1942: Algeria is a French colony under Nazi occupation. Today: The political party which established Algeria as an independent nation has lost power to more fundamentalist groups.

1942: Mahatma Gandhi is imprisoned as a part of the British government crack-down on India's demand for independence.

Today: Independent India has a population of just under billion people and, according to Bill Gates, is soon to catch up with the United States in terms of technological sophistication. India's middle class is currently the largest of any nation on Earth.

1942: Roosevelt's $59 billion-dollar budget called for $52 billion to be spent on the war effort.

Today: In peace time, the U.S. spends 6 times that amount on military expenditure.