World War II On December 7, 1941, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, a day that will go down in infamy. Ms. Augspurger remembers being shocked. There had been reports that the Japanese were getting stronger, but she didn't know that they were strong enough to attack and hurt us like they did. At first, people didn't believe we were being attacked; they thought it was an exercise. We were a strong nation and weaker nations would not dare attack us on our own soil. Due to the events at Pearl Harbor, the United States joined World War II. During the war, Mrs. Augspurger became known as "Rosy Riveter", a young housewife who worked in the factories while the men were at war. She worked at Wrights Aeronautics and Ford Automotive. The aircraft factory made sheet metal for airplanes and, of course, Ford Automotive made automobiles. However, unlike many housewives, Mrs. Augspurger continued to work long after the war ended. She celebrated the end of the war by buying a new used car, decorating it, and driving it honking around the city center. It was a day to rejoice!