SEA WORLD, SAN ANTONIO, TX: In a dramatic photo finish, Raphael edged out Donatello for the driver’s championship at the annual ‘Alligator Alley Grand Prix’. On the final lap, Michaelangelo squandered a huge lead as he led his alligator ‘Anchovy’ into a serious log jam on the final turn. The error cost him dearly as Raphael stole a victory which he later dedicated to his long-time racing partner ‘Krang’.

Donatello was not available for comment, but it is believed that this devastating loss may be the final nail in the coffin for his tumultuous relationship with his alligator ‘April’. The three will square off next month at the Cowabunga Classic in Kookamunga.

Below you will find a glorious collection of epic group photos that I’ve seen floating around the Web for the past few years. From legendary casts and crews to extraordinary sports teams, musical supergroups, great thinkers and world leaders. I hope you will enjoy this incredible selection of photos and people and the backstory behind them.

The goal is for this list to be continually updated with more amazing group shots, preferably larger groups of ten or more. If you have any suggestions please advise in the comments below!

Back Row: Auguste Piccard, Émile Henriot, Paul Ehrenfest, Édouard Herzen, Théophile de Donder, Erwin Schrödinger, Jules-Émile Verschaffelt, Wolfgang Pauli, Werner Heisenberg, Ralph Howard Fowler, Léon Brillouin
 
Middle Row: Peter Debye, Martin Knudsen, William Lawrence Bragg, Hendrik Anthony Kramers, Paul Dirac, Arthur Compton, Louis de Broglie, Max Born, Niels Bohr
 
Front Row: Irving Langmuir, Max Planck, Marie Sklodowska Curie, Hendrik Lorentz, Albert Einstein, Paul Langevin, Charles Eugène Guye, Charles Thomson Rees Wilson, Owen Willans Richardson

The International Solvay Institutes for Physics and Chemistry, located in Brussels, were founded by the Belgian industrialist Ernest Solvay in 1912, following the historic invitation-only 1911 Conseil Solvay, the turning point in world physics. The Institutes coordinate conferences, workshops, seminars, and colloquia.

Following the initial success of 1911, the Solvay Conferences (Conseils Solvay) have been devoted to outstanding preeminent open problems in both physics and chemistry. The usual schedule is every three years, but there have been larger gaps.

Perhaps the most famous conference was the October 1927 Fifth Solvay International Conference on Electrons and Photons, where the world’s most notable physicists met to discuss the newly formulated quantum theory. The leading figures were Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr. Einstein, disenchanted with Heisenberg’s “Uncertainty Principle,” remarked “God does not play dice.” Bohr replied, “Einstein, stop telling God what to do.” (See Bohr-Einstein debates.) Seventeen of the twenty-nine attendees were or became Nobel Prize winners, including Marie Curie, who alone among them, had won Nobel Prizes in two separate scientific disciplines.

This conference was also the culmination of the struggle between Einstein and the Scientific Realists, who wanted strict rules of scientific method as laid out by Charles Peirce and Karl Popper, versus Bohr and the Instrumentalists, who wanted looser rules based on outcomes. Starting at this point, the instrumentalists won, instrumentalism having been seen as the norm ever since although the debate has been actively continued by the likes of Alan Musgrave. [Source: Wikipedia]

A Great Day in Harlem or Harlem 1958 is a 1958 black and white group portrait of 57 notable jazz musicians photographed in front of a Brownstone in Harlem, New York City. The photo has remained an important object in the study of the history of jazz.

Art Kane, a freelance photographer working for Esquire magazine, took the picture around 10 a.m. on August 12 in the summer of 1958. The musicians had gathered at 17 east 126th Street, between Fifth and Madison Avenues in Harlem. Esquire published the photo in its January 1959 issue. Kane calls it “the greatest picture of that era of musicians ever taken.”

As of April 2012, only 4 of the musicians are still living: Benny Golson, Marian McPartland, Sonny Rollins, Horace Silver. [Source: Wikipedia]

01 – Hilton Jefferson, 02 – Benny Golson, 03 – Art Farmer, 04 – Wilbur Ware, 05 – Art Blakey, 06 – Chubby Jackson, 07 – Johnny Griffin, 08 – Dickie Wells, 09 – Buck Clayton, 10 – Taft Jordan, 11 – Zutty Singleton, 12 – Red Allen, 13 – Tyree Glenn, 14 – Miff Molo, 15 – Sonny Greer, 16 – Jay C. Higginbotham, 17 – Jimmy Jones, 18 – Charles Mingus, 19 – Jo Jones, 20 – Gene Krupa, 21 – Max Kaminsky, 22 – George Wettling, 23 – Bud Freeman, 24 – Pee Wee Russell, 25 – Ernie Wilkins, 26 – Buster Bailey, 27 – Osie Johnson, 28 – Gigi Gryce, 29 – Hank Jones, 30 – Eddie Locke, 31 – Horace Silver, 32 – Luckey Roberts, 33 – Maxine Sullivan, 34 – Jimmy Rushing, 35 – Joe Thomas, 36 – Scoville Browne, 37 – Stuff Smith, 38 – Bill Crump, 39 – Coleman Hawkins, 40 – Rudy Powell, 41 – Oscar Pettiford, 42 – Sahib Shihab, 43 – Marian McPartland, 44 – Sonny Rollins, 45 – Lawrence Brown, 46 – Mary Lou Williams, 47 – Emmett Berry, 48 – Thelonius Monk, 49 – Vic Dickenson, 50 – Milt Hinton, 51 – Lester Young, 52 – Rex Stewart, 53 – J.C. Heard, 54 – Gerry Mulligan, 55 – Roy Eldgridge, 56 – Dizzy Gillespie, 57 – Count Basie. [Source: DannyChestnut.com]

