The 'kiss' of two electricity workers touched millions of hearts

The photo “Kiss of Life” was taken in 1967 (Photo: Rocco Morabito).

In July 1967, photographer Rocco Morabito took a lifetime photo while he was working on the streets of New York, USA.

At that time, he happened to witness a rare scene of an electricity worker performing CPR on a colleague in the air after the man touched a high-voltage power line.

JD Thompson and Randall G. Champion were two electricians performing routine maintenance on top of a high-voltage power pole.

Unfortunately, Champion touched a power line with more than 4,000 volts, causing him to be electrocuted, stop his heart, and lose consciousness. His safety belt kept him from falling.

Meanwhile, Thompson, who was on his way down, realized the situation and quickly performed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on his colleague.

Thompson couldn't perform CPR, but he continued to breathe into Champion's lungs until he felt a slight tug. Thompson then unbuckled his colleague's seat belt, placed him on his shoulder, and brought them both down.

Once on the ground, Thompson and another worker performed CPR on Champion and he barely survived until an ambulance arrived. Champion eventually made a full recovery.

In 1968, Rocco Morabito won the Pulitzer Prize, an award that honors outstanding photojournalism, for his photo “The Kiss of Life.” The photo was later published in newspapers around the world.

Thanks to Thompson's quick thinking that year, Champion survived. He died in 2002 at the age of 64, 35 years after the accident. Thompson is still alive today.