Random Famous Historical Photos Recreated By 'The Simpsons' (17 items)

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  (#1) The Duff Blimp Suffers The Same Fate As The Hindenburg

  The Hindenburg, a German zeppelin, was set to land at Lakehurst Naval Air Station in New Jersey on May 6, 1937. During the airship's approach, the blimp suddenly burst in to flames, crashing to the ground below and claiming the lives of 36 people as a result.

  On The Simpsons, when Barney wins a chance to pilot the Duff Beer blimp, the scene ends the same way. Newsman Kent Brockman exclaims, "Oh, the humanity," which were the same words famously uttered by Herbert Morrison, a radio journalist covering the event and, ultimately, the disaster.
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  (#2) A Couch Gag Recreates A Famous Pic Of Construction Workers On A Girder

  One of opening couch gags on The Simpsons paid homage to workers - specifically those eating lunch on a girder in 1932. The picture of 11 construction workers taking a break while building the RCA Building in New York City, feet dangling as they banter high above the ground.
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  (#3) Martin Wins The Class Election And Channels Harry Truman

  In an attempt to spread the word of the victorious presidential candidate, the Chicago Daily Tribute printed a front page that read "Dewey Defeats Truman." Unfortunately for Dewey and the newspaper, incumbent Harry S. Truman won in a surprising upset. The Democratic candidate defeated the Republican Governor of New York, embracing his underdog status and appealing to the masses for a come-from-behind win. 

  Just like Truman, Martin Prince unexpectedly defeats Bart in an election for class president (after no one but Martin and his friend Wendell actually vote), and he holds up the erroneous headline from The Daily Fourth Gradian after his win.
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  (#4) The Be Sharps’ Second Album Mirrors The Beatles’ ‘Abbey Road’

  In the Season 5 episode Homer's Barbershop Quartet, Homer, Apu, Principal Skinner, and Barney form "The Be Sharps," a barbershop quartet whose arc plays out an awful lot like the real-life Beatles. When Bart asks Homer if they ever screwed up like the Beatles and claimed they were "bigger than Jesus," Homer replies, "all the time! It was the title of our second album," and pulls out the LP.

  The album cover is a direct reference to the Beatles' famed Abbey Road album cover from 1969, and the title pokes fun at a real-life John Lennon comment that the Beatles were "more popular than Jesus" in an interview in 1966.  
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  (#5) Grandpa Sits In The Middle Of A Famous ‘Woodstock’ Photo

  When Nick Ercoline and Bobbi Kelly huddled together at Woodstock in 1969, they never could have known that moment would be one of the most famous pictures from the music festival. Ercoline and Kelly, who later married, became the faces of Woodstock, appearing on the cover of the official Woodstock soundtrack in 1970. The butterfly, a contribution made by a new friend named Herbie, added a bit of color and whimsy to the image.

  On The Simpsons, we see a flashback of the ultra-square Abe Simpson dragged to the festival by his free-spirited wife, Mona. A young Homer was present too, although he was much more receptive to Hippie culture.
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  (#6) Lisa Is Sworn In As ‘Little Miss Springfield’ In A Scene Reminiscent Of LBJ Being Sworn In As President

  Lisa Simpson comes in second for the Little Miss Springfield pageant, but takes over the title when the winner gets struck by lightening. When Lisa is sworn in, the scene is carried out in similar fashion to the oath taken by Vice President Lyndon Johnson aboard Air Force One in November 1963.

  After President John F. Kennedy was shot in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, the Vice President took the oath of office alongside the government staff and the fallen president's widow, Jacqueline Kennedy. Captured on film by Cecil Stoughton, Johnson was sworn in by federal judge Sarah T. Hughes, the first woman to have ever performed the duty. 
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  (#7) When The Simpsons Leave Australia, It Mirrors The Famous ‘Fall Of Saigon’ Helicopter Pic

  The Simpson family takes a trip to Australia during the sixth season of the show so Bart can personally apologize for an international phone calling prank that's gotten out of hand. But instead of apologizing, Bart continues to antagonize the Australians, and the family has to flee in a helicopter while a local mob chases them.

  The scene when the Simpsons board the helicopter mirrors a specific photo from the Fall of Saigon in 1975. After North Vietnamese forces attacked American forces, the United States began airlifting personnel from Saigon. The last US helicopter took off from Saigon on April 30, 1975. The famous photo shown here, however, is of Vietnamese nationals rescued from atop their apartment building the previous day.
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  (#8) When Milhouse Cries, He Channels The 'Weeping Frenchman' Photo From 1941

  Initially associated with the Third Reich invasion of France in 1940, the "Weeping Frenchman" or "Crying Frenchman" was taken in 1941. As French regiments marched through Marseilles on their way to Africa, an onlooker (Jérôme Barzotti) epitomizes the reaction of the fallen nation as the exiled troops leave the country. The image appeared in the 1943 propaganda film, Divide and Conquer. 

  For Milhouse, his lamentation comes from the dismantling of all-things-children, including a local toy store. 
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  (#9) Bart And His Friends Recreate The Famous Iwo Jima Flag Raising

  As one of the most identifiable pictures in history, The Simpsons has referenced the famed flag-raising picture from Iwo Jima several times. Photojournalist Joseph Rosenthal was with the US Marines who captured the island of Iwo Jima in 1945, privy to the raising of the flag atop Mount Suribachi. Rosenthal described how he captured the moment on film:

  I went... slogging thru the deep volcanic ash, warily sidestepping the numerous Japanese mines... As the trail became steeper, our panting progress slowed to a few yards at a time. I began to wonder and hope that this was worth the effort, when suddenly over the brow of the topmost ridge we could spy men working with the flagpole they had so laboriously brought up about quarters of an hour ahead of us.