To commemorate the 40th anniversary of Art Kane’s famous photo of jazz greats in A Great Day in Harlem, hip hop magazine XXL sought to recreate the historic photo on September 29, 1998. The day was a huge success with over 200 hip-hop greats flowed over three stoops in the exact same location as the original.

Though many could have taken the shot, only one had the historical significance which would add an exclamation point to the event: Gordon Parks, the legendary, 84-year-old photojournalist who directed the films Shaft and The Learning Tree. In the ’40s, Parks shot for Vogue and Life, among others, breaking through the racism which permeated the magazine business and society.

Not unlike the jazz shoot, there were some key artists that were not present. But with so many that were there, it was hard to be distraught about those who weren’t there. A disappointed Lauryn Hill arrived 10 minutes after the shot was taken in a red Range Rover driven by her beau Rohan Marley with her son Zion in the back seat. A dejected Ras Kass from Los Angeles, who showed up too late, asked if there was some way he could be superimposed into the shot. [Source: Philadelphia City Paper]

Front row (L-R): Physician , Scottie Pippen, Christian Laettner, Patrick Ewing, Head Coach Chuck Daly, David Robinson, Karl Malone, Charles Barkley.
 
Standing (L-R): Assistant coach Mike Krzyzewski, Assistant coach Lenny Wilkens, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Chris Mullin, Clyde Drexler, John Stockton, Assistant coach P. J. Carlesimo and trainer Ed LaCerte.

The 1992 United States men’s Olympic basketball team, nicknamed the “Dream Team”, was the first American Olympic team to feature active NBA players. Considered by some to be the greatest team ever assembled in any sport, it defeated its opponents by an average of almost 44 points en route to the gold medal against Croatia at the 1992 Summer Olympics held in Barcelona. Chuck Daly served as coach, assisted by Lenny Wilkens, P. J. Carlesimo, and Mike Krzyzewski.

Clyde Drexler of the Portland Trail Blazers was added to the team on May 12, 1992, along with Christian Laettner of Duke University. Laettner was the only player selected for the national team without any professional experience, and beat out Louisiana State University’s Shaquille O’Neal for the final spot on the roster. [Souce: Wikipedia]

Clockwise from President Obama: Steve Jobs, CEO Apple | Steve Westly, Managing Partner and Founder, Westly Group | Ann Doer, Host and wife of John Doerr (unconfirmed) | Eric Schmidt, Chairman and CEO, Google | Arthur Levinson, former Chairman and CEO, Genentech | John Chambers, Chairman and CEO, Cisco Systems | John Doerr, Host and Partner, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers | Larry Ellison, Co-Founder and CEO, Oracle | Reed Hastings, CEO, Netflix | John Hennessy, President, Stanford University | Carol Bartz, former President and CEO, Yahoo! | Dick Costolo, CEO, Twitter | Unknown | Mark Zuckerberg, Founder, President and CEO, Facebook

Missing from this epic group photo of the legendary Saturday Night Live cast from 1992 are Mike Myers and Robert Smigel.

From left, front row, are: Chris Farley, Al Franken and Melanie Hutsell. In middle row, from left, are: Chris Rock, Julia Sweeney, Dana Carvey and Rob Schneider. In back row, from left, are: Adam Sandler, David Spade, Ellen Cleghorne, Kevin Nealon, Phil Hartman and Tim Meadows.

This season was also home to one of SNL’s most infamous moments: Sinéad O’Connor tearing Pope John Paul II’s photo at the end of her second performance on the episode hosted by Tim Robbins.

Top Row, L-R: Lou Gehrig (1B), Herb Pennock (P), Tony Lazzeri (2B), Wilcy Moore (RP), Babe Ruth (RF), Don Miller (P) or possibly Martin ‘Chick Autrey (C), Bob Meusel (LF), Bob Shawkey (P), Waite Hoyt (P), Joe Giard (P), Ben Paschal (OF), Roy Chesterfied (P), Doc Albert A. Woods (trainer).
 
Middle Row, L-R: Urban Shocker (P), Joe Dugan (3B), Earl Combs (CF), Charles O’Leary (coach), Miller Huggins Mgr.), Art Fletcher (coach), Mark Koenig (SS), Walter ‘Dutch’ Ruether (P), Johnny Grabowski (C), George Pipgras (P).
 
