The Big Bang Theory - Intro (frame by frame)

I guess just about everybody who has seen more than one episode of The Big Bang Theory has felt the urge to watch the intro in slow motion to figure out all the details about the images that are flashing in a fraction of a second.
After the second season has been aired for a while now and I finally made room for it in my time schedule, I split up the intro frame by frame and used one snapshot per theme. Even though some of the themes are pretty obvious, others are quite tricky and I had no choice but to take a good guess or leave it blank. So if anybody disagrees with what I put as description or can fill in the blanks, just drop me a line and I will try to improve the content. You can also comment in my blog post.
At this point in time, this page is depending on community input anyway - so please share your knowledge about the screenshots and I shall publish it with a thanking note :)
As you can read in the copyright column at the end of the page, this is just a fan project without commercial affiliation.
You are very welcome to link to this website, but please do not hotlink the images! Otherwise I will have to use anti-hotlink measures :(
Update Sep 21, 2009:
Now that the third season is about to be aired (as we "speak"), I gave myself a kick in the butt and got this page ready to be released. So, enjoy!
Update Sep 29, 2009:
As I am in Toronto atm without proper internet access it would be kinda hard to make updates, but thank you for all your blog comments and emails. I will update this page within the next 2 weeks.
Update Sep 29, 2009:
In order to prevent more emails and comments about the same mistakes + information, I spent the last 2 hours in an Apple store to make this update. Many thanks to all your great contributions!!
Update Oct 18, 2009:
Smaller updates on some screenshots. Still looking for confirmation on some others - we'll see how it develops :)
Update Oct 30, 2009:
Finally no. 18 could be solved.
Update Nov 18, 2009:
No. 55 was solved by several people, along with 4, 54 and 39 seems to be Columbus (and not Cortes).
Update Nov 23, 2009:
No. 38 Spanish banner analysis (needs confirmation). More details about no. 16's Moais. Confirmed no. 19 being San Agustin. Discussion about no. 23, the Hindu goddess. No 72. pretty much confirmed to be Roosevelt. Discussion about no. 84, which space shuttle. More images on the old battle ship on no. 51. No. 91 confirmed as Toronto Union Station.
Update Nov 24, 2009:
Private photos added to Swiss train (no. 104) and San Agustin stones (no. 19). No. 84 identified as the Challenger.
Update Dec 10, 2009:
Request not to hotlink my images but to use a link to this page instead.
Update Feb 01, 2010:
Photographer and date of No. 55 The Leader building.
~Harry
Last update: Feb 1st, 2010
Special thanks to:
Markus Mauder, Joakim Wassberg, Unai Garcia, Warein, Juan Ignacio, Sergio Merino, Ahmed, Luis Medel, Alejandro Guerra, Laura Mosquera, Inigo, Gorgias, Nacho, Esparta Palma, Jack Smirk, Pepe, Hannibal, Gemma Montejo, Damian Vila, JarFil, Miro Jorge, Lau, Isaac Pavon, Jordi Casaubon, Paco Sanz, Doublas, Gary Companion, Frank, Demian, K, Batfilm, Elsiko, Corey Bond, Daryl Mitchell, Don Guana, Pedro Kompen, Omarama, Juan Fonseca, Eva & Sergio, Andrew Shorten, Inigo Fernandez, Blanca Martinez, cgooner, Demoledo, Gregg & Val Roseberry, Ryan Youck
001. Mitosis:
 
002. Single-celled organisms?:
 
003. Multi-celled organisms?:
 
004. Kilauea volcano:
According to the use of the picture on this website, it is Kilauea volcano on Hawaii. Picture taken from the cover of this book.
 
005. Prehistoric fern:
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/g7MRTjPwSnON2QSvD3hARA
 
006. Amphibians:
 
007. Leguanas / Reptiles:
Looks like Marine Iguanas found on the Galapagos Islands.
 
008. Vegetarian Dinosaurs:
 
009. Dinosaurs:
 
010. Mammoth:
 
011. Chimps:
 
012. Evolution of Man?:
 
013. The Wheel:
 
014. Cave Drawings:
 
015. Stonehenge:
 
016. Moais of Ahu Nau Nau, Rapa Nui:
Moais of Ahu Nau Nau, which is located at Anakena Beach, Rapa Nui.
See picture at Flickr.
 
