ROSIE THE RIVETER

"Rosie the Riveter" was the title of a song written in 1942, during World War II (1939–1945). The song quickly became a popular hit, and more importantly became the catch phrase that represented all women working in war-related industries.

The image of a woman war worker first appeared on the cover of the then-popular weekly magazine, Saturday Evening Post, on May 25, 1943. It was a painting by renowned artist Norman Rockwell of a woman worker; a muscular body, a cute saucy face, and very determined. She had a rivet gun, used for industrial assembly, resting across her lap, and the name "Rosie" painted on her lunchbox.

"Rosie the Riveter" became the major symbol of the more than six million women who joined the workforce during World War II. The women worked in naval shipyards, lumber mills, steel mills, and foundries. They worked as welders, mechanics, electricians, and boilermakers. They operated buses, cranes, tractors, and worked as engineers, police officers, taxicab drivers, and members of federal government services.

When the war ended in 1945, so did the extraordinary job opportunities for women. "Rosie the Riveter" disappeared as quickly as she had been created. "Rosie" represented the superb skill, ability, and patriotism of all U.S. women working on behalf of the domestic, industrial efforts on the "home front" during World War II.