Bottom Row, L-R: Julie Wera (3B), Mike Gazella (3B), Pat Collins (C), Eddie Bennett (mascot), Benny Bengough (C), Ray Morehart (2B), Myles Thomas (P), Cedric Durst (OF). [Source]

The 1927 New York Yankees season was their 25th season. The team finished with a record of 110-44, winning their fifth pennant and finishing 19 games ahead of the Philadelphia Athletics. New York was managed by Miller Huggins. The Yankees played at Yankee Stadium. In the World Series, they swept the Pittsburgh Pirates. This Yankee team is known for their feared lineup, which was nicknamed “Murderers’ Row”. This team is widely considered to be the best baseball team ever and featured seven Hall of Famers on the roster.

Notable milestones: The Yankees’ 110 victories broke the previous American League mark of 105 set by the 1912 Boston Red Sox; Babe Ruth would hit 60 home runs, Lou Gehrig would win American League MVP and lead in RBI’s with 175; Earle Combs set the Yankees single season record for triples in a season at 23. [Source: Wikipedia]

Argentina, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, President | Australia, Julia Gillard, Prime Minister | Brazil, Dilma Rousseff, President | Canada, Stephen Harper, Prime Minister | China, Hu Jintao, President | France, Nicolas Sarkozy, (former) President | Germany, Angela Merkel, Chancellor | India, Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister | Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, President | Italy, Silvio Berlusconi, (former) Prime Minister | Japan, Yoshihiko Noda, Prime Minister | Mexico, Felipe Calderón, President | Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, President | Saudi Arabia, Ibrahim Abdulaziz Al-Assaf, Minister of Finance | South Africa, Jacob Zuma, President | South Korea, Lee Myung-bak, President | Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Prime Minister | United Kingdom, David Cameron, Prime Minister | United States, Barack Obama, President | European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, projected co-leader of delegation | President European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, President | Ethiopia, Meles Zenawi, Prime Minister | Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister | Spain, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, Prime Minister | United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs

The G20 was created in December 1999 in response to the financial crises affecting the emerging countries in the late 1990s. The initial aim was to have the finance ministers and central bank governors of the industrialised and emerging countries meet once a year to facilitate international economic policy cooperation.

Confronted with the deepest economic and financial crisis since World War II, the G20 went into high gear in late 2008 at the initiative of France, the holder of the rotating EU presidency at the time. What emerged was an economic steering body that brought together the world’s major political leaders at the highest level. At the pioneering Washington Summit in November 2008, heads of States and governments agreed on an extraordinary plan of action to prevent the financial system and the global economy from collapsing.

Since then, the G20 has convened on a regular basis: in London in April 2009, Pittsburgh in September 2009, Toronto in June 2010, and Seoul in November 2010. The G20 has become the premier forum for economic and financial cooperation, able to provide world growth with more stable, sustainable foundations. [Source]

Conductor: Quincy Jones, Soloists: Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Kenny Rogers, James Ingram, Tina Turner, Billy Joel, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Dionne Warwick, Willie Nelson, Al Jarreau, Bruce Springsteen, Kenny Loggins, Steve Perry, Daryl Hall, Huey Lewis, Cyndi Lauper, Kim Carnes, Bob Dylan, Ray Charles, Chorus: Dan Aykroyd, Harry Belafonte, Lindsey Buckingham, Mario Cipollina, Johnny Colla, Sheila E., Bob Geldof, Bill Gibson, Chris Hayes, Sean Hopper, Jackie Jackson, La Toya Jackson, Marlon Jackson, Randy Jackson, Tito Jackson, Waylon Jennings, Bette Midler, John Oates, Jeffrey Osborne, Anita Pointer, June Pointer, Ruth Pointer, Smokey Robinson

“We Are the World” is a song and charity single originally recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa in 1985. It was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, and produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian for the album We Are the World. With sales in excess of 20 million copies, it is one of the fewer than thirty all-time singles to have sold 10 million (or more) copies worldwide.

Following Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” project in the UK, an idea for the creation of an American benefit single for African famine relief came from activist Harry Belafonte, who, along with fundraiser Ken Kragen, was instrumental in bringing the vision to reality.

The song was released on March 7, 1985, as the only single from the album. A worldwide commercial success, it topped music charts throughout the world and became the fastest-selling American pop single in history. The first ever single to be certified multi-platinum, “We Are the World” received a Quadruple Platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Awarded numerous honors—including three Grammy Awards, one American Music Award, and a People’s Choice Award—the song was promoted with a critically received music video, a home video, a special edition magazine, a simulcast, and several books, posters, and shirts. The promotion and merchandise aided the success of “We Are the World” and raised over $63 million for humanitarian aid in Africa and the US. [Source: Wikipedia]

