On this day in 1945, New Yorkers took to the streets to celebrate the end of World War II in Europe. While sirens blared across the city, people cheered and hugged in front of the famous Times Square ticker tape parade. Amidst the massive crowd, one couple stood out. George Mendonsa, a sailor, grabbed hold of a nurse he had never met before and kissed her passionately. The moment was captured by photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt in an iconic image that would come to symbolize the joyous relief of a nation. The nurse, later identified as Greta Friedman, passed away in 2016 at the age of 92. Though the spontaneous embrace between the strangers may have been brief, their everlasting kiss will forever be etched in history.

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