Sailor in Iconic WWII Kissing Photo Dies at 86

Glenn McDuffie was 18 years old the day World War II ended. Having just exited a New York subway station at Times Square, McDuffie, a sailor, heard the news, grabbed a nurse and kissed her. Photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt captured the the moment, which became synonymous with V-J day—August 14, 1945.

McDuffie died March 9 in Dallas. He was 86 years old, according to the Associated Press.

Image: The Chronicle, Melissa Phillip/Associated Press

Eisenstaedt never asked the nurse or sailor for their names, and the iconic image had unidentified subjects for years. In 1980, Los Angeles schoolteacher Edith Shain reached out to Life magazine to claim she was the woman in the photo. Eisenstaedt flew out to meet her and confirmed the she was the iconic nurse. A number of men claimed to be the sailor, but McDuffie's account was confirmed in 2007 by a forensic specialist. Read more...