Listen for yourself to the original radio adaptation of H.G. Wells' science fiction novel The War of the Worlds, directed and narrated by actor Orson Welles. Now, imagine switching on your radio, expecting to hear the evening news, and hearing this.

Jazz was to the 1930s and 1940s what hip-hop is to the '90s and the 2000s. Check out this classic jazz album from Artie Shaw, one of the era's heaviest hitters.

These are just a few of the pop hits from the war years that boosted the morale of Americans at home and GIs fighting abroad. The collection includes songs by some of the decade's biggest artists, including Frank Sinatra, Duke Ellington, and Louis Armstrong.

A few more of the pop classics from the war years, this collection includes tracks from Glenn Miller & His Orchestra, Marlene Dietrich, Bing Crosby, Dinah Shore, and the sultry Billie Holiday.

Duke Ellington is arguably one of the greatest jazz musicians of all time. The "Duke" enjoyed some of his greatest success during the war years, when his compositions were savored by Americans at home and those fighting abroad.