True Story of V-J Day Smooching

As first dates go, Rita Petry thought this one was pretty great: a beautiful summer afternoon in the city, a matinee at Radio City Music Hall, drinks after, followed by a passionate, soon-to-be-iconic kiss.

Well, maybe not the kiss: Her handsome young suitor, it turns out, planted that on another woman.

Such is the incredible story behind one of the most romantic and enduring photos of the 20th century — and one of our most compelling mysteries.

Since Aug. 14, 1945, the identities of the smooching sailor and the nurse in Alfred Eisenstaedt's Times Square V-J Day photograph have never been determined — until the publication, last week, of the book “The Kissing Sailor: The Mystery Behind the Photo that Ended World War II.”

 

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