Living History: Tuskegee Airmen

With the threat of another war looming over the country, the Roosevelt Administration passed the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940, the first peace-time draft in US history which required all men between the ages of 18-45 to serve in the army. This paved the way for Blacks to be trained for aviation and was a significant moment for civil rights activists at the time. (Photo:  MPI/Getty Images)