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Fantasy Forties. by Brent Pillsbury MVHS. BOOM! BANG!! BAM! Can you hear that? That's the sound of weapons in World War II. In the 1940's, it was not the happiest decade. It was actually full of killing and blood.
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Fantasy Forties by Brent Pillsbury MVHS
BOOM! BANG!! BAM! Can you hear that? That's the sound of weapons in World War II. In the 1940's, it was not the happiest decade. It was actually full of killing and blood. Yet, it also had some interesting sports, games, and famous people. Before World War II, there were many poor people. Suddenly there were headlines saying, "Japs declare war. Attack U.S.” After the war, the "Baby Boom" era began. If you don't know what "Baby Boom" is, I'll explain. After the war, the survivors came home. There were many marriages and they started to have many babies. People born in this era were called "Baby Boomers."
1 in 5 owned a car 1 in 7 had a phone The average middle class family made only $6,500 a year. National Debt was $43 Billion Average Salary $1,299. Teacher's salary $1,441 Minimum Wage $.43 per hour 55% of U.S. homes have indoor plumbing Antarctica is discovered to be a continent Life expectancy 68.2 female, 60.8 male Auto deaths 34,500 Supreme Court decides blacks do have a right to vote The Forties
Today, I want you to do the following: I want you to think about yesterday and what we have learned about WWII. I also want you to think about the connections between CULTURE and WWII. Do the events create culture or does the culture influence the events?
On your worksheet, do the following: • Write down a brief description of the culture for each event of the 40’s. • Write down the event that influenced the 40’s culture. • Make sure you are neat, and clear in answering the questions.
The Teenage Revolution After Pearl Harbor, many men went off to war What, then, happened to the family? What did this lead to?
Teenage Revolution People went to work: women in the factories and boys and girls in local stores and shops.
Teenage Revolution: Magazines Seventeen, and other teenage magazines were produced for the first time. Why was this? Teenagers were tired of hearing about the war, and wanted to read about teenage stuff.
Teenage Revolution: Dress Parents were not home for the first time and kids had a whole new way of doing things. Boys: Typical boy wore loose pants and plaid shirt with knitted vests or sweaters. Girls: Typical girl wore a uniform to school with a pleated skirt, a baggy sweater, bobby sox and loafers.
Teenage Revolution: ZOOT SUIT As men stepped into dad’s role at the home, many would also borrow their Dad’s big suits. This new style was influenced by gangsters who used the bagginess to hide guns. The Zoot Suit Riots also happened in the 40’s.
American fashions make a turn! France was taken over by the Germans, so Americans had to come up with their own fashions. What did they come up with?
Nylon Stockings 1940: The first nylon products are made available to the public. On May 15, 1940, four million pairs of nylon stockings are bought within several hours in New York City. Nylon, the first man-made fiber, was developed in 1935 by Wallace H. Carothers. After Pearl Harbor they cost $10.00 NYLON DAY!
Restrictions and Regulations 3-piece suit was invented because of fabric restrictions. No more than 200 inches of fabric per piece of clothes. Belts no more than 2” wide, cuffs were forbidden, skirts could not be more than 72 inches around. Ralph Lauren got his start at this time.
Sweaters • SWEATERS were very popular in the 1940's. Some factory owners wouldn't let women wear sweaters. They