A jubilant American soldier sweeps a nurse into a passionate embrace in New York's Times Square, where thousands gathered to celebrate victory over Japan in World War II on14 August 1945.

The world-famous image -titled VJ Day in Times Square - was captured by Time magazine photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt.

Prince Charles kisses his wife, the late Princess Diana, on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after their wedding in a ceremony watched by millions around the world on 29 July 1981.

Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh epitomise true (if not somewhat stormy) romance in an iconic scene from 1939 blockbuster Gone with the Wind.

Surrounded by crowds and cameras, First Lady Michelle Obama and President Barack Obama seal his presidential victory with a tender kiss at the Eastern Inaugural Ball in Washington DC on January 20, 2009.

In a scene similar to Eisenstaedt's Victory photo, an American sailor and his girlfriend celebrate news of the end of war with Japan in front of the Trans-Lux Theatre in New York's Time Square on 14 August 1945.

Two of cinema's biggest legends come together as Grace Kelly receives a kiss from Marlon Brando after each are honoured at the 1954 Oscars in Hollywood. Kelly won the award for 1954 drama The Country Girl and Brando was recognised for his role in On the Waterfront.

The Kiss, a marble sculpture by French sculptor Auguste Rodin, is revered the worldwide for its blend of eroticism and optimism, depicting two lovers caught in time. Here it is pictured at London's Royal Academy of Arts, where it was exhibited in 2006.

One of the oldest kisses documented in history has to do with betrayal rather than romance. In this biblical scene based on Christian beliefs, Judas identifies Jesus to surrounding soldiers by kissing him - leading directly to Jesus' arrest, according to the Bible.

Prince William and his new wife Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, satisfy thousands of adoring fans gathered in front of Buckingham Palace with their first public kiss following their wedding on 29 April 2011. The kiss was later criticised by some as being too brief, but nevertheless drew whoops of approval from the crowd.

Princess Aurora is given the kiss of life in one of the most memorable scenes from 1959 Walt Disney classic Sleeping Beauty.

Passersby watch the recreation of Russian artist Dmitry Vrubel's historic mural showing former Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev (left) kissing former communist East German leader Erich Honecker at a surviving portion of the Berlin Wall, Germany, in June 2009.

She may have made headlines by kissing Britney at the MTV Music Awards in 2003, but Madonna was busy kissing her stage companions way before that. Here she is locking lips with one of her dancers during the Blonde Ambition tour at Wembley Stadium in July 1990.

Actor Adrien Brody draws Halle Berry into an unexpected but intense scoop-and-dip at the 2003 Oscars, after she presents him with a Best Actor gong for war-time drama The Pianist. Having successfully completed his mission, Brody quipped to his surprised kissing partner, "I bet they didn't tell you that was in the gift bag."

This re-print of a 1980 photo shoot for the cover of album Double Fantasy features John Lennon and Yoko Ono kissing in front of The Dakota building in New York. Double Fantasy was released on 17 November 1980, just three weeks before Lennon was assassinated in front of the couple's home at The Dakota.

An uptown golden cocker spaniel and a downtown mutt share a spaghetti-themed smooch in beloved 1955 Walt Disney cartoon Lady And The Tramp. Meatballs never looked so romantic...

A couple appear to be lost in an embrace - making love, not war - amid violent riots that broke out following a hockey game in Vancouver, Canada, on 15 June 2011. The duo were later identified Australian bartender Scott Jones and Canadian college student Alex Thomas, who was injured just before the photo was taken, with the two becoming caught between police lines and the rioters.

World trampolining champion Paul Luxon and his fiancee, German Ladies Champion Ute Czech, get together for a mid-air kiss at the Biggin Hill Air Fair near London in May 1973.

Tobey Maguire is king of dexterity as he honours co-star Kirsten Dunst with an upside-down kiss in 2002 hit Spider-Man, in a tricky yet passionate embrace that made movie history.

Not content with jumping on Oprah's sofa, Tom Cruise dips Katie Holmes into a classic Hollywood smooch pose at the premiere of War Of The Worlds in New York in June 2005.

A soldier kisses his wife at King George V dock, London, after returning from being stationed in India on December 4, 1934, in a historic, of-the-moment photo captured by Douglas Miller.