On this episode of Our American Stories, in 1941, Captain America Comics No. 1 hit newsstands with an unforgettable image: Captain America punching Adolf Hitler. The cover appeared nearly a year before Pearl Harbor, at a time when much of the country was still divided over entering World War II.

Joe Parrott of Ohio State University explains how Captain America’s first appearance reflected the mood of the moment, the character’s Jewish roots, and why that single punch became one of the most important images in comic book history.

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