On this day the iconic photograph of raising the American flag on Iwo Jima, the battle according to which Clint Eastwood made the film Flags of Our Fathers, was taken. This is one of the most famous war photographs of all time, and according to some reports, the most reproduced photograph in history.
The photograph was taken by Joe Rosenthal and he won a Pulitzer Prize for it. Out of the six people in the photograph (five Marines and a member of the U.S. Navy), three were killed during the Battle of Iwo Jima.
The photo was taken atop Mount Suribachi (about 161 meters above sea level). It is the highest mountain on Iwo Jima, and it was named “Suribachi” because of its shape that reminds of an overturned “Suribachi” bowl, which is traditionally used in Japanese cuisine.
