Historical Photographs Captured Moments Before, During and After RFK’s Assassination in Los Angeles, 1968

On June 5, 1968, Robert F. Kennedy was shot by Sirhan Sirhan at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California, and pronounced dead the following day.

Kennedy, a United States senator and candidate in the 1968 Democratic Party presidential primaries, won the California and South Dakota primaries on June 4. He addressed his campaign supporters in the Ambassador Hotel’s Embassy Ballroom. After leaving the podium, and exiting through a kitchen hallway, he was mortally wounded by multiple shots fired by Sirhan. Kennedy died at Good Samaritan Hospital nearly 25 hours later. His body was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Sirhan, a Palestinian who held strong anti-Zionist and pro-Palestinian beliefs, testified in 1969 that he killed Kennedy “with 20 years of malice aforethought;” he was convicted and sentenced to death. Due to People v. Anderson, his sentence was commuted to life in prison in 1972 with a possibility of parole. His parole request has been denied numerous times. Kennedy’s assassination prompted the Secret Service to protect presidential candidates. Additionally, it led to several conspiracy theories. It was the final of four major assassinations in the United States that occurred during the 1960s.

The photographs that Bill Eppridge made before, during and after RFK’s assassination don’t require that we forget all we’ve learned about the dank underside of American politics in order to appreciate the fear, rage and anguish sparked by Kennedy’s death. On the contrary, the pictures in this gallery suggest that despite how ambitious and even cruel he could sometimes be, Bobby Kennedy obviously inspired, in countless people, the better angels of their nature.

Would Robert Kennedy have won the Democratic nomination if Sirhan had not gunned him down in that hotel kitchen? Would he have gone on to beat Richard Nixon in the general election if he had won the nomination? The measure of the man must be taken not by what he might have done, but by what he said and did during his lifetime.

We’ll never know how much he might have grown, how much further he might have deepened, had Sirhan’s bullets not silenced him.That’s where much of the tragedy of the tale lies: in the ruined promise of the man’s potential.

Robert Kennedy, June, 1968.

Sen. Robert Kennedy campaigned, June 1968.

Robert Kennedy, June 1968.

Supporters of presidential candidate Robert Kennedy watched him on TV.

Sen. Robert Kennedy conferred with an aide during his run for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1968.

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Portraits of Sophia Loren During the Filming of ‘Man of La Mancha’ (1972)

The 1972 film adaptation of Man of La Mancha is a poignant, visually ambitious tribute to the power of idealism. Starring Peter O’Toole as both Miguel de Cervantes and his legendary creation, Don Quixote, the movie utilizes a “play-within-a-play” structure set inside a grim Spanish Inquisition dungeon.

While it faced some criticism for its transition from stage to screen, the film is anchored by Sophia Loren’s raw performance as Aldonza and the stirring rendition of the iconic anthem, “The Impossible Dream.” Ultimately, it serves as a soul-stirring exploration of the human spirit, daring to ask whether it is truly “madness” to see the world not as it is, but as it ought to be.

Take a look at these vintage photos to see portraits of Sophia Loren during the filming of Man of La Mancha in 1972.

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20 Publicity Photos of Dustin Hoffman and Katharine Ross on the Set of “The Graduate” (1967)

In the 1967 film The Graduate, Dustin Hoffman and Katharine Ross play Benjamin Braddock and Elaine Robinson, a young couple whose relationship becomes the emotional core of a generation-defining story.

Benjamin, a recent and disillusioned college graduate, is initially seduced into a purely physical affair by Elaine's mother, the iconic Mrs. Robinson (played by Anne Bancroft). Despite Mrs. Robinson’s express demand that he stay away from her daughter, Benjamin eventually meets Elaine on a date and unexpectedly falls in love with her.

After Elaine discovers the affair and is pressured by her parents into marrying another man, Benjamin famously crashes her wedding, shouting her name from the church balcony. The film famously concludes with the two escaping on a city bus. Their initial elation quickly fades into expressions of uncertainty and silence, a powerful cinematic moment reflecting the anxieties of post-college life and the “New Hollywood” era.

Behind the scenes, their partnership was legendary; Katharine Ross initially thought the then-unknown Hoffman was “unkempt” and “about three feet tall,” but director Mike Nichols used their awkward chemistry to perfectly capture Benjamin's character.

