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While the passing of the 71st anniversary of VJ Day came and went last month without so much as a peep, the death of one of that celebratory day's most famous kissers made headlines. Having passed away at age 92, the death of Greta Zimmer Friedman, former US Army nurse and unsuspecting target of returning US Navy sailor George Mendonsa's now famous amorous outburst, signalled the end of an era.
Featuring a vividly candid moment of pure celebration, and according to the story's lore, more than a little liquid courage, The Kiss, as it has since been called, was famously published in Time magazine, leading to years of speculation about the identities of the iconic kissing duo, a search which revealed the late Gretta Zimmer Friedman and George Mendonsa back in 2012. Making the story even more poignant — or odd, depending on one's take — Mendonsa's future wife, Rita, with whom the amorous young sailor was on a first date at the time, can be seen smiling in the background.
Very little about Times Square remains as it was back in 1945, as New York City's most famous crossroads has evolved dramatically over the intervening 71 years from a seedy, X-rated strip of adult theatres and gentlemen's clubs, to the tourist- and pedestrian-friendly commercial mecca that it has become today. But one can still imagine the jubilant scene that spawned the kiss seen 'round the world.
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