Have you ever been scared at the top of a roller coaster? What about a few thousand feet in the air getting ready to dive bomb a Japanese destroyer in the Pacific theater?
From winning World War II to constructing some of America's greatest infrastructure, the "Greatest Generation" operated on a different level. They didn't just storm the beaches of Normandy, they raised the biggest generation in history and ushered the world into a new and prosperous era.
Here are 21 photos of your grandparents doing things your kids can only dream of.
1
“My Grandfather During WWII”
“He stayed cool through his 90s.”
2
Dive Bomber at Torokina
An American Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless on D-Day morning.
3
Troops Land at Normandy
France, 1944.
4
Lunch Atop a Skyscraper
Building the RCA building in 1932.
5
Easter Eggs
Holiday gifts for Hitler.
6
“My Great Grandpa”
Enjoying himself in the bath, 1940s.
7
The Saloon
Having real fun in the ‘40s.
8
Chemical Trucks
Loaded, but never used.
9
Reading a Warning Sign
Cologne, Germany, 1945.
10
A Triple Exposure Selfie
Workers in the 1930s.
11
2,000 Pound Bombs
Loading into a ship.
12
“My Grandfather”
“Still alive now at 97.”
13
Cable Worker
Over New York in the 1930s.
14
Florence Thompson
The “Migrant Mother” taking care of her children during the Dust Bowl. By Dorothea Lange.
15
Raising the Flag
Iwo Jima, by Joe Rosenthal.
16
Worker Bolting
The Empire State Building, 1930.
17
Tuskegee Airmen
Circa May, 1942.
18
Capt. Wendell O. Pruitt
One of the leading pilots of the 15th Air Force, 1944.
19
Invading France
Americans carry wounded.
20
Examining Damage
Still from the Battle of Midway shot by John Ford.
21
Joking Around
Playing with heavy machinery during WWII.