  I came up and stood by a few minutes until they were ready to swing the flagpole into position. I crowded back on the inner edge of the volcano’s rim, back as far as I could, in order to include all I could into the scene within the angle covered by my camera lens. I rolled up a couple of large stones and a Japanese sandbag to raise my short height clear of an intervening obstruction.

  Rosenthal's shot won the Pulitzer Prize that same year (a first in the award's history), was featured on posters and postage stamps, and was the model for the Marine Corps War Memorial build during the 1950s.
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  (#10) Marge’s Family Quilt Contains A Famous 'Falling Soldier' Pic

  "Falling Soldier" was a photograph taken by Robert Capa during the Spanish Civil War in 1936. Initially an anonymous image, the picture captured the exact moment a bullet hit one of General Francisco Franco's soldiers, providing a jarring realism that would go on to characterize 20th century war photojournalism.

  For Marge Simpson, the "Fallen Soldier" is (somewhat cryptically!) among numerous images contained within her family's patchwork quilt.
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  (#11) Mr. Burns And Richard Nixon Both Have A Pic With Elvis

  Mr. Burns wasn't the only person who met Elvis Presley - President Richard Nixon did, too. The Simpsons recreated the time Presley and Nixon meeting, an exchange that took place at the request of the former.

  According to Nixon's aide Egil "Bud" Krogh, "When he first walked into the Oval Office, he seemed a little awe-struck... but he quickly warmed to the situation." Presley's goal from the meeting was "to get the credentials of a federal agent," something he achieved when Nixon gave him a Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs badge.
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  (#12) Ravi Shankar Appears On ‘Classic Krusty,’ Reminiscent Of His Appearance On ‘The Dick Cavett Show’

  Ravi Shankar was an Indian composer and sitar player who helped expose Western audiences to sitar music through his collaborations with musicians like George Harrison and Gary Wright. In 1971, Shankar appeared on The Dick Cavett show with Harrison and performed.

  In The Simpsons, when Bart is stuck inside all summer with a broken leg trying to watch a marathon of "classic" Krusty The Clown Show episodes that are extremely boring,he catches an episode where Shankar plays sitar on The Krusty the Clown Show, complete with a flubbed Krusty introduction.
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  (#13) A Classic Duff Commercial Relives The Nixon/Kennedy TV Debates

  During a tour of the Duff brewery, visitors are shown historical commercials for Duff Beer. One commercial features Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy, parodying the famous televised debates between the two men in 1960. During the commercial, Nixon appears as a curmudgeonly contrast to the attractive, charismatic Kennedy - comparable to how the actual debates were perceived by the American public.

  The 1960 presidential debates revolutionized politics, emphasizing how important public image was in a campaign. Kennedy's performance and positive reception (paired with Nixon's stubble and pale appearance) on screen is thought to have influenced the outcome of the election significantly. Similarly, the crowd cheers Kennedy when he expresses affection for Duff Beer; when Nixon attempts to echo the sentiment, everyone boos.
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  (#14) The Be Sharps Recreate A Memorable Beatles Studio Pic

  This is a recreaton of this latter-era Beatles studio pic with Yoko Ono.

  Homer Simpson and The Be Sharps found themselves in the company of Barney's new girlfriend, a Japanese conceptual artist who resembles Yoko Ono. Ono became John Lennon's girlfriend in 1968 and is often considered to be one of the major reasons the Beatles broke up in 1969. As The Be Sharps begin to crumble, this photo represents reasons for their eventual dissolution. 

  At one point, Barney's girlfriend orders a "single plum, floating in perfume, served in a man's hat" at Moe's, which is instantly provided. In an art exhibition in 2016, one of Ono's pieces was, in fact, a single plum in perfume in a man's hat, bringing the joke full-circle.
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  (#15) When Bart Shows Off How To Walk In Heels, He Mirrors Betty Grable

  Actress, dancer, and singer, Betty Grable entertained audiences during the mid-20th century - especially popular during the 1940s. Known for her "million dollar" legs, Grable appeared in pin-up photos - with an image of her in a light bathing suit and heels finding mass appeal among American soldiers during World War II.

  Bart Simpson channels his inner Betty Grable when he teaches Lisa to walk in high heels in anticipation of a beauty pageant. 
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  (#16) Mr. Burns’ Birthday Slideshow Features A Doctored Version Of Muhammad Ali Knocking Out Sonny Liston

  This is a recreation of this famous photo of Muhammad Ali standing over a KO'd Sonny Liston in the 1965 World Heavyweight Championship bout.

  For Mr. Burns' birthday, Smithers prepares a slideshow entitled "Montgomery Burns: A Life," which features a series of bizarre and overtly fake pics from the life of Homer's boss. One such pic features Burns' head inserted onto Ali's as he stands victoriously over Liston (as well as pics of Burns raising a flag at Iwo Jima and posing in Marilyn Monroe's famous white dress.)

  In their second meeting, Ali knocked out Liston, the former heavyweight champion, with his so-called "phantom punch." The fight was over during the first round, promoting speculation that the fix was in. 
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  (#17) The Pic Of ‘General Sherman’ The Catfish Resembles A Famous Loch Ness Monster ‘Photo’

  General Sherman, the legendary catfish that lives in the depths of the aptly named Catfish Lake is, according to lore, "a hundred years if he's a day." An image of General Sherman that hangs in the bait shop at Catfish Lake looks much like a widely-circulated photo of the so-called Loch Ness Monster in Scotland.

  One of the most notable pictures of "Nessie," taken by Doctor R. Kenneth Wilson in 1934, has perpetuated the myth of the monster in Loch Ness. The creature that continues to fascinate tourists and scientists, even though this specific photo has been thoroughly debunked.

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