The Kiss of Life: The Amazing Story of the Pulitzer-winning Photo in 1968

The photographer's work requires a thorough knowledge of techniques, equipment and visual composition, but also requires a dose of luck. Fifty years ago, New Yorker Rocco Morabito won the Pulitzer Prize for a photo that was taken by chance.

In July 1967, Morabito was heading for a photo shoot event for the Jacksonville Journal when he stopped to photograph a rail demonstration. Nearby, JD Thompson and Randall Champion were working on power line maintenance when Champion was shocked and passed out.

There was a commotion, which caught the eye of photographer Morabito, who, looking up, saw Champion hanging upside down by the safety gear while Thompson tried to revive him. Morabito called an ambulance over the radio of his car and went on to record the scene, including the moment Thompson took a word of mouth at his still-hanging and unconscious co-worker. The photo was titled "The Kiss of Life" and went around the world.

Fortunately, Thompson's swift action was able to bring Champion back to life, who lived another 34 years after that fateful day - he died in 2002 at the age of 64 from a heart attack. Photographer Morabito retired in 1982 and died in 2009 at 88. Hero JD Thompson, who was a newbie at work who saved his colleague, is the only one still alive in this exciting story.

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