The most famous and easily recognizable cover image in the history of the National Geographic (NG) magazine is that of the Afghan Girl. But this photo nearly didn't get published. It was in fact in a pile of rejects until an NG editor named Bill Garrett pulled the photo from the pile.
The rest is history.
The photo was taken in 1984 by American photojournalist Steve McCurry in Pakistan. The girl was a 12-year-old refugee from Afghanistan. Her identity wasn't known until 2002. Her name is Sharbat Gula.
In an interview in 2019, Gula said that she was angered by her photograph being taken and published without her consent.
