When Alfred Eisenstaedt took a picture of a sailor kissing a nurse in Times Square on V-J Day, on Aug. 14, 1945, he knew he’d captured something special. But he likely didn’t realize that the photo would become one of the most iconic images of the 20th century—and one of its most enduring mysteries.
Though the identities of the sailor and nurse have never been confirmed, George Mendonsa, a 92-year-old veteran and retired fisherman, has no doubt the man in the photo is him. “I haven’t found a person yet that I haven’t convinced,” he told CNN, explaining that his large hands, a scar on his brow and his distinct memory of that moment are confirmation enough for him.
Correction: The original headline misstated the occupation of the man in the photograph. He was a sailor.
V-J Day, 1945: A Nation Lets Loose
Caption from the Aug. 27, 1945, issue of LIFE. "In the middle of New York's Times Square a white-clad girl clutches her purse and skirt as an uninhibited sailor plants his lips squarely on hers."Alfred Eisenstaedt—Time & Life Pictures/Getty ImagesContact sheet images from Alfred Eisenstaedt's film, Aug. 14, 1945.Alfred Eisenstaedt—Time & Life Pictures/Getty ImagesNot published in LIFE. Times Square, August 14, 1945 - V-J Day.Alfred Eisenstaedt—Time & Life Pictures/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE. "New York's garment district is snowed under by cloth scraps and snips of all colors and materials."Alfred Eisenstaedt—Time & Life Pictures/Getty ImagesNot published in LIFE. V-J Day in New York City, August 14, 1945.Alfred Eisenstaedt—Time & Life Pictures/Getty ImagesNot published in LIFE. V-J Day in New York City, August 14, 1945.Alfred Eisenstaedt—Time & Life Pictures/Getty ImagesNot published in LIFE. V-J Day in New York City, August 14, 1945.William C. Shrout—Time & Life Pictures/Getty ImagesNew York's Times Square, August 14, 1945 — V-J Day.Herbert Gehr—Time & Life Pictures/Getty ImagesNot published in LIFE. V-J Day in New York City, August 14, 1945.William C. Shrout—Time & Life Pictures/Getty ImagesNot published in LIFE. Celebrations in Washington, DC, August 14, 1945 Ñ V-J Day.Marie Hansen—Time & Life Pictures/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE. "On Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles carousing servicemen neck atop the hood of a careening jeep. The city rocked with joy as impromptu pedestrian parades and motor cavalcades whirled along, hindered only by hurled whiskey bottles, amorous drunks and collisions."Walter Sanders—Time & Life Pictures/Getty ImagesCaption from LIFE. "In San Francisco sailors break into a liquor store and pilfer the stock. Revel turned into a riot as tense servicemen, reprieved from impending Pacific war-zone duty, defaced statues, over-turned street cars, ripped down bond booths, attacked girls. The toll: 1,000 casualties."Nat Farbman—Time & Life Pictures/Getty ImagesNot published in LIFE. Celebrations in Chicago, August 14, 1945 - V-J Day.Gordon Coster—Time & Life Pictures/Getty ImagesNot published in LIFE. Celebrations in Chicago, August 14, 1945 - V-J Day.Myron Davis—Time & Life Pictures/Getty ImagesNot published in LIFE. Celebrations in Chicago, August 14, 1945 - V-J Day.Gordon Coster—Time & Life Pictures/Getty ImagesNot published in LIFE. Celebrations in Chicago, August 14, 1945 - V-J Day.Gordon Coster—Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
