Pg… 8 Editor's Note

Pg… 12 1945 In the century's watershed year, the world as we know it was born.

Pg… 14 JANUARY 1 – MAY 8: From the Battle of the Bulge to the death of FDR to victory in Europe.

Pg… 55 Into the Future: Social Revolution, for blacks, women and returning GIs, the wars end brought great expectations – and impatience for change.

Pg… 63 MAY 9 – SEPTEMBER 2: With Truman in command, the Japanese surrendered.

Pg… 85 Into the future: Suburbanization, freeways, drive–ins, motels and prefab housing reshape America's way of life.

Pg… 91 SEPTEMBER 3 – DECEMBER 31: The dawn of peace and the Cold War.

Pg… 107 Into the Future: World Order, the global stage was set for trouble, from superpower rivalry to the Arab – Israeli conflict.

Pg… 117 Voices '45: The tenor of tumultuous times in the words of sages, pundits, politicians and ordinary people.

Pg… 124 Faces '45: They were beautiful, brilliant, valiant. In a year of high drama, the men and women who stood at center stage.

Pg… 152 Life Goes on