At the beginning of 1941, America was resolute in its determination to stay out of the war engulfing much of the world. The German armies had conquered most of Western Europe, and England suffered greatly under a prolonged German bombing campaign. China was fighting to defend itself from a Japanese invasion. Germany, Italy, and Japan entered into a military alliance and, for a while, seemed like they might conquer the entire world. The world was in a state of turmoil, with many nations either at war or under threat of invasion.

One of the things that abruptly altered this was the Japanese surprise attack on the American military base at Pearl Harbor on December 7 of that year. The next day, President Roosevelt gave his famous “Date Which Will Live in Infamy” speech and declared war on Japan. Germany and Italy responded by declaring war on America. In a swift turn of events, America was thrust into the war.

One of the most colossal and rapid military mobilizations in history ensued. America had to rapidly expand the size of its military, necessitating the swift and effective training of a deluge of newly drafted soldiers and volunteers. Factories and other critical infrastructure were erected across the country. Civilians everywhere planted ‘victory gardens’ to sustain themselves, diverting the country’s agricultural output to feed the new soldiers. A massive recycling and conservation effort was put into action for similar reasons.

In a remarkably short span, America transitioned from a nation determined to stay out of the war to a nation ready, willing, and able to fight a war on two fronts- against Japan in the Pacific and the Nazis in Europe.