Jonathan Briley, 2001

During the attack on the World Trade Center, many people preferred to jump from the skyscrapers rather than burn alive as the terrorist planes crashed onto its walls. On that tragic morning, professional photographer Richard Drew captured a man jumping off the Twin Towers. The photograph was later named The Falling Man, and while the identity of the man was first a mystery, later, family members and colleagues identified the man as Jonathan Briley. A reason for his leap might have been his asthma, as when smoke started filling the areas of the building, he could no longer breathe, and he jumped, opting for a quicker albeit just as tragic death.