Quincy Jones, Lionel Richie, Mervyn Warren, Justin Bieber, Nicole Scherzinger, Jennifer Hudson, Jennifer Nettles, Josh Groban, Tony Bennett, Mary J. Blige, Janet Jackson, Barbra Streisand, Miley Cyrus, Enrique Iglesias, Jamie Foxx, Wyclef Jean, Adam Levine, Pink, BeBe Winans, Usher, Celine Dion, Orianthi, Fergie, Nick Jonas, Toni Braxton, Mary Mary, Isaac Slade, Carlos Santana, Lil Wayne, Akon, T-Pain, LL Cool J, Will.i.am, Snoop Dogg, Nipsey Hussle, Busta Rhymes, Swizz Beatz, Kid Cudi, Mann, Kanye West, Patti Austin, Philip Bailey, Piero Barone, Fonzworth Bentley, Ignazio Boschetto, Bizzy Bone, Ethan Bortnick, Brandy, Jeff Bridges, Zac Brown, Kristian Bush, Natalie Cole, Harry Connick Jr., Nikka Costa, Faith Evans, Melanie Fiona, Sean Garrett, Amy Tan, Tyrese Gibson, Gianluca Ginoble, Yngwie Goyette, Anthony Hamilton, Keri Hilson, John Legend, Julianne Hough, India.Arie, Randy Jackson, Taj Jackson, Taryll Jackson, TJ Jackson, Betty Lynn Jackson, Jonas Brothers, Keri Hilson, Al Jardine, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Ralph Johnson, Rashida Jones, Gladys Knight, Adam Levine, Benji Madden, Joel Madden, Katharine McPhee, Jason Mraz, Mýa, Freda Payne, A. R. Rahman, Reiza Rinah Ray, RedOne, Busta Rhymes, Nicole Richie, Kelly Rowland, Raphael Saadiq, Trey Songz, Musiq Soulchild, Jordin Sparks, Robin Thicke, Rob Thomas, Vince Vaughn, Mervyn Warren, Verdine White, Ann Wilson, Brian Wilson, Nancy Wilson

“We Are the World 25 for Haiti” is a charity single recorded by the supergroup Artists for Haiti in 2010. It is a remake of the 1985 hit song “We Are the World”, which was written by American musicians Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, and was recorded by USA for Africa to benefit famine relief in Africa. Initially, in late 2009, it had been suggested to Richie and Quincy Jones—producer of the original “We Are the World”—that a re-cut version of the song be re-released under the title “Live 25″, following the magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake in Haiti.

The song was recorded in fourteen and a half hours by over eighty artists on February 1, and was released on February 12, 2010, during the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics. [Source: Wikipedia]

The original cast of “Ocean’s 11″ (1960) – from left to right: Nick Conti, Jerry Lester, Joey Bishop, Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Peter Lawford, Akim Tameroff, Richard Benedict, Henry Silva, Norman Fell and Clem Harvey

From left to right: Ryan Reynolds, Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway, James Franco, Jennifer Lawrence, Anthony Mackie, Olivia Wilde, Jesse Eisenberg, Mila Kunis, Robert Duvall, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Andrew Garfield, Rashida Jones, Garrett Hedlund, Noomi Rapace

For the 17th annual Hollywood Issue cover, Vanity Fair went back to the basics—no teenagers, no penguins, no (full-on) nudity, just the most exciting actors and actresses of the moment. The cover was shot in Los Angeles and New York over the course of two days by photographer Norman Jean Roy.

Front Row: James Stewart, Margaret Sullavan, Lucille Ball, Hedy Lamarr, Katharine Hepburn, Louis B Mayer, Greer Garson, Irene Dunne, Susan Peters, Ginny Simms, Lionel Barrymore
 
Second Row: Harry James, Brian Donlevy, Red Skelton, Mickey Rooney, William Powell, Wallace Beery, Spencer Tracy, Walter Pidgeon, Robert Taylor, Pierre Aumont, Lewis Stone, Gene Kelly, Jackie Jenkins
 
Third Row: Tommy Dorsey, George Murphy, Jean Rogers, James Craig, Donna Reed, Van Johnson, Fay Bainter, Marsha Hunt, Ruth Hussey, Marjorie Main, Robert Benchley
 
Fourth Row: Dame May Whitty, Reginald Owen, Keenan Wynn, Diana Lewis, Marilyn Maxwell, Esther Williams, Ann Richards, Marta Linden, Lee Bowman, Richard Carlson, Mary Astor
 
Fifth Row: Blanche Ring, Sara Haden, Fay Holden, Bert Lahr, Frances Gifford, June Allyson, Richard Whorf, Frances Rafferty, Spring Byington, Connie Gilchrist, Gladys Cooper
 
Sixth Row: Ben Blue, Chill Wills, Keye Luke, Barry Nelson, Desi Arnaz, Henry O’Neill, Bob Crosby, Rags Ragland

At 1,013 meters (3,324 ft) in length with a total area of 8 hectares (19.77 acres), the swimming pool at the San Alfonso del Mar resort in Algarrobo, Chile is the largest in the world. It was listed officially as the largest swimming pool by area in the Guinness Book of World Records in December of 2006.

The pool holds a staggering 250 million liters (66 million gallons) of water and is the equivalent to about 6,000 8-meter long pools. Located about 90 kilometers (56 miles) from Santiago, San Alfonso del Mar is a major tourist attraction and popular destination for both Chileans and tourists from around the world.

Below you will find the most extensive gallery online, along with information on the technology behind this incredible pool. You’ll also find out why they bothered with such an elaborate construction when the resort is beside the ocean.

