The Falling Soldier
Photographer: Robert Capa
Date: September 5, 1936
Location: Cerro Muriano, Córdoba, Spain
Robert Capa photographed what purports to be the moment of death of a Spanish Republican militiaman, identified by some researchers as Federico Borrell García, near Cerro Muriano, Córdoba, during the Spanish Civil War on September 5, 1936. The man appears to collapse backward with arms thrown wide as he is shot. Published in Vu magazine and later in Life, the photograph made Capa internationally famous and became one of the most iconic war photographs ever taken. However, its authenticity has been disputed since the 1970s. Historian Mario Brotons Jordá identified the man as Borrell García. Others, including journalist José Manuel Susperregui, have argued the landscape does not match Cerro Muriano and that the photograph may have been taken elsewhere, possibly staged. The debate about its authenticity remains unresolved.
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