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Capucine: The Epitome of French Chic

Capucine, born Germaine Lefebvre, was a luminous figure who bridged the worlds of high fashion and Hollywood cinema. She began her career as a fashion model in Paris, quickly becoming a muse for prestigious houses like Givenchy and Christian Dior. Her striking, aristocratic features and “ice queen” persona caught the eye of Hollywood producers, leading to her breakout role in Song Without End.

While she is perhaps best remembered for her comedic elegance as Simone Clouseau in The Pink Panther, her legacy remains rooted in her indelible style. Capucine embodied a rare kind of understated glamour, a mixture of French poise and mysterious vulnerability that made her one of the most captivating faces of the 1960s.

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James Hunt Punching a Track Marshall During the 1977 Canadian Grand Prix at Mosport Park

During the 1977 Canadian Grand Prix at Mosport Park, James Hunt punched track marshal Ernie Strong in a fit of rage after a collision with his teammate. The incident became one of the most infamous examples of Hunt’s volatile temperament.

On lap 62, while battling Mario Andretti for the lead, Hunt attempted to lap his McLaren teammate, Jochen Mass. A misunderstanding led to a high-speed collision that knocked both cars off the track. While Mass was able to continue, Hunt was forced to retire. Seething with frustration, he remained at the trackside waving his fist at Mass for several laps.

When marshal Ernie Strong attempted to intervene and guide Hunt to a safer area away from the live track, Hunt reacted by landing a “crisp right hand” that knocked the marshal to the ground. Almost immediately after the strike, Hunt realized his error, helped Strong to his feet, and apologized while being led away. 

The race stewards took immediate action against Hunt for his conduct. Hunt was fined $2,000 for the assault on the marshal and an additional $750 for returning to the pit lane in an “unsafe manner” by walking on the racing side of the barriers. Strong eventually sued Hunt over the incident.

The footage remains a staple of F1 “wildest moments” reels, perfectly capturing the volatile, rock-star persona that made Hunt both beloved and polarizing.

“I was just so angry... It was a complete misunderstanding, but at that moment, I just lost it.” – James Hunt, reflecting on the incident.

The Golden Age of Magic: Iconic Posters From the Early 1900s

During the early 20th century, magic show posters served as the ultimate gateway to a world of mystery and wonder.

Throughout this “Golden Age of Magic,” performers like Harry Houdini and Howard Thurston relied on vibrant, stone-lithograph artworks to transform themselves into larger-than-life icons. These posters were famous for their dramatic imagery, often featuring mischievous red devils whispering into a magician’s ear or ethereal figures floating in mid-air, designed to blur the line between stage illusion and the supernatural.

With their bold typography and rich, saturated colors, these posters did more than just advertise a show, they captured the public’s imagination, promising an escape into a realm where the impossible became reality.

Adelaide Herrmann and Company, Hindoo Magic, circa 1900

Henry Kellar (magician), 1900

Kellar, Letivation, 1900

Les Ombres au Ménage, présentée par Les Nouveaux Caran d'H, circa 1900

On the Stage in Person, Sorcar's Magic, Coming Shortly, circa 1900

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Michelle Yeoh Photographed by Joe Mcnally Flying Over the Iconic Hollywood Sign, 1998

In 1998, Michelle Yeoh performed a daring stunt for a National Geographic photo shoot captured by photographer Joe McNally. The photograph was part of a feature story titled “The Globalization of Culture,” which examined the rapid international exchange of cultural icons via film, television, and the burgeoning internet.

“The idea sprang up as I was shooting a story for the National Geographic, conceived, edited and supervised by my dear friend Bill Douthitt...,” Mcnally said. “The story was termed ‘The Globalization of Culture,’ and it examined the rapid rate of the exchange of cultural items and icons, worldwide, via the hyper fast engines of TV, movies, fashion, cuisine and (at that point) the coming ubiquity of the internet. I needed an Asian star, capable of daring stunts, to do something with me to emphasize the growing global influence of movie personalities from Asia in big budget, mainstream Hollywood films.

“Michelle agreed, and I gave her the Hollywood treatment, flying her via helicopter to a dry lake bed considerably outside LA. I made lovely, fashion-driven photos. She’s magnetically beautiful in front of the lens, and I shot pictures like crazy, growing all the more pleased with myself during the course of the day.”

Yeoh did not climb out of the helicopter mid-flight; instead, she was rigged with cables and a harness while still in a hangar. She was then suspended beneath the helicopter and flown for approximately 20 to 25 minutes to reach the Hollywood sign. Despite wearing a “slinky” dress for the shot, Yeoh recalled in a 2022 interview with Jimmy Kimmel that the most challenging aspect was the intense cold at that altitude.

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