The "golden age" in the history of women’s wrestling in the United States was the 1940s and 1950s. Following the austerity of World War II, audiences craved new types of entertainment. Women wrestlers emerged on the scene, many in carnival atmospheres in which audience members could challenge them to a match. Titillating to some men, this odd career was also empowering to some women. Popular wrestlers such as Ida Mae Martinez and Elvira Snodgrass were able to travel the world and build substantial personal fortunes. Today, they are remembered through the trading cards and press photographs produced at the height of their fame.