National Geographic has been around for decades, and in that time they’ve produced and distributed some of the most recognisable photographs of all time. These are photos that had such powerful stories attached to them that they would eventually become instantly recognisable to most people around the world.

The company has taken dozens of photographs that have become internationally well known, but these are the five that had a palpable influence on the world and pop culture, ranging from television to the best online pokies Australia to video games.

1. Anxious Eyes

Anxious Eyes is a photograph taken by James Stanfield in 1987 during a time when Poland’s free healthcare system was in the verge of collapse, reaching a state of national crisis during the 1980s.

The picture was taken of Dr. Zbigniew Religa, a famous heart surgeon in the country. It depicts Dr. Religa sitting and following the vitals of one of his patients that is hooked up to a mess of old and out-dated medical technology that required that someone always be watching it. It gave the world an idea of the lengths doctors were willing to go to ensure that their parents remained alive.

2. Jane Goodall

Jane Goodall is a well-known primatologist and conservationist that spent years of her life studying, following, and protecting different groups of chimpanzees while she was stationed in the Congo, one of the most beautiful and dangerous regions in the world.

National Geographic took a number of iconic photographs of Goodall as she worked with the primates, but the most arguably well-known is the tender moment captured of one of the chimpanzees reaching out and touching her gently.

3. Dodgers Game Tender Moment

Photographer Jodi Cobb snapped a random photo outside of a Dodgers game that she had been covering, and inadvertently captured a tender moment between two players.

Catcher Steve Yeager had decided to kiss coach Monty Basgall on the head, which was snapped by Cobb, and would ultimately go on to become a truly unique photo that gained worldwide recognition, showing that not all sports needed to be serious all the time.

4. The Great White

Great White sharks have long been a favourite for nature photographers. The large, powerful apex predators are both beautiful and terrifying to behold, and there have been endless photos taken of them displaying their power and size.

Perhaps the most famous of them all was the photograph taken by David Doubilet, who managed to take a picture of the inside of a Great White’s gullet, showing its large teeth and fearsome jaws, a glimpse into the fate of what it would be like to be attacked by one of these deadly creatures.

5. The Afghan Girl

Cited as the most well known photograph ever taken, the Afghan Girl was first published in 1985 and was taken by Steve McCurry.

The photo depicts a 12-year-old Afghani girl that McCurry took while covering refugee camps during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. McCurry would later reconnect with the woman in 2002.