During World War 2, the US mobilized its entire economy and workforce for the war effort. Unemployment fell to just 1.2% by 1944 as industries converted from making consumer goods to weapons and war supplies. Women and teenagers entered the workforce in large numbers to replace men serving in the military. Over 6 million women worked in war-related jobs. In August 1945, the US dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, prompting Japan to surrender and end the war.