 
In 1997, Fernando Fischmann, Chairman and Founder, decided to develop a real estate tourism project: San Alfonso del Mar, in Algarrobo–a small town on Chile’s central coast. The waters of the Chilean coast are cold, inhospitable and dangerous (swimming is prohibited in the area), so it was difficult to imagine how a project could be successful and unique from ones that already existed.

To solve this dilemma, Mr. Fischmann dreamed of creating a large lagoon with crystal clear waters that would provide visitors the chance to swim and enjoy water sports in a safe, clean environment and warm waters. He travelled the world in search of the technology to turn his dream into reality. However, the technology did not exist. The only available option was to construct a very large conventional swimming pool, but this was neither technically nor economically feasible given its high costs.

His solution would result in a worldwide patent (reg. #43534) and a new company called Crystal Lagoons Technology.

 
The technology to make this pool possible has a worldwide patent. Essentially, it collects and filters water from the ocean, maintaining a temperature that’s up to 9 degrees warmer than the ocean water (in the Summer of course). Fischmann, the chairman and founder, is a biochemist by trade and came up with the technology to allow for ‘lagoons of unlimited size’ with crystal clear water and drastically reduced costs to typical pools.

The company estimates construction costs at approximately US$ 400,000 per hectare (US$ 160,000 per acre) for a standard 5 hectare (12 acre) lagoon (excluding earthworks and related work) and maintenance costs of approximately US$ 4,000 per hectare per month (US$ 1,600 per acre per month) including energy, labor and additives.

You can find additional information on their website where they have an extensive FAQ but do not delve very deeply into the actual technology behind this monstrous undertaking.

Gásadalur is located on the west-side of Vágar, Faroe Islands, and enjoys a panoramic view over the island of Mykines. The tiny village (of 17 in 2007) is surrounded by the highest mountains on Vágar and lies at 62°6’44′N 7°26’5′W. [Source]

The Faroe Islands are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Scotland and Iceland. The islands form a self-governing country under the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Denmark. The total area is approximately 1,400 km² (540 sq mi) with a 2010 population of almost 50,000 people.

The Faroe Islands has been a self-governing dependency of Denmark since 1948. Over the years, the Faroese have taken control of most domestic matters. Areas that remain the responsibility of Denmark include military defence, police, justice, currency and foreign affairs. The Faroe Islands also has representatives in the Nordic Council as members of the Danish delegation. [Source]

The incredible HDR photograph above was taken by Gareth Codd. It was Explored on Flickr on July 27, 2009 and has since been viewed over 18,000 times.

The crafty little caterpillar above is known as a wavy-lined emerald moth or camouflaged looper (Synchlora aerata). It is a species of moth of the Geometridae family and can be found in most of North America. The wingspan is about 17 mm and adults are green with scalloped or wavy white transverse lines.

The larvae feed on a wide variety of plants, including the flower heads of composite flowers and other flowering plants, as well as shrubs and trees. Recorded food plants include: Aster, Rudbeckia, Liatris, Solidago, Artemisia, Achillea and Rubus species.

Wavy-lined emerald moths are well known for their camouflaging technique where they attach bits of the plant petals/tissue along their backs using silk. Depending on what plant they are feeding on, they may adorn all types of different coloured plants in hopes of avoiding detection. When the petals begin to wilt and discolour, they will discard their outdated camouflage and replace with a new ‘coat’. [Source: Wikipedia, Fauna]

Mehndi is the application of henna as a temporary form of skin decoration in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh as well as by expatriate communities from those countries. The word mehndi is derived from the Sanskrit word mendhika. The use of mehndi and turmeric is described in the earliest Vedic ritual books. Haldi (staining oneself with turmeric paste) as well as mehndi are important Vedic customs as a symbolic representation of the Outer and the Inner Sun. Vedic customs are meant to awaken the “inner light” and so the gold of the inner Sun has an important symbolic function.

Mehndi decorations became fashionable in the West in the 1990s, where they are sometimes called henna tattoos. Henna is typically applied during special occasions like weddings and Muslim Festivals such as Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Azha. Similarly in Hindu festivals like Karva Chauth, Diwali, Bhaidooj and Teej.

In some Hindu festivals, every woman tries to have Henna done on her hands and feet. It is usually drawn on the palms and feet, where the color will be darkest because the skin contains higher levels of keratin which binds temporarily to lawsone, the colorant of henna. Henna was originally used as a form of decoration mainly for brides.

In the modern age, usually people buy readymade Henna cones, which are ready to use and make painting easy. However, in rural areas in India, women grind fresh henna leaves on sil (grinding stone) with added oil, which though not as refined as professionally prepared henna cones, brings much darker colors. The term henna tattoo is figurative, because true tattoos are permanent surgical insertions of pigments underneath the skin, as opposed to pigments resting on the surface as is the case with mehndi. [Source]

Below you will find an incredible gallery of traditional henna art along with some additional information on the mehndi. Enjoy!

Henna paste is usually applied on the skin using a plastic cone or a paint brush, but sometimes a small metal-tipped jacquard bottle used for silk painting (a jac bottle) is employed. After about 15–20 minutes, the mud will dry and begin to crack, and during this time, a mixture of lemon juice and white sugar can be applied over the henna design to remoisten the henna mud so that the henna still stain darker. The painted area is then wrapped with tissue, plastic, or medical tape to lock in body heat, creating a more intense colour on the skin.
 
The wrap is worn three to six hours, or sometimes overnight and then removed. When first removed, the henna design is pale to dark orange in colour and gradually darkens through oxidation, over the course of 24 to 72 hours. The final color is reddish brown and can last anywhere from one to three weeks depending on the quality and type of henna paste applied, as well as where it was applied on the body (thicker skin stains darker and longer than thin skin). Moisturizing with natural oils, such as olive, sesame seed, or coconut, will also help extend the lifetime of the stain, as skin exfoliation is what causes the henna tattoo to fade. [Source: Wikipedia]

Weddings in India can often be long, ritualistic, and elaborate affairs with many pre-wedding, wedding and post wedding ceremonies. The occasion of Mehndi ceremony is often one of the most important pre-wedding rituals especially for the bride. It is a fun filled ritual, which is celebrated mainly by the bride’s family. Different regions of the country celebrate the ritual in a different way according to their own marriage customs, rituals, and culture. Mehndi ceremonies take place outside India amongst the Indian community.
 
The ceremony is mainly held at the bride’s house or at a banquet hall on the eve of the marriage ceremony or few days before the marriage. Generally the bride and groom attend the event together and on the occasion a professional henna artist or a relative applies mehndi to the bride’s hands and feet. The designs are very intricate. Often hidden within the mehndi pattern the name or initials of the groom are applied. The event generally has a celebratory festival feel to it with the women dancing and singing traditional songs and the girls wearing vivid colors such as hot pink and yellow, often if the bride to be wishes to tease her future groom she will make him wear purple. [Source: Wikipedia]

The Sifter has already featured photographs from NASA’s incredible archive (see here, here and here), and we continue that tradition with this series that documents the history of NASA’s various rocket launches from as early as 1950 up to 2003.

Nothing captures the imagination like space travel, and these amazing images mark the beginning of epic voyages; displaying the awesome power of the rockets that propel us beyond our planet and into the vast unknown.

The April 12 launch at Pad 39A of STS-1, just seconds past 7 a.m., carries astronauts John Young and Robert Crippen into an Earth orbital mission scheduled to last for 54 hours, ending with unpowered landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

At 9:32 a.m. EDT, the swing arms move away and a plume of flame signals the liftoff of the Apollo 11 Saturn V space vehicle and astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr. from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A.

The 66th Space Shuttle flight begins with a nearly ontime liftoff of Space Shuttle Mission STS-66 into clear Florida skies. The orbiter Atlantis returned to space after an approximately two year absence with a liftoff from Launch Pad 39B at 11:59:43 a.m. EST, about four minutes after the launch window opened. The planned 11 day flight will continue NASA’s Mission to Planet Earth, a comprehensive international collaboration to study how Earth’s environment is changing and how human beings affect that change.
 
Primary payloads for the last Shuttle flight of 1994 include the Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science (ATLAS-3), making its third flight, and the German built Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometers and Telescopes for the Atmosphere Shuttle Pallet Satellite (CRISTA-SPAS), which will be deployed and later retrieved during the mission.
 
Mission commander is Donald R. McMonagle; Curtis L. Brown Jr. is the pilot; Ellen Ochoa is the payload commander, and the three mission specialists are Joseph R. Tanner, Scott E. Parazynski, and Jean-Francois Clervoy, a French citizen who is with the European Space Agency.

Space Shuttle Atlantis takes flight on its STS-27 mission on December 2, 1988, 9:30 a.m. EST, utilizing 375,000 pounds thrust produced by its three main engines. The STS-27 was the third classified mission dedicated to the Department of Defense (DoD). After completion of mission, Orbiter Atlantis landed December 6, 1988, 3:36 p.m. PST at Edwards Air Force Base, California.

The Space Shuttle Columbia is launched from Pad 39B on a ten-day mission with a crew of five NASA Astronauts and a Canadian Payload Specialist. The Photograph was taken by astronaut Steven R. Nagel from a Shuttle Training Aircraft. Mission STS-52 payloads onboard include the Laser Geodynamic Satellite II.

The Space Shuttle Atlantis blazes through the night sky to begin the STS-86 mission, slated to be the seventh of nine planned dockings of the Space Shuttle with the Russian Space Station Mir. Liftoff on September 25 from Launch Pad 39A was at 10:34 p.m. EDT, within seconds of the preferred time, during a six minute, 45 second launch window.
 
The 10 day flight will include the transfer of the sixth U.S. astronaut to live and work aboard the Mir. After the docking, STS-86 Mission Specialist David A. Wolf will become a member of the Mir 24 crew, replacing astronaut C. Michael Foale, who will return to Earth aboard Atlantis with the remainder of the STS-86 crew. Foale has been on the Russian Space Station since mid May.
 
