In a surprise move that will empower bloggers, Getty Images has made over 35 million of their archived photo images freely available for non-commercial, online use.  The Getty archives contain some of the most notable photographs ever taken.  From the whimsical image of Albert Einstein sticking out his toungue for the photgrapher to the heart-wrenching smoke trails that remained in the sky following the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger in 1986, Getty Images has opened a vast collection of poignant and intriguing snapshots the capture the best and the worst of the human experience.

Bloggers and other online networkers will be able to grab a code from the Getty site that will embed the images complete with the necessary credits and attributions.  By following a link from the image, users will even be able to go to the site and license the picture for actual commercial uses.  Whether you are blogging, Tweeting, using Tumblr, or employing some similar online networking technology, you can use the Getty images free of charge.  You just have to follow the rules and not be using the pictures for commercial gain.

Say good-bye to lousy web graphics and hello to Getty Images!