The woman photographed with the sailor on Aug. 14, 1945, at the end of WWII, Greta Zimmer Friedman died on Thursday. She was 92.
The photo "The Kiss" represents how Americans felt on that wonderful day so many years ago. The picture was printed on the front page of LIFE magazine.
Japan surrendered to end World War II the day the picture was shot in Times Square, while people celebrated the end of the worst war Americans had ever seen, with dancing in the streets, drinking, and yes, kissing.
What's most interesting about this picture and what many people don't know is that the sailor and the nurse had never met before. The sailor, George Mendonsa saw Greta Zimmer Friedman, he swirled her up into his arms and kissed her.
Friedman admitted she was the woman in the picture in 2005 and agreed to be interviewed. “It wasn’t that much of a kiss. It was just somebody celebrating. It wasn’t a romantic event.”
The photograph is one of the 20th centuries most famous. So filled with free-spirited enthusiasm and euphoria.
"It was the moment. You come back from the Pacific, and finally, the war ends," said George Mendonsa
Alfred Eisenstaedt, a world famous photographer took four pictures of the couple within a few seconds.
"The excitement of the war being over, plus I had a few drinks," George explains. " ... So when I saw the nurse, I grabbed her, and I kissed her."
"You don't forget this guy grabbing you!" Greta said.
George had no clue the picture had been captured for eternity.
He had been on a date with another girl who was also a nurse, he later married her.
They never met again till Life magazine asked them to reveal themselves. A friend of George's noticed the picture in LIFE magazine.
"He says, 'I know it's you,"' George remembers. "I said, 'You're crazy!' This was 1980, 35 years after the war ended. ... So he brought the magazine over to the house and, the minute I looked at it, I said, 'Damn. That IS me!"'
That was the first time George ever laid eyes on the photo.
Friedman is survived by her son, daughter, sister, Belle Hoffman, and two grandchildren. Friedman will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery, next to her late husband, Dr. Misha Friedman.
Ah, the good ole days in nursing that many of us old nurses still remember. For several reasons many of the nursing skills we practiced in days gone by are a distant memory. Some of them were darn right scary, but others are still favored by many
Salutations! Florence Nightingale, here. Through the wonders of technology, I am able to speak to you from the past and learn about future cultures. Allow me to invest my limited time today to speak with you about stewardship of our glorious planet.
loyal readers know, thanks to the wonders of technology, we are now able to communicate with people from the past. Our favorite contact is Florence Nightingale,
These weird and crazy medical ads from the past are enough to make you fall off your chair. All of these are real medical ads from pharmaceutical companies and other medical companies. Scary to say the least. We've sure come a long way baby! and thank goodness we have.
Do you love your scrubs? Or maybe you are still a firm believer in white nursing dresses? Whatever the case some of you may have wondered what the nursing uniforms of the past looked like and how the we have evolved to wear the scrubs that we know and love today!
Nursing is a noble profession and I love being a nurse. But I've been a nurse for many years. I won't tell you how long because it will give my age away. But let's just say it's been several presidents ago since I graduated from nursing school.
I was recently discussing nursing with my grandmother. She too was a nurse "way back in the day" and she has a lot of stories to tell. Many of the stories she tells I have heard many times before. So I painfully smile and think "Gawd, not again Grandma." But some of her tales are much more interesting to me now that I'm a nurse.
Let's talk about...you guessed it, that hat. What's it all about? Nurses in the past lovingly talked about their hat and proudly wore them. But you won't find too many nurses today wearing these little gems. The first and last time I ever wore mine was for my graduation picture many
Every year we celebrate National Nurses Week from May 6-12. It's a tribute to the founder of nursing, Florence Nightingale.
Here's some cool information about the efficacy of the vaccine in the history of the U.S. Quite fascinating.
The woman photographed with the sailor on Aug. 14, 1945, at the end of WWII, Greta Zimmer Friedman died on Thursday. She was 92.