We’ve seen what life looked like in Indianapolis in the city’s “Golden Age” of the 1920s, and what it looked like when the expansion came to a screeching halt in the Great Depression decade of the 30s.
The 1940s was a decade defined by World War II and Indiana was no different. The archive photos below are filled with snapshots that tell the story – new soliders after the country’s first peacetime conscription, the push to buy defense bonds and the celebration on Monument Circle after Japan’s surrender.
Aside from the ever-present backdrop of the war, the photos also show iconic moments and characters from sports and beyond. From Babe Ruth surrounded by Indy kids at a junior all-star game to a 14-year-old Charles Manson already in trouble with the law, check out the archive photos below to see life in one of the most important decades in American history.
Plus, check out some bonus retro galleries of the holidays through the years.
Life in Indianapolis in the 1940s
Thanksgiving and Christmas in Indy through the years
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Babe Ruth, Charles Manson and WWII: See life in Indy in the 1940s
Reporting by Joe Mutascio, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
