With much of the decade dominated by World War II, the 1940s have not gone down in history as the happiest of times. But the 40s had much more to them than war. Swing dancing, jazz, fabulous fashion, classic film, and even the first computer all helped to define the decade as well.
People of the 1940s did the best they could to smile through the tough times. Take a look at these photos from 40s to see what we mean.
Miss America contestants in 1945.
1940s sweethearts
Trying to stay cool in the summer, NYC, 1943
Two sailors celebrating the end of WWll.
Ladies looking fabulous on their bikes.
Salvador Dalí painting “The Face of War”, 1941.
Skate to work, save gas!
Red Cross women dancing with soldiers.
At the Venice Pier Fun House in 1940. As the bowl spins, people fight for leverage to stay in the center.
Swing dancing in the 1940s
1940s men hamming it up in Victorian bathing suits
A group of 1940s students doing their schoolwork while drinking some Coca Cola.
1940s Navy diver
Cool camera trickery in 1945
Danish explorer Peter Freuchen and his wife Dagmar Freuchen Gale, 1947
Tattoo parlor, 1942
Marlyn Wescoff and Ruth Lichterman reprogramming ENIAC, the first general-purpose electronic computer, in 1946.
Awesome photos, but no way you’d get me going underwater in those buckets!
Look like anchors not diving equipment.
I especially love the ones of the Danish explorer and his wife. I do wonder if the one of the sailors is staged though. It seems just too perfect.
ENIAC, the first general-purpose electronic computer, in 1946? Carefully worded to make it appear like the first computer which was actually BRITISH, and you know it was. We just didn’t tell the USA for years after we shortened the war in Europe by two years with it. Still, the USA knows best, again.
As a Brit myself, I’m aways very happy to give credit to our marvellous minds, but the ENIAC is credited with being the first general-purpose electronic computer.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ENIAC
Feel free to educate us otherwise.
This has to be the most pompous comment I’ve ever seen on a website. You seem really salty and I hope that attitude goes away with time, you give british people a bad name when you act like such a prick.
Depends on how you want to define a computer. Alan Turings first computer that cracked the Enigma code was not turing complete. What he built was more of a machine.
These photos are an amazing trip back in time. That Danish explorer though was something else…a bit scary. Got here from my friend Pacific Paratrooper.