017. xxxx:
 
018. Q'allaqasa at Pisac:
The 'citadel' at the Incan ruins "Inca Pisac" in the Sacred Valey in Peru.
See here and here.
 
019. Stone statues of San Agustin, Colombia:
According to various sources, these more than 500 statues were carved between the first and 14th century. See the single statue here and here.
Thanks to Juan Fonseca for his photo of the single statue used in the frame.
 
020. El Castillo at Chichen Itza:
Mayan pyramid in the largest Mayan city.
 
021. Pyramids of Giza:
 
022. The Sphinx:
 
023. Durga or Mahakali?:
I guess it's not easy to determine which aspect (or the sort) of Kali the image represents. Can anyone find out where the carving is located?
 
024. xxx:
 
025. Saraswati?:
Can anyone find the original picture?
 
026. Zeus?:
According to the name of this picture it's Zeus, but others say it's Moses...
 
027. Parthenon on the Acropolis:
 
028. Jesus Christ:
 
029. Spanish Inquisition:
Does anybody find the original image?
 
030. The Great Wall of China:
 
031. Notre Dame de Paris:
 
032. Taj Mahal:
 
033. Leaning Tower of Pisa:
 
034. Michelangelo's David:
This is the original statue, located inside.
 
035. Vitruvian Man:
 
036. Massachusetts Bay:
Ancient drawing, see here.
 
037. Viking Dragon?:
 
038. Francisco Pizarro?:
The helmet suggests Pizarro, but I couldn't locate the original picture.
As suggested, the top icon on the banner is Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus, the bottom icon an emblem of the Spanish King, see here. Maybe someone can find out, which specific coat it is and therefore who the person is. I uploaded the full-sized image (click thumbnail) for the research.
 
039. Christopher Columbus ("formerly" Hernan Cortes):
Being used in this video on Amazon, it states it IS Columbus.
(Old remarks:
This suggested it is Cortes, this doesn't say who it is.
But 1, 2 and 3 say it is Columbus by Theodor de Bry. And Antonio Herrera?)
 
040. Jean of Arc:
Painted by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres in 1854, see the original.
 
041. French Revolution? Napeoleon?:
Somebody find me the original image for clarification.
 
042. The Pilgrims:
See here.
 
043. Boston Tea Party:
Boston Tea Party 1773 by W.h. Overend, see it here.
 
044. Illuminati Eye:
 
045. United States Declaration of Independence:
Whose glasses are those?
 
046. Abraham Lincoln:
On the 5 US dollar bill.
 
047. George Washington:
 
048. Constitution of the United States of America:
 
049. Ulysses Simpson Grant:
 
050. Ulysses S. Grant:
Taken from this picture.
 
051. USS Baron DeKalb:
What picture is this?
It can be found here and here, even though those websites do not give 100% confirmation on which ship it is.
 
052. Oklahoma Landrun:
 
053. Civil War amputation:
Take from this picture.
 
054. Vancouver Express:
According to this website, it's the Vancouver Express.
Backup up by this gallery telling us it dated back to 1925.
 
055. The Leader building:
The Leader building in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada housed the first newspaper in Regina (which still exists as "Regina Leader-Port" today).
According to the Libary and Archives Canada the picture was taken in 1885 by Otto B. Buell.
Corey, who did a school project 17 years ago, can share this great detailed information with us: "The formally attired man in the top hat in front of the building is Nicholas Flood Davin, the founder of the paper."
 
056. Goldrush?:
 
057. The Telegraph:
 
058. Roosevelt and ticker-tape machine?:
Someone please find a source.
 
059. Cathedral of the Archangel (r) & Cathedral of the Annunciation (l):
 
060. Prohibition:
Who exactly are those people?
Taken from this picture.
 
061. Second industrial revolution?:
What exactly is this about? Taken from this photo.
 
062. Edison's Lightbulb?:
 
063. Tower Bridge:
 
064. Eiffel Tower:
 
065. Statue of Liberty:
 
066. Women's Land Army:
Taken from this photograph.
 
067. Clara Barton:
Taken from this picture.
 
068. Immigration to US on Ellis Island:
Can someone confirm that this picture is from Ellis Island?
 
069. Amish?:
 
070. Ford Model T:
First mass production car. Taken from this photo.
 
071. Suffragettes:
Is this picture from the Suffragette movement? Someone find pictures?
 
072. Theodore Roosevelt:
Taken from the cover of this book.
Comparing to the photo of this article, the facial features very much suggest it's Roosevelt (and not Antonio Cánovas del Castillo).
Does anybody own a copy of the mentioned book and can check out the sources of the cover shot?
 
