1. The German leader named Hitler aimed at securing a vast new empire and calculated this goal would require war.
 

Read the synopsis of WWII and answer the following questions:

A. When and how did WWII actually begin?

B. When and how did the U.S. enter WWII

C. How many people died in this war worldwide?
 
 

2. American men rushed to join the war with exuberance and much national pride. Many found deplorable war conditions quickly overcome this enthusiasm. Germans, Japanese, and Italians were not their only enemies.

Describe the "enemy" in this story of a Texas infantry in Italy and how it affected the men.
 

3.As American men went off to the war, there was a tremendous shortage of labor. Women were asked to assume many different roles in American society....and in the war effort.
 

Choose Interview #12: "What Did You Do in the War, Grandma?" - an interview of Katherine O'Grady by Kathy O'Grady.

A. How did Katharine O'Grady help the war effort?

B. Describe how the shortage of food was handled.

C. How did the war change her...and women's role in society?
 
 

4. The hallmarks of fashion during the 1940's were rather austere. "It was considered gauche to be showy during a time of shortage."

A. Name three unusual materials used in clothing and shoes.

B. How did U.S. rationing rules limit shoe designs?
 
 

5. AP photographer Max Desfor was one of the first journalists to fly over Hiroshima after America dropped the atomic bomb.

Watch the video "Atomic Bomb Dropped on Hiroshima" and answer:

A. How many Japanese were killed by this bomb?

B. What was he thinking as he flew over Hiroshima?

C. Japan surrendered ? days after the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima?
 
 

6. "The radio was the lifeline for Americans in the 1940's."
 

A. What kind of music was popular at the beginning of the decade?

B. Name 3 popular singers or bands from this era.

C. Two distinctly black sounds in music grew out of this...what were they called?

D. What else could be heard on the radio?

E. How did the government use the radio?