The forties were tremendous times. Americans joined together, not just in war, but in spirit. While World War II was responsible for more than 400,000 deaths, the most destructive war ever was a catalyst for change. From the shock of Pearl Harbor to the finality of the A-bomb, the turmoil reverberated throughout America. Americans went back to work; the Depression was over. As the armed forces drained the men from the labor force, women held the reins thereby widening the horizons for women in the workforce.

Of course, the oldest idea of a hero is the warrior, and in this sense the Forties were the age of heroes. But in wars, heroism itself can be drafted into a government's war machine. Witness the case of Ira Hayes, a reluctant hero, used by the government to sell war bonds. And then there were those who did not fight, but left the world changed for having been there -- many would say, for the better. We'll call them heroes, too.

Gallery of heroes Timeline of the 1940s Historians on a decade of heroes. Odds and Ends

Hero of the day TAKING OFFICE DURING THE WORST TIME OF THE DEPRESSION, Franklin D. Roosevelt brought hope to Americans when >>more

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