You Can Do It! Try This Quiz on Women During World War II

Frances Perkins was the first woman to hold a position in the Cabinet of a U.S. President. As secretary of labor, not only did she oversee women’s entry into the workforce during World War II, she also worked to relax immigration requirements in an effort to aid Jewish people fleeing persecution in Europe. Perkins remains the longest-serving secretary of labor, holding the position for 12 years.

American-born dancer and singer Josephine Baker moved to France to perform burlesque at 19 years old, and became a national sensation. She used her popularity as cover for her double life as a spy during WWII. Baker attended diplomatic parties at Italian and Japanese embassies, where she gathered intelligence about Axis powers, smuggled documents, and secretly took detailed notes in the bathroom.

British men were conscripted into service by the National Service Act in 1939, and the U.K. Parliament expanded the act to include women two years later. Initially, the act only called on unmarried women between ages 20 and 30, as well as childless widows, but it was later extended to include married women and women of a broader age range.

Marilyn Monroe began working on the assembly line for the Radioplane Company in 1944. It was there that she met photographer David Conover, who was sent by future President Ronald Reagan to photograph women working in support of the war effort. Monroe — then known as Norma Jeane Mortenson — was photographed “installing” a plane propeller for “Yank” military magazine.

Elizabeth “Libby” Gardner was a member of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) during World War II. She was famously photographed in the cockpit of a B-26 aircraft radiating a sense of exuberance that exemplified the enthusiasm of many women to aid in the war effort. Gardner first reported for flying duty in January 1944 after months of training in Sweetwater, Texas.

Ruby Bradley is one of the most decorated women in U.S. military history; in 1958, she became just the third woman promoted to colonel. During World War II, she served as an Army nurse in the Philippines, where she was captured and held as a prisoner of war. Bradley was later liberated, and eventually earned 34 medals for her military service.

More than 200,000 American women served in the military during World War II, in branches including the Women’s Army Corps and Women Airforce Service Pilots. This was just the tip of the iceberg, however, as some 3 million women volunteered with the Red Cross during that time, and more than 6 million women took wartime jobs in factories.

Serving as First Lady during World War II, Eleanor Roosevelt traveled across the U.S. to rally citizens to join the war effort. In 1942, she was asked by FDR to travel to England to visit U.S. troops stationed overseas. The trip required secrecy, so the First Lady was given the code name “Rover.” The aides who accompanied the First Lady were dubbed “Rover’s Rangers.”

Dinah Shore was one of many performers who volunteered for the USO (United Service Organizations) to entertain frontline troops during World War II. The USO made its first overseas tour in October 1941, featuring tap dancer Mitzi Mayfair, and future performances showcased acts such as Shore, the Andrews Sisters, and actress Marlene Dietrich.

Actress Hedy Lamarr invented a new form of frequency hopping that made a radio signal move between different channels on the way to its destination. It was revolutionary for World War II transmissions, but Lamarr’s technology wasn’t fully embraced until later. Her work has a much broader impact today, as the basis for Wi-Fi and other wireless technology.

In 1944, famed chef Julia Child was stationed in the Office of Strategic Services, which is where she met her husband, diplomat Paul Cushing Child. The OSS, an intelligence agency that coordinated espionage activities behind enemy lines, was integral to gathering intel during World War II. Julia Child had hoped to join the Women’s Army Corps, but was deemed too tall for the job.

In 1942, the Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps was created to grant women official military status. One year later, the word “auxiliary” was dropped, and WACs received full Army benefits. Though the women didn’t see combat, they performed key roles as radio operators, electricians, air-traffic controllers, and more. The Army didn’t become fully integrated until 1978.

When then-Princess Elizabeth turned 18 in 1944, she insisted on joining the women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) branch of the British army, becoming the first female member of the royal family to join the armed forces. Elizabeth began her training as a mechanic in March 1945, just before the war in Europe ended on May 8, 1945.

The character of Rosie the Riveter was a stylized female factory worker meant to recruit women to join the workforce during World War II. The now-iconic poster was created in 1942 by J. Howard Miller, and was originally featured in an ad for Westinghouse Electric with the slogan “We Can Do It!” The character was popularized when it was redrawn by artist Norman Rockwell for the “Saturday Evening Post” in 1943, and the image of the bandana-clad Rosie flexing her arm became a symbol of women’s empowerment.

With hundreds of Major League Baseball players serving in the war effort, the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was founded in 1943 to ensure the game’s continued popularity. The first season featured teams known as the Rockford Peaches, Racine Belles, South Bend Blue Sox, and Kenosha Comets. The league — famously depicted in the 1992 film “A League of Their Own” — ceased operations in 1954.