Photograph 22727

After reading this week’s reading, “Contested Global Visions: One-World, Whole-Earth, and the Apollo Space Photographs” I was drawn to how unforgettable photograph 22727 was.  This image centers the landmasses of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, and the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans. This differed from the typical cartographer’s choice of map projections, concentrating the world map on The United States and belittling the other nations. This photograph grew very popular and initiated the idea of the globe becoming the symbol used in advertising by small corporations. Photograph 22727, “The Whole Earth,” displayed a matter of cosmopolitanism, giving the people the realization that regardless of the boundaries that divide us, we are one world.  The idea of “One World” had me realize that we are all a relatively small part of the world, yet we are the working pieces that keep our world functioning as a whole. Lastly, I found it incredible how iconic this photograph became, given that it was taken by the whim of an astronaut.