Only People Over the Age of 50 Will Recognize These Historic Photos

Photos of Times Square on V-E Day showed crowds celebrating Germany’s defeat with flags, headlines, embraces, and relief. Newspapers used these scenes to show victory as a public emotion. Today, they are remembered as images of release after years of war, even though the Pacific war was still continuing.

V-E Day, or Victory in Europe Day, was celebrated on May 8, 1945, after Nazi Germany’s surrender. In New York, crowds gathered around Times Square and newspaper tickers to hear updates. The photographs capture a turning point: Europe’s war had ended, but World War II itself was not yet over.