16+ Powerful Images That Hit You Right In The Heart

The following images are nothing more than a series of pixels on your computer screen or smart device. But each one tells a story — some poignant, some sweet, and some that are outright devastating.

Give them some space.

Every pet owner can empathize with the kind vet who put this sign up in their office. Nearly every day, the vet’s office becomes a place of heartbreak as families say goodbye to their beloved pets.

It’s getting real in Hong Kong.

The ongoing protests in Hong Kong are a powerful reminder of our rights as human beings — and how far people are willing to go to protect them. Powerful scenes like this show just how strong the will of the people truly is.

Lunch date.

This heartbreaking photo shows an older gentleman enjoying a meal at In-N-Out Burger. The seat across from him is empty, and his only company is a framed photo of his late wife.

Family resemblance.

The image on the left shows a reconstruction of a 9,000-year-old man in Cheddar, England. On the right is his ancestor, identified through DNA. It’s incredible how there’s still a resemblance, 300 generations later.

How far we’ve come.

The man on the right is saluting his grandson who’s serving in the Israeli army. It’s especially poignant for the older man, as he was liberated from a Nazi concentration camp some 70 years before.

First day of school.

If you’ve ever seen any of the Toy Story movies, this staged pic might bring a tear to your eye. You also might be thinking it’s a good thing that kids’ toys aren’t sentient beings in real life.

Never give up hope.

This newspaper ad was placed a few years back. As you can see, parents are looking for their daughter who went missing back in 1969. Decades later, they still haven’t given up hope.

Loss of a partner.

This SWAT team officer from the Long Beach Police Department is having a tough time containing his emotions. That’s because his K9 partner, Credo, has just died on the job.

Creating hope.

An image familiar to any Canadian, this shows Terry Fox as he began his Marathon of Hope in 1980. Fox intended to run across Canada to raise money and awareness for cancer research. He didn’t make it, but his legacy has helped millions of dollars go to cancer research.

Not so long ago.

This image shows, clear as day, a slave dealer in Alexandria, Virginia in the 1860s. It’s a powerful reminder that America’s legacy of slavery isn’t ancient history, and many photographs exist on the historical record.

A watershed moment.

Firefighter Mike Kehoe didn’t know what his day would bring on September 11, 2001. This image captures him rushing into the North Tower of the World Trade Center after it was hit by a plane.

The Greatest.

The man on the left is considering suicide in this 1981 photo. The man on the right is none other than Muhammad Ali himself, trying to talk the suicidal man off the ledge.

A thankless task.

This fireman is absolutely exhausted and dehydrated after his efforts to fight raging fires in the Amazon rainforest. It’s a reminder of the immediate human toll of such a blaze — and that’s saying nothing of the long-term effects.

Desk of a genius.

This cluttered desk was Albert Einstein’s workstation. What’s especially poignant is that this pic was captured one day after he died. All of those genius thoughts on those papers would never be finished.

Echoes of Woodstock.

This couple first met at Woodstock back in 1969. The first photo of them of a couple was taken just 48 hours later. The Summer of Love turned into decades of love, and they recreated the same photo half a century later.

This is heavy.

Letter from a trapped coal miner says goodbye to his wife, 1902 This frantic letter was written by a coal miner who was trapped in a mine in 1902. With no hope of rescue and dwindling oxygen, the miner wrote a powerful goodbye letter to his family.

Humanity.

Teenager Keshia Thompson is seen in this 1996 photo, shielding a KKK member from angry protesters. It’s remarkable to see this kind of compassion shown to a member of a hate group.

Mending fences.

This intersection was ground zero of the chaos of the Charlottesville rally a couple of years ago. Artist Jake Van Yahres painted the crosswalk into a symbol of unity.

Sometimes an end is a new beginning.

For this man and his sons, this photo marks the end of a 10-year custody battle as he finally gained full rights. “For the guys going through the same process; don’t lose hope and never quit fighting,” he wrote .

What technology is for.

Stuck at an airport, this dad didn’t let the distance get in the way of his bedtime routine, reading The Lord of the Rings to his kids.

Sweet victory.

This boy is raising his arms in triumph with good reason — he’s just hit the cancer survivor milestone. If that’s not something worth writing on your chest, I don’t know what is.

The returning champion.

After completing treatment for stage 4 pancreatic cancer, Alex Trebek went right back to work on the set of Jeopardy! .

Fighting the good fight.

This husband and wife have been separated as each undergoes their own cancer battle. With the hospital too dangerous for the wife while she goes through chemo, his doctor allowed them this sweet moment in the courtyard.

Normalcy.

This could be just a father and child, but it’s a state trooper with a baby rescued from a dangerous situation, getting cleaned up before CPS gets there to place the child with a relative.

Precious cargo.

Each bag in the load of backpacks in this lady’s car contains all the supplies a kid will need for their first night in foster care. Over the past four years, she has delivered more than 2,400 of them.

Power on the line.

Linemen from around the U.S. brought their trucks to gather in Florida before heading over to the Bahamas following Hurricane Dorian’s devastation.

A moving experience.

After responding to a medical emergency at an apartment building on a 100+ degree day, these firefighters noticed someone and their elderly father moving out and stopped to help load all the heavy stuff onto the truck before leaving.

Visible progress.

This lineup of high-visibility clothing means the world to one person, who has been under- or unemployed for three years and is finally starting steady work.

Once a hero…

Always a hero. The guy on the right at Ground Zero is the uploader’s dad, and apparently to this day he still runs Central Park Medicine Unit, which is 100% volunteer and donation dependent and never charges their patients anything.

Honoring the pact.

Barry Delaney can barely contain his tears at the funeral of his best friend, Kevin Elliott. They made a pact to wear a bright dress to the other’s funeral if they were killed in action. Unfortunately, Elliott was killed in a 2009 Taliban attack.

Across the generations.

Despite what this little boy’s onesie says, this is an even more momentous occasion — he’s not meeting his grandma, but his great-great-grandma. That’s pretty darn special!

Wearing it with pride.

Kelly Herron survived a brutal attack while she was out for a run. The line on her shirt represents the data recorded by her GPS during the assault.

The cold never bothered her anyway.

To inspire the next generation, Caltech’s Celeste Labedz brought a cape along with her field tools, saying “I firmly believe that kids should NOT be taught that girly things and science-y things are mutually exclusive.”

Poor squirrel.

This little squirrel returned to its favorite tree — its home — only to find that it had been cut down. You can almost sense the loss and despair in its body language.

The feels.

This Long Beach SWAT officer was overcome with emotion as he had to say goodbye to his K-9 partner, Credo, after he was shot in the line of duty.

Smile and wave.

There are charities that hook up people with special needs with experienced surfers so they can join in on the fun of catching a wave. It’s easy to see that it’s a big success.

Freedom.

This little doggy’s first trip to the beach with his new wheels is basically the definition of uninhibited joy.

Undercover fans.

These soccer fans in Iran had to go to the match in disguise because they’re women. If caught, they could be arrested.

Not a good sign.

That’s rain water collected from Sao Paulo, Brazil, after smoke from fires consuming the Amazon rainforest inundated the city. People have to breathe the air that black water fell through.

The kindest cut.

A photographer caught an act of kindness in progress as this lady provided a homeless man with a free haircut in the park.