George Mendonsa
George Mendonsa
“The Kissing Sailor”: The story behind the iconic image celebrating victory over Japan
On August 14, 1945, the news was announced to the world that the Japanese had surrendered and the Second World War was finally over. Celebrations erupted across the globe, with one of the biggest in New York City’s Times Square. Among those celebrating was George Mendonsa, a young sailor who had been in the Pacific for two years aboard USS The Sullivans. The spontaneous celebratory kiss he shared with a nurse has become one of the most iconic images of the twentieth century: V-J Day in Times Square.
