See you next year!

High School Yearbooks from WWII

Between 1941 and 1945, WWII touched and shaped every aspect of American life. From large urban centers to small rural hamlets, no sector of daily life – whether public or private – was immune to the war’s influence; not even the lives of high school students not yet old enough to vote. As students dealt with typical high school experiences like prom and varsity sports, they were forced to confront the realities of the war.

Millions of teenagers coming of age during the war years documented their school days in much the same way students still do today: in annuals and in yearbooks. Today, these yearbooks offer a perspective on a world in upheaval that is both rich and uniquely personal. Collected from across the United States, the words and pictures of these yearbooks present a new opportunity to experience the many challenges, setbacks and triumphs of the war through the eyes of America’s youth.