Greta Zimmer Friedman

You probably don’t recognize the name, but you certainly will remember the picture…

It was August 14th, 1945, when a 21 year old dental assistant heard reports that World War II had ended. She went to Times Square and that’s when she was grabbed — and kissed — by an ecstatic sailor. That 21 year old was Greta Zimmer Friedman. She passed away on Thursday, September 8th, 2016 at the age of 92. Her son reported that she died at a hospital in Richmond, VA, from complications from old age.

It was a Life magazine photographer named Alfred Eisenstaedt who captured that kiss on film. It became one of the most famous photographs of the 20th century.

Zimmer Friedman will be buried next to her late husband, Dr. Misha Friedman, in Arlington National Cemetery.

 

Photo: AP Photo/U.S. Navy/Victor Jorgensen

I’ve always been the kind of person who notices the things other people overlook — strange roadside attractions, forgotten pieces of history, unusual places, odd trends, and the little things in everyday life that make you stop and say, “Wait... when did that become normal?” That curiosity is really what this blog is all about. I’m especially drawn to the stories hiding in plain sight: a forgotten piece of Michigan history, a roadside attraction you’d never know was there, an old building with a story behind it, or some completely ordinary part of modern life that suddenly seems ridiculous when you think about it for more than five seconds. Some days you’ll find a fascinating history story here. Other days I may take you along on a road trip, dig into something weird from Michigan’s past, share an interesting discovery, or simply rant about something in modern life that makes absolutely no sense. I don’t pretend to have all the answers. I just enjoy asking the questions, digging around for the stories, and sharing the interesting things I find along the way. My goal is simple: Keep looking. Keep learning. And keep things interesting.

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