The woman in an iconic photo shown kissing an ecstatic sailor in Times Square celebrating the end of World War II has died. Greta Zimmer Friedman was 92.
Friedman, who fled Austria during the war as a 15-year-old, died on Thursday at a hospital in Richmond, Virginia, from complications of old age, said her son, Joshua Friedman.
Greta Friedman was a 21-year-old dental assistant in a nurse’s uniform when she became part of one of the most famous photographs of the 20 century.
On Aug. 14, 1945, known as V-J Day (Victory over Japan Day), when Japan surrendered to the United States, people spilled into the New York City streets from restaurants, bars and movie theatres, celebrating the news.
That’s when George Mendonsa spotted Friedman, spun her around and planted a kiss. The two had never met. In fact, Mendonsa was on a date with an actual nurse, Rita Petry, who would later become his wife.
Two photographers clicked the scene. The photo by Alfred Eisenstaedt is called “V-J Day in Times Square,” but is known to most simply as “The Kiss.” Another image from a different angle was taken by U.S. Navy photographer Victor Jorgensen.
Eisenstaedt’s photo was first published in Life magazine, buried deep within its pages. Over the years, the photo gained recognition, and several people claimed to be the kissing couple. In an August 1980 issue of Life, 11 men and three women said they were the subjects. It was years before Mendonsa and Friedman were confirmed to be the couple. — AP
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