Today in World War II History

Three WAVES by the Jefferson Memorial, Washington DC, 1943-45
(National Archives photo)70 Years Ago—Apr. 13, 1943: President Roosevelt dedicates the Jefferson Memorial on the 200th anniversary of Jefferson’s birth—statue originally made of plaster painted bronze due to wartime restrictions on metal. FDR proclaims: “Today in the midst of a great war for freedom, we dedicate a shrine to freedom.”