Wolf is scheduled to remain there about four months. Besides Wolf (embarking to Mir) and Foale (returning), the STS-86 crew includes Commander James D. Wetherbee, Pilot Michael J. Bloomfield, and Mission Specialists Wendy B. Lawrence, Scott E. Parazynski, Vladimir Georgievich Titov of the Russian Space Agency, and Jean-Loup J.M. Chretien of the French Space Agency, CNES. Other primary objectives of the mission are a spacewalk by Parazynski and Titov, and the exchange of about 3.5 tons of science/logistical equipment and supplies between Atlantis and the Mir.

Atlas Agena target vehicle liftoff for Gemini 11 from Pad 14. Once the Agena was in orbit, Gemini 11 rendezvoused and docked with it.

A close-up camera view shows Space Shuttle Columbia as it lifts off from Launch Pad 39A on mission STS-107. Launch occurred on schedule at 10:39 EST

An oceanside view of the STS-29 Discovery launch from Pad 39B.

The Bumper V-2 was the first missile launched at Cape Canaveral on July 24, 1950.

NASA successfully launched more than 200 Earth-orbiting satellites, including Goddard’s eighth Orbiting Solar Observatory aboard this Delta rocket on June 21, 1975, at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The satellite-the final in a series of spacecraft specifically designed to look at the Sun in high-energy wavelength bands that scientists cannot see on Earth-gathered data on energy transfer in the Sun’s hot, gaseous atmosphere and its 11-year sunspot cycle.
 
Sunspots are cooler regions that appear as dark patches in the visible surface of the Sun and are more plentiful every 11 years. Flares and other powerful solar events that sometimes wreak havoc with Earth’s communications systems also are associated with heightened sunspot activity. In addition to looking at the Sun, the satellite investigated celestial sources of X-rays in the Milky Way and beyond. It carried eight experiments.

The Saturn IB launch vehicle lifting off from Launch Complex 39B at 9:01 a.m. EST. The Skylab 4 astronauts Gerald P. Carr, Dr. Edward G. Gibson, and William R. Pogue, were onboard for the third and final mission to the orbiting space station.

The Space Shuttle Atlantis streaks skyward as sunlight pierces through the gap between the orbiter and ET assembly. Atlantis lifted off on the 42nd space shuttle flight at 11:02 a.m. EDT on August 2, 1991 carrying a crew of five and TDRS-E. A remote camera at the 275-foot level of the Fixed Surface Structure took this picture.

The second try works like a charm as the Space Shuttle Discovery lifts off from Launch Pad 39B on Mission STS-56 at 1:29:00 a.m., EDT, April 8. First attempt to launch Discovery on its 16th space voyage was halted at T-11 seconds on April 6. Aboard for the second Space Shuttle mission of 1993 are a crew of five and the Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science 2 (ATLAS 2), the second in a series of missions to study the sun’s energy output and Earth’s middle atmosphere chemical makeup, and how these factors affect levels of ozone.

The Apollo 16 Saturn V space vehicle carrying astronauts John W. Young, Thomas K. Mattingly II, and Charles M. Duke, Jr., lifted off to the Moon at 12:54 p.m. EST April 16, 1972, from the Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A.

The first Titan/Centaur lifted off from Complex 41 at Cape Kennedy Air Force Station at 9:48 AM EDT. The Titan stages burned as programmed, but when the Centaur stage failed to ignite, the Range Safety Officer destroyed it. The new NASA rocket was launched on a proof of concept flight designed to prepare it for twin Viking launches to Mars in 1975 and other missions involving heavy payloads.
 
The 160-foot-tall rocket combines the Air Force Titan III with the NASA high-energy Centaur final stage. The twin solid rocket boosters have a combined liftoff thrust of 2.4 million pounds. Aboard Titan/Centaur on its proof of concept flight were a dynamic simulator of the Viking spacecraft and a small scientific satellite (SPHINX) designed to determine how high voltage solar cells, insulators, and conductors are affected by the charges particles in space. KSC’s Unmanned Launch Operations Directorate conducted the launch.

Through a cloud-washed blue sky above Launch Pad 39A, Space Shuttle Columbia hurtles toward space on mission STS-107. Following the countdown, liftoff occurred on-time at 10:39 EST. Experiments in the SPACEHAB module ranged from material sciences to life sciences.

The American flag heralds the flight of Apollo 11, the first Lunar landing mission. The Apollo 11 Saturn V space vehicle lifted off with astronauts Neil A. Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr., at 9:32 a.m. EDT July 16, 1969, from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A. During the planned eight-day mission, Armstrong and Aldrin will descend in a lunar module to the Moon’s surface while Collins orbits overhead in the Command Module.
 
The two astronauts are to spend 22 hours on the Moon, including two and one-half hours outside the lunar module. They will gather samples of lunar material and will deploy scientific experiments which will transmit data about the lunar environment. They will rejoin Collins in the Command Module for the return trip to Earth.

The first flight of the commercially developed SPACEHAB laboratory module begins with the flawless liftoff of the Space Shuttle Endeavour from Launch Pad 39B at 9:07:22 a.m. EDT, June 21, 1993. Also planned for the eight-day flight of Mission STS-57 is the retrieval of the European Retrievable Carrier (EURECA). Onboard for the fourth flight of Endeavour are a crew of six: Mission Commander Ronald J. Grabe; Pilot Brian Duffy; Payload Commander G. David Low; and Mission Specialists Nancy Jane Sherlock, Peter J.K. “Jeff” Wisoff, and Janice E. Voss. The first launch attempt on June 20 was scrubbed due to unacceptable weather conditions both at KSC and the overseas contingency landing sites.

Hundreds of birds scatter as the typical quiet reverie of their day is temporarily broken by the roar of a Space Shuttle surging off the pad. The orbiter Atlantis returned to space after an approximately two-year absence with a liftoff from Launch Pad 39B at 11:59:43 a.m. EST. The planned 11-day flight of Space Shuttle Mission STS-66 will continue NASA’s Mission to Planet Earth, a comprehensive international collaboration to study how Earth’s environment is changing and how human beings affect that change.
 
Primary payloads for the last Shuttle flight of 1994 include the Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science (ATLAS-3), making its third flight, and the German-built Cryogenic Infrared Spectrometers and Telescopes for the Atmosphere-Shuttle Pallet Satellite (CRISTA-SPAS), which will be deployed and later retrieved during the mission. Mission commander is Donald R. McMonagle; Curtis L. Brown Jr. is the pilot; Ellen Ochoa is the payload commander, and the three mission specialists are Joseph R. Tanner, Scott E. Parazynski, and Jean-Francois Clervoy, a French citizen who is with the European Space Agency.

Viking 1 was launched by a Titan/Centaur rocket from Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 5:22 p.m. EDT to begin a half-billion mile, 11-month journey through space to explore Mars. The 4-ton spacecraft went into orbit around the red planet in mid-1976.

On November 9, 1967, Apollo 4, the first test flight of the Apollo/Saturn V space vehicle, was launched from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39. This was an unmanned test flight intended to prove that the complex Saturn V rocket could perform its requirements. All three stages separated successfully and their engines performed as planned. The third stage also restarted in orbit, which was a requirement for lunar missions. At the end of the flight, the unmanned Apollo spacecraft reentered and proved that it could survive the intense heat generated during a high-speed return from the moon.

The Return to Flight launch of the Space Shuttle Discovery and its five-man crew from Pad 39B at 11:37 a.m. September 29, 1988, as Discovery embarked on a four- day, one-hour mission.

The Space Shuttle Columbia and her crew of six lifted off from PAD 39B at 1:09 p.m. EDT, on a ten-day mission. The primary payload of Space Shuttle mission STS-52 is the Laser Geodynamic Satellite II (LAGEOS II).

A golden new era in space cooperation begins with a flawless countdown and the ontime liftoff of the Space Shuttle Discovery on Mission STS-60. Liftoff from Launch Pad 39A occurred at 7:10:01 a.m., EST. The first Shuttle mission of 1994 carries the first Russian cosmonaut, Sergei K. Krikalev, to fly on the Space Shuttle. The veteran space traveler joins astronauts N. Jan Davis and Ronald M. Sega, mission specialists; Franklin R. Chang-Diaz, payload commander: Kenneth S. Reightler, pilot; and Charles F. Bolden Jr., mission commander, on an eight day journey. Primary payloads of the 60th Space Shuttle flight are the SPACEHAB-2 laboratory and the Wake Shield Facility.

Just had to include this incredible video that shows the awesome power of a space shuttle launch. The sound and video quality of this video is simply stellar. Full-screen HD with maximum volume highly recommended!

Redditor and professional photographer jib661 posted this incredible picture to Reddit today. By focusing on the ground between the pitcher and the batter, he took continuous shots of the sequence until he got a few where the ball was in focus.

Some additional information about the shot below:

“I prefocused between the pitcher/catcher, and shot on continous (out of about 800 frames, i had 3 in focus). It was shot with a Canon 300mm 2.8 on a 1D MKII. The lens was about 1.5 inches from the fence.” – jib661 on Reddit

You can find a higher resolution image available here, and if you’re interested, he also uploaded a gallery of about 30 frames from the sequence.

In this Sifter’s 8th installment of the Awesome Animatead Gif Series we explore the trippier side of animated gifs with these 15 eye-jarring examples. For this post, ‘trippy’ is used in a pretty generic sense. I tried to find a wide variety of gifs that may be considered ‘trippy’ depending on what satisfies that term for you.

If you have any suggestions please let us know in the comments!

Haling from Meerane, Germany, street artist Tasso (aka Ta55o) does some incredible work with spray paint. Beyond street art, Tasso also has an extensive gallery of canvas work along with some incredible sketches, drawing and drippings. Tasso did his first piece in 1991 under the pseudonym GESHWAY and he’s been blowing up walls ever since.

In 2001 he formed the art group Ma’claim, eventually publishing a book of the crew’s art entitled, Maclaim: Finest Fotorealistic Graffiti in 2006.

Tasso still does street art but he also does commission and freelance work. Be sure to check out www.ta55o.de for any inquiries.

Below you will find a small collection of Tasso’s brilliant street art. If you like what you see, there’s much more on his gallery page.