THE '40s
"After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, on Dec. 7, 1941, the United States entered World War II. More than 16 million American men and women served in the military while millions of housewives worked to help keep the economy running.
"The U.S. emerged from the war as the world's most powerful nation. Americans, after surviving years of depression and war, eagerly started families, causing a surge in the birthrate and the beginning of the postwar baby boom.
"Movie fans enjoyed the films of Bing Crosby and Betty Grable, and when commercial television was launched, Milton Berle and Ed Sullivan became household names. Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in Major League Baseball and became one of the league's brightest stars. For the first time people played with Slinkys and Silly Putty. Nylon stockings were the rage for women, while teenagers sported socks with loafers or saddle shoes and rolled-up blue jeans. The jitterbug was popularized by music from live bands and jukeboxes. And new words coined during the period included hot rod, pinup, bikini, and self-employed."
More than 16 million Americans served in the armed forces during World War II, and more than 405,000 lost their lives. U.S. intervention proved decisive in the Allied victories in Europe and in the Pacific.
Question 1:
You've probably heard the expression "Loose lips sink ships." That
expression originated during World War II. Why were there rules for what a
soldier could write in a letter to his or her family?
The Web site: http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/lslips.htm
To find the answer to that question, go to the Eyewitness:
World War Two Web page.
Antibiotics are used to treat bacterial infections. Penicillin, derived from mold, as shown in the stamp art, saved the lives of thousands of wounded soldiers during World War II. Postwar streptomycin has been highly effective in combating tuberculosis, a serious, highly contagious lung disease.
Question 2:
Penicillin gained widespread use during World War II. The 1928 discovery of
penicillin by British scientist Sir Alexander Fleming accidentally discovered
penicillin. Describe the accident.
The Web site: http://www.nobel.se/medicine/laureates/1945/fleming-bio.html
To find the answer to that question, go to the
NOBEL e-MUSEUM
Web page.
Jackie Robinson broke the Major League Baseball color barrier in 1947 when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers. Voted Rookie of the Year that season, he earned the National League's Most Valuable Player award in 1949.
Question 3:
Jackie Robinson had been a Dodger his whole career. At age
37, he was traded to the Giants and offered a contract. Rather than play for the
giants, he retired. How much money did he turn down from the Giants?
The Web site: http://powayusd.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/usonline/stamps/stamps_1940s.htm/../worddoc/jackie_robinson.htm
To find the answer to that question, go to The
Jackie Robinson Page .
Harry S. Truman, the 33rd U.S. president, guided the nation through the end of World War II and the beginning of the cold war, the conflict of ideas between the United States and the Soviet Union. He also fought for an end to segregation. A sign, which reportedly sat on his desk at the White House, read: "THE BUCK STOPS HERE!"
Question 4:
What was the intent of Executive order 9981?
The Web site: http://trumanlibrary.org/whistlestop/study_collections/desegregation/large/deseg1.htm
To find the answer to that question, go to the Harry
S. Truman Library and Museum Web page and read about the achievements of
Harry S. Truman.
Commercial television formally began July 1, 1941, and by the end of 1949, more than 3 million American homes had sets. Many early programs, including dramas, variety shows, news shows, and comedies, were adapted from popular radio programs.
Question 5:
Which scientist is widely credited as the inventor of the "television
system"?
The Web site: http://www.invent.org/hall_of_fame/1_1_search.asp
To find the answer to that question, go to the National
Inventors Hall of Fame Index of Inventions Web page and search by invention.
Abstract Expressionism was marked by a range of individual styles of modern painting and sculpture. Jackson Pollock (1912-1956) created some of his most famous abstract works of art by pouring paint onto canvas laid on his studio floor.
Question 6:
Jackson Pollock is one of the painters frequently associated with the Abstract
Expressionist movement in this United States. How did Time Magazine refer to
Jackson Pollack in a 1956 article?
The Web site: http://metalab.unc.edu/wm/paint/auth/pollock
To find the answer to that question, go to the Web
Museum: Jackson Pollock Web page.
Big-band music, popular on recordings and radio and in ballrooms and concert halls, distracted Americans during World War II. Led by Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Count Basie, and others, the bands usually had 14 to 18 musicians.
Question 7:
Big-band leader Glenn Miller's favorite quote came from another band leader,
Duke Ellington. What was that quote?
The Web site: http://www.glennmillerorchestra.com/history.html
To find the answer to that question, go to the Glenn
Miller Orchestra History Web page.
The detail from the November 2, 1946, cover of The Saturday Evening Post foretells this country's baby boom. With the end of World War II, returning soldiers married and started families, resulting in 75.9 million births from 1946 through 1964.
Question 8:
In which baby boom year (1946-1964) were the most births recorded?
The Web site: http://www.bbhq.com/bomrstat.htm
To find the answer to that question, go to the Boomer
Statistics Web page.
Naval engineer Richard James watched a torsion spring bounce off a table, and the idea for a toy was born. The Slinky, coiled wire that can "walk" down stairs, caused a sensation when first marketed in 1945.
Question 9:
How many feet of wire does it take to make a Slinky?
The Web site: http://www.discovery.com/stories/history/toys/SLINKY/shoulda.html
To find the answer to that question,
go to Discovery.com and read Zing
Went The Spring.
When millions of men joined the armed forces, millions of women took over factory jobs and made up more than one-third of the civilian workforce. Millions of women also served as volunteers.
Question 10:
What was the average weekly pay a woman factory worker earned in 1944? How did
her pay compare with the average pay men received?
The Web site: http://www.harcourtschool.com/newsbreak/rosie.html
To find the answer to those questions, see the
A Real-Life
"Rosie The Riveter" Web page.