured stretch denim that let you move like a stuntman.

Not sure why it stopped being popular after 1991. Maybe that’s when everyone stopped kung fu fighting. I would grab a pair just for the “exclusive gusset in the crotch”.

#30

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The very final form of design.

Any other products that are just perfect, the way they are?

#31

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Fragment of a Seljuk box with a combination lock, which is said to allow for approximately 4 billion possible combinations.

Without the exact sequence, unlocking it would have been nearly impossible.

Dating back to 1200–1201, the Seljuk box exemplifies the advanced metalworking and mechanical sophistication of the Islamic world during the medieval period. Made in Iran, the box is composed of cast and hammered brass, richly inlaid with silver and copper in elegant geometric and calligraphic patterns.

#32

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Anne Frank was photographed with her sister Margot at the beach in Zandvoort in the Netherlands in 1940.

Margot was the older sister, quiet and serious, and while Anne’s diary became one of the most read accounts of the H*******t, Margot also kept a diary of her own during their time in hiding. Sadly, no trace of Margot’s diary was ever found after the war.

Margot, like Anne, was deported after the family’s hiding place was discovered in 1944. The sisters were eventually sent to the Bergen Belsen concentration camp, where they both perished of illness and starvation in early 1945, just weeks before the camp was liberated.

On April 5, 1944, Anne Frank wrote in her diary: “When I write I can shake off all my cares. My sorrow disappears, my spirits are revived! But, and that’s a big question, will I ever write be able to write something great, will I ever become a journalist or a writer?“

#33

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Just a man delivering a birthday cake on a bicycle in Cuba, 1997.

I hope he didn’t drop it. You can tell that he is stressed!

#34

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The crowning of the winner of Miss American Vampire, Palisades Amusement Park in New Jersey, September 1970.

Goth needs to make a comeback

#35

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Charles the II of Spain was the result of nearly 200 years of inbreeding. The House of Habsburgs stopped introducing new genes at around 1550, leading to a circular family tree.

Charles the II had been born the son of an uncle-niece relationship, and historians Will and Ariel Durant described him as “short, lame, epileptic, senile and completely bald before 35… baffling Christendom by continuing to live.”

Before the age of six, Charles the II had managed to survive an onslaught of diseases which included chickenpox, measles, rubella, and smallpox. He could not walk until he was 8-years-old and could not chew food on his own. His tongue was so large that no one could understand what he was saying.

The nuncio papal Millini provided the following description of Charles the II: “The king is rather short, skinny, but not badly formed, only ugly in the face; he has a long neck, a long face, a long chin and as if it bent upwards; the lower lip typical of the Habsburgs; not very large eyes, turquoise blue and a fine and delicate complexion. He has a look with melancholy on his face and a little astonished. His hair is blond and long, and it is combed back so that the ears are exposed. He cannot straighten, unless he leans against a wall, a table or something else. His body is as weak as his mind. From time to time he shows signs of intelligence, memory and a certain liveliness, but not now; he usually looks slow and indifferent, appearing dumbfounded. You can do whatever you want with him, since he lacks of own will.”

Charles the II’s passing in 1700 (at the age of 39) led to the War of Spanish Succession and the dissolution of the The House of Habsburgs.

His autopsy report stated that his “heart was the size of a peppercorn; his lungs corroded; his intestines rotten and gangrenous; he had a single testicle, black as coal, and his head was full of water.”