05/29/2026
On July 17, 1967, a terrible accident happened high above the streets of Jacksonville, Florida. Utility worker Randall G. Champion was working on a power pole when he suddenly received a massive 4,160-volt electric shock. The powerful jolt knocked him unconscious instantly. Thankfully, his safety harness stopped him from falling to the ground, but he remained hanging helplessly from the pole.
Below him was his co-worker, J.D. Thompson. The moment Thompson realized what had happened, he quickly climbed up the pole to help his friend. While balancing high in the air and strapped to the pole himself, Thompson began giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to Champion. He continued breathing air into his lungs for several minutes, refusing to give up. Finally, he felt a small pulse and knew Champion was still alive.
Thompson then carefully unfastened Champion’s harness and carried him down the pole on his shoulder. By the time paramedics arrived, Champion had started recovering. Amazingly, he survived the accident and later made a full recovery. He went on to live for another 35 years.
At the same moment, photographer Rocco Morabito happened to be driving nearby. Seeing the emergency, he quickly called an ambulance using his car radio and captured the dramatic rescue with his camera. The photograph became famous around the world and was later named “The Kiss of Life.” In 1968, it won the Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Photography and became one of history’s most powerful photographs.
