Wilma Betty Gray's WAC journey began when she boarded a train, destination unknown. Her assignment was Oak Ridge, Tennessee, for the Manhattan Project.

On July 16, 1945, the world’s first atomic bomb detonated in the New Mexican desert, releasing a level of destructive power unknown in the existence of humanity. Emitting as much energy as 21,000 tons of TNT and creating a fireball that measured roughly 2,000 feet in diameter, the first successful test of an atomic bomb, known as the Trinity Test, forever changed the history of the world.

While most people are familiar with the names of “Little Boy” and “Fat Man” as the atomic weapons used over Japan, what they may not be familiar with was how different the respective technologies of each bomb were and why this difference mattered. 

Visitors often ask, “Why is the Museum in New Orleans?” The answer to this simple question requires an understanding of the city’s involvement in World War II, politics, and American memory.

Volunteers have helped keep things running smoothly at the Museum since it opened in 2000—and a very special group has been here from the very beginning.

Regarded as the “most beautiful woman in the world,” Hedy Lamarr was not only a famous Hollywood actress who sold millions in war bonds during World War II, she was an inventor. Her creations included a frequency-hopping radio communications device for Allied torpedoes during the war.

In her first My Day column after Franklin D. Roosevelt's death on April 12, 1945, Eleanor Roosevelt reflects on the sorrow following his passing, honors his commitment to justice, and urges the world to unite in building a lasting, just peace.

Each tattoo inked on the skin of those who lived through World War II tells a unique story, reflecting both personal experiences and collective history.

Facing the harrowing task of rebuilding a life in the wake of the Holocaust, many Jewish survivors, community and religious leaders, and Allied soldiers viewed marriage between Jewish women and military personnel as a way to move forward after unspeakable loss.

Well before the war ended, President Franklin D. Roosevelt envisioned a plan for veterans to return home and better their lives through the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944. But administering the massive welfare program required navigating social and political challenges.

Although the Washington Naval Conference concluded nearly two decades before the attack on Pearl Habor, its outcome shaped the course of World War II in the Pacific between the United States and Japan.

As dozens of their players left the gridiron for battlefields overseas, the cities of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh joined forces to keep the decimated NFL squads up and running.