February 1

Saigon Execution — Iconic Photo of Vietnam War

South Vietnamese National Police Chief Nguyễn Ngọc Loan executed Viet Cong officer Nguyễn Văn Lém on a Saigon street. AP photographer Eddie Adams captured the moment of the gunshot in what became one of the most influential photographs of the 20th century.

The photograph helped turn American public opinion against the Vietnam War and won the Pulitzer Prize, though Adams later expressed regret over the image's impact on the general's reputation.