Chilling Images From History 

Perfectly timed photos capture chilling moments that history books can only describe. Moments of defeat, downfall or death, and even the close calls, thrill us as glimpses of our own mortality. As humans, we stay comfortable with plenty of distractions from the unpleasant truth that life is short, and often cheap. The panicked look of a man about to commit suicide, or the last glimpse of a doomed Space Shuttle crew, or the remorseless gaze of a captive Nazi war criminal -- these are the frozen moments that give us a shudder, but we can't look away.