Get All Access for $5/mo

From Space to the Super Bowl, 10 of the Wildest Selfies of All Time All it took for these people to go viral was a cell phone camera pointed their way.

By Lindsay Friedman

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

NASA
NASA astronaut Mike Hopkins.

While some of these famous selfies may make us smile, drool with envy or imagine floating in space, others may just make you question humanity as a whole.

Either way, this list features selfies you're unlikely to forget.

Additional reporting by Nina Zipkin.

A man and a hijacker

When imminent death is calling, why not stop to take a selfie with your would-be murderer? That's exactly what 26-year-old Ben Innes did with the alleged EgyptAir plane hijacker late March. In his defense, it did later come out that the move may have been intended to aid police in later identifying the suspect.

Kim K and a full-frontal view

There are things that make you ask "why"?

Following Kim K's "radical" decision to post a full-frontal selfie, a myriad of questions and reactions arose. (Editor's note: We decided not to publish the photo here.) Was it feminism or exploitation? Why wasn't it taken down when Chelsea Handler couldn't even get Instagram to keep her photo of one boob?

Essentially it can all be collectively summed up with: Really, Kim K, why?

Gas leak selfies

The New York Post was spot on with its description of these folks: Village Idiots.

Others deemed it so horrible they just couldn't look away, labeling the selfies a group of people took in the aftermath of a gas explosion as "disaster porn."

Taking place in the East Village last spring, the unexpected blast killed two people.

Ellen and the Oscars

When imagining the most popular selfie in terms of number of tweets and shares, it's no surprise it would end up being a product of Ellen Degeneres.

As the Oscars' host in 2014, she prompted a selfie with some of hollywood's biggest stars from Jennifer Lawrence to Brad Pitt and Meryl Streep. It only took a matter of minutes for the quick snapshot to break social media records.

The picture leaves us wishing we could've been in that big ole' Ellen sandwich of beautiful people. Any skilled photoshoppers around?

The ultimate selfie

An astronaut + spacewalk + camera = a recipe for the coolest selfie of all time.

The photo, taken Dec. 24, 2013, features NASA astronaut Mike Hopkins as he participates in the second of two spacewalks.

If only we could be that cool.

Monkey selfie

A monkey stole some guy's camera and accidentally took a pretty adorable and happy looking selfie.

The results? As expected, it went viral, and then became the subject of a lawsuit.

Smart-guy sandwich selfie

These guys didn't exactly need to be Insta-famous. They already have pretty impressive resumes.

But that didn't stop science guy Bill Nye, President Barack Obama and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson from striking a pose.

How many IQ points do you think are captured in this one picture alone?

Posing with the pope

You could probably count on one hand the number of popes who've taken the time to stop and take a selfie.

But Pope Francis has become pretty notorious for doing the unexpected.

Anything to get the word of God to the people, right?

Selfie of destruction

It's not every day you can take a selfie with a 16th century statue. Then again, it's not every day someone destroys a 126-year-old depiction of a Portuguese king, either.

Unfortunately, that's exactly what happened when a young man tried to climb up and take a selfie with the Dom Sebastiao statue. As a result, it toppled over and broke into pieces.

The man tried to run away after, but the police caught him and will eventually have to go to court.

Hanging with Justin Timberlake at the Halftime Show

Justin Timberlake is the best guy ever

A post shared by Ryan Mckenna (@ryan.mckennaa) on Feb 4, 2018 at 6:56pm PST

Though 13-year-old Patriot's fan Ryan McKenna's team lost, his trip to Minnesota to see Super Bowl LII proved to be an unforgettable one, thanks to an instantly-memed selfie with Justin Timberlake midway through the pop star's halftime show performance. "I just thought to myself, 'I'll never get this opportunity again in my whole life," McKenna told Billboard. "I just went for it." The Massachusetts seventh grader currently has more than 17,000 followers on Instagram.

Lindsay Friedman

Staff writer. Frequently covers franchise news and food trends.

Lindsay Friedman is a staff writer at Entrepreneur.com.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Growing a Business

How to Build, Grow and Make Money With Ecommerce

To grow your online business, you need to develop a strategy and invest your time wisely. These actionable tips can attract customers and increase online revenue.

Living

70% of Small Business Owners Experience Monthly Burnout. Follow These 3 Rules to Avoid the Same Fate.

Here are three guidelines to help entrepreneurs achieve balance, growth and success in both their professional and personal endeavors.

Leadership

7 Telltale Signs of a Weak Leader

Whether a bully or a people pleaser who can't tell hard truths, poor leadership takes many forms.

Side Hustle

'Hustling Every Day': These Friends Started a Side Hustle With $2,500 Each — It 'Snowballed' to Over $500,000 and Became a Multimillion-Dollar Brand

Paris Emily Nicholson and Saskia Teje Jenkins had a 2020 brainstorm session that led to a lucrative business.

Franchise

Kick-Start Your Small Business With These Cost Effective Strategies

Starting a small business is an exciting adventure, brimming with both opportunities and challenges. A key to success is effectively managing costs from the outset.