Home Front - 1942

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    GOVERNMENT
    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.
    16. Womens Auxillary Army Corp ((WAAC) established. Fort Des Moines, 150,000 WAC, freed 7 divisions.
    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.


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