October 1942. "Clerk in North American Aviation stockroom, checking to see if the proper numbers of parts were received and placed in the proper bin. Inglewood, California. This plant produces the battle-tested B-25 (Billy Mitchell) bomber, used in General Doolittle's raid on Tokyo, and the P-51 (Mustang) fighter plane which was first brought into prominence by the British raid on Dieppe." View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer.

October 1942. Assembling switchboxes on the firewalls of B-25 bombers at North American Aviation's Inglewood, California, factory. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Alfred Palmer, Office of War Information.

1942. Grand Grocery in Lincoln, Nebraska. View full size. 35mm Kodachrome transparency by John Vachon. Alternate version shows a different view.

October 1942. Lathe operator machining parts for transport planes at the Consolidated Aircraft plant in Fort Worth, Texas. View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Howard Hollem, Office of War Information.

June 29, 1916, fire at the Fox Playhouse between East 13th and 14th Streets. Tenants in the building owned by restaurateur August Luchow included the vaudeville house (showing "photo plays"), Loewinger Brothers printers, a pool hall and Greater New York Film Rental. We also see women at two of the windows. View full size. 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection.

On January 6, 1915, an electrical short in a manhole started a fire that filled the subway line under Broadway at West 55th Street with smoke, resulting in chaos for a quarter-million commuters. The New York Times reported that one person, Ella Grady, was killed. We note that photographer George Grantham Bain, like many of us writing checks just after January 1, was a year off in dating this photo. View full size. 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection.

Automobile Row: Broadway at West 55th Street. Another view of the January 6, 1915, subway fire in New York. More details here. 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size.

February 19, 1915: "Murray Street Fire" in Manhattan. Who can help us fill in the details? View full size. 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection.

A pawn shop at No. 15 Cooper Square (thanks, Evan) in New York circa 1920. 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. View full size.

La Primadora cigar shop at 1153 Broadway in New York circa 1920. The owner, civic leader and entrepreneur Max Schwarz, died in 1940. View full size. 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection. Alternate view here.

Another view of the Primadora cigar shop, with a lunchroom, furrier, carpenter and men's clothier as neighbors. View full size. Geo. Grantham Bain Collection.

Another view of the Waldman's music store in Manhattan from 1921, showing records, listening booths and Victrolas. The inscription on the negative also says "N.Y. B'd Inst. Co." View full size. George Grantham Bain Collection.

The Owens & Beers record shop at 81 Chambers Street in New York circa 1915-1920. View full size. 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection.