Thích Quảng Đức - June 11, 1963

[Jack Ryan]

On June 11 1963, Thích Quảng Đức,  a Vietnamese Buddhist monk brought attention to the persecution of Buddhists by the Vietnamese government. After previous protests failed to garner attention, Thích Quảng Đức sat himself at a busy Saigon intersection, doused himself with gasoline, and set himself on fire. The crowd screamed in shock while other monks sat and prayed for their friend who, even though totally immersed in flames, never moved or made a sound. The iconic image is one of the most graphic and disturbing to ever be published but it did bring attention to the corrupt South Vietnamese government.