Eighty years ago, the census of 1940—16th in the nation’s history—was carried out beginning in April. It would hold both immediate and long-lasting ramifications for the country and its citizens, some of which have only recently begun to come to light.

Merchant Marine, Louis Taix of New Orleans, Louisiana, was lost at sea when the SS Nicarao was sunk by a German submarine U-751 on the night of May 15, 1942, in the Bahama Islands.

Films presented in the Reel History Film series illustrates the power of community and American heroes on the frontlines.

Private Snafu, a Warner Bros. Studios cartoon produced for the war effort, educated and entertained GIs.

In this clip, Roland Chaisson talks about his experiences during the Sicilian Campaign and encounters he had with local civilians and their German occupiers.

Louisiana was dotted with Army Air Fields during World War II. Most of them exist today as civilian airports, their military history long forgotten.

Read the story of restoring the Museum’s Sherman tank to operating condition.

As American ground forces fought for control of Okinawa in the spring of 1945, Japanese Kamikaze pilots wreaked a grim toll on American naval forces.

The roundtable discussion explores how history offers lessons for understanding the clash between individual liberties and collective effort.

Originally designed by an eccentric engineer for hurricane rescues, it became the LVT used for armored landings in both the Pacific and European theaters.

After delivering vital parts to the island of Tinian for the atomic bomb that would be dropped on Hiroshima, the heavy cruiser USS Indianapolis was struck by two enemy torpedoes on July 29, 1945. The ship sank in twelve minutes.

The British conquest of East Africa, culminating in the May 1941 Battle of Amba Alagi, marked one of WWII's most decisive campaigns.