073. Boeing P-12:
For time issues, I'll just put Doublas' comment here:
Number 73 isn't a Polikarpov (russian aircraft) but a Boeing P-12. Observe the rudder painted with the colors of the United States Army Air Corps (check other examples in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Army_Air_Corps). Regarding denomination F4B-4, this was a Navy version of the P-12, but in this case it would have split axle landing gear (i.e. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Boeing_F4B_VF5.jpg). In short, it's a P-12 :)
 
074. Mount Rushmore National Memorial:
 
075. Red Cross Volunteer?:
As antonius pointed out, this is a volunteer Red Cross, but he couldn't find out which one. Can anyone?
 
076. Albert Einstein:
Einstein on a dollar bill, see here. But what's that all about? Having something to do with the Israeli 5 lira note? Also see here.
 
077. Hawker Hurricanes:
Probably Hurricanes. Will need to confirm with larger screenshot (which I cannot provide atm because VNC does not work on this Mac here ;), please be patient)
 
078. Mass–Energy Equivalence:
 
079. Jackson Pollock:
Can be found here.
Does it have a name?
 
080. Suburbanization?:
Where is this?
 
081. 1947 Chrysler Town and Country Convertible:
 
082. Jukebox Wurlitzer:
 
083. Untethered extra-vehicular activity:
Which one, which mission?
 
084. Space Shuttle Challenger launching for STS-41-C:
Can be found here.
This book suggests it's the Columbia, but if you look at this Wikipedia image, you can see much more black on the front part of the wings of the Columbia.
However, this picture from NASA supposedly shows the same launch (the intro's shot being inverted), stating that it is the Challenger (OV-099) taking off on April 6, 1984 for its mission STS-41-C.
 
085. The Pill:
 
086. Surgery?:
Is the snapshot specific to this?
 
087. Intel Pentium processor and LSI circuits:
First generation of Intel's pentium alongside of random LSI (<- or would anyone know which ones?).
 
088. IBM 3420:
Old and new model.
 
089. The 3 1/2 inch Floppy Disk:
1.44MB capacity
 
090. Empire State Building:
What is special about the picture?
It's facing North, so even if WTC was still there, it wouldn't be in the picture - so I don't see any 9/11 connection.
 
091. Toronto Subway at Union Station:
Yonge-University-Spadina line heading towards Downsview stopping at Union Station.
Andrew found this picture and this one, where and the walls, floor, ceiling and lighting match.
Also found at hotstop.
 
092. Hollywood:
Does anybody have the urge/time to check out all the lights in Hollywood and tell me which intersection this is ;)? C'mon, show some enthusiasm just like Rush and Howard searching for the house of America's Next Top Model :).
 
093. Martin Luther King, Jr.:
 
094. Disco?:
 
095. Retro Rollerskates?:
 
096. Mysta Bot:
By PlayTime, see here.
 
097. AIWA XP-560 CD-Player:
Model will need confirmation with larger screenshot (currently not available because on my home comp...)
 
098. IBM PS/2 Model 50Z:
 
099. breakdance?:
 
100. 1989 Motorola Micro TAC:
 
101. Very Large Array:
Can anyone find out where this one is located? At Socorro?
E.g. on a book cover.
 
102. skateboarding?:
 
103. The Berlin Wall:
 
104. SBB-CFF-FFS RABDe 500:
See its Wikipedia page.
Taken from this photo.
Thanks Markus for taking a photo of such a train in Zurich.
 
105. snowboarding?:
 
106. Playstation:
 
107. Oil field?:
Where is this?
Can be found e.g. here.
 
108. Digital Cameras:
 
109. Millennium? July 4th?: