Home Front - 1942
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President: Franklin D Roosevelt ; Vice Pres. Henry A. Wallace
Speaker of the House: Sam Raburn
Cabinet: Sec State - Cordell Hall ; Treasury - Henry Morgenthau, Jr. ; War - Henry L. Stimson; Attorney General - Francis Biddle ; Postmaster General - Frank Walker ; Navy - Frank Know ; Interior - Harold L. Ickes ; Agriculture - Claude R. Wickard ; Commerce - Jesse Jones ; Labor - Frances Perkins
Chief Justice: Harlan F. Stone
Emperor William II of Germany dies
ENTERTAINMENT
Popular
Movies : Mrs Miniver w/ Greer Garson ; Bambi by Disney ; Holiday Inn w/ Bing Crosby ;
Songs : White Christmas ; White Cliffs of Dover ; Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition ; Paper Doll ; That Old Black Magic ; Sleepy Lagoon ; Be Careful, It's My Heart.
One of the popular songs of the time was "Goodbye Dear, I'll be Home in a Year"
(CD "Remember Pearl Harbor: songs that won the war" - reader, Sharon.)
Later in the war, there was a slogan, The Golden Gate in '48.
Books : Fiction - The Keys of the Kingdom ; Non-fiction - Berlin Diary Comic Strips: Joe Palooka, Blondie, Li'l Abner, Little Orphan Annie, Terry and the Pirates, Dick Tracy, Moon Mullins, Gasoline Alley, Bringing Up Father, The Gumps.
Grant Wood (1892-1942), died. Painter: American Gothic.
Rodeo by Arron Copland
Capriccio by Richard Strauss, opera
Sports
World Series : St. Louis Cardinals 4 vs. New York Yankees 1
Football Championship : Ohio State
Rose Bowl : Oregon State 20 - Duke 16 at Durham
Heisman Trophy : Frank Sinkwich, HB, Georgia
College Basketball : Stanford 53-38
World Cup : no tournament
World Chess : Alexander A. Alekhine, France
Tour De France : not held
Grand Slam: Men : Frederick Schroeder ; Women : Paline Betz
The Masters : Craig Wood , also US Open
PGA : Sam Snead
Kentucky Derby : Shut Out in 2:04
Stanley Cup : Toronto Maple Leafs - Detroit Red Wings.
Heavyweight : Joe Louis knocks out Buddy Baer, retains boxing crown.
Academy Awards
Best Picture : Mrs. Miniver
Best Actor : James Cagney in Yankee Doodle Dandy
Best Actress : Greer Garson, Mrs. Miniver
Best Director : William Wyler
Best Supporting Actor : Van Heflin, Johnny Eager
Best Supporting Actress : Teresa Wright, Mrs. Miniver
NBC and CBS granted TV broadcasting license.
Pulitzer Prize in Journalism : Los Angeles Times for campaign resulting in clarification of freedom of press.
Pulitzer Prize in Drama : no award
George M Cohan (1888-1942) actor, died
John Barrymore (1882-1942) actor, died
Science
Nobel Prizes - none awarded
The ABC, first electronic computer, developed at Iowa State U by John Atanasoff, performs linear equations.
Loran (long-range navigation) system begins operations.
CHRONOLOGY
December 1941
8 . FDR, " Day That Will Live in Infamy" speech.
8 . Public told 104 soldiers killed, (Actual killed or missing: Navy, 2,008 ; Marine Corps, 109 ; Army, 218 ; Civilian, 68) No mention of fleet losses, in fact, told fleet prepared to retaliate.
23. Union no-strike pledge.
- 1942 -
January 1942
Sale of rubber tires ended for civilians, any more than 5 tires to be turned in.
9 . William Hewlett patents variable frequency oscillator.
16. Carole Lombard (1909-1942), actress, wife of Clark Gable, dies in plane crash.
16. William R. Hewlett patents audio oscillator.
5 million men and women volunteer with Office of Civil Defense.
Steel, copper, and aluminum placed under wartime controls.
GM produces 40 browning machine guns.
Limitations to be placed on household items: refrigerators, bicycles, ...
February
2 . Daylight saving time started, till Sept 30, 1945.
Ration canned meat and canned fish.
March
Work starts on the Alcan (Alaska-Canada) Highway - 1,500 miles
Civil Air Patrol patrols NYC to Cape May, NJ.
Civil Defense wardens resign protesting lack of equipment.
"There are a number of men in the Philippines who are not resigning and
who are not getting equipment either."
29. Ration fresh meat, butter, cheese.
Every man, woman, child issued two ration books:
Blue for 2 pounds of canned fruit and vegetables per month
Red for 28 oz meat, 4 oz cheese.
Dim out Virginia south, shield seaward facing lights within 12 miles of coast.
Marriage rate increased 300% over prior year : some on prospects
of separation ; some to avoid the draft.
GM produces 28,728 browning machine guns.
April
Citizens Defense Corps established (OCD)
Sugar scarce, banned.
28. Price control Act - 60% of foods maximum price set at March level.
29. Dim out of NYC, glow silhouettes ships for submarines.
May
Iron, more steel, zinc under wartime control.
4 . War Ration Book One issued, the "sugar book".
15. Gas rationing, 2-½ gal per week. Use "to attend church".
Sugar rationed at 1/2 lb per month. (a critical "from scratch" item).
Meat 7 lb, butter, coffee 1 lb per month.
31. Civilian production banned on 136 items : refrigerators, vacuums, vending machines, small appliances such as toasters, ...
June
4 . Dim out extended to whole east coast.
15. V-mail initiated (microfilm) 1.25 billion letters.
20. Book, Berlin Diary, released.
21. Belle Isle race riot.
Voluntary dimout failed in NYC, ordered by Army.
NYC and Miami say lights needed for tourism
July
OPA bands home delivery of packages.
Milk, ice, and bread delivery rediscovers horse and wagon.
Metal products banned - windows, caskets, toys, beer cans, ...
All other household use of metal limited to some fraction
less than 1940-41 production levels.
August
U-boats sink a ship about every 4 hours.
September
Fair Employment Comm reports 50% of all defense jobs remain closed to Negroes
October
3 . Prototype of V-2 rocket launched by Warnher von Braun
20. Meatless Tuesday initiated.
21. Eddie Rickenbacker, WWI hero, plane lost in Pacific. Rescued after 21 days on raft.
25. Draft age lowered to 18.
November
25. War Labor board allows employers to raise women's wages
20¢/hr if necessary to get labor. (average 40% under men.)
28. Coconut Grove Night Club fire in Boston kills 493.
29. Coffee rationing on cup-a-day for each person over 15 years.
December 1942
1 . Gasoline rationed with A,B,C stickers. 4 gallons per month, later 3 gallons.
2 . Enrico Fermi builds first nuclear reactor in a Chicago stadium.
5 . Men no longer allowed to directly enlist in Marine Corp.
Most were Selective Service volunteers.
To allow drafting married men, a wife to receive $28/mo from government,
plus $22 deducted from husband for a total of $50 per husband.
North Platte Canteen serves sandwiches and coffee to 6,000,000
in uniform on 10 minute stops, 32 trains a day.
Victory gardens in 1943 provided 40% of national needs.
Rationing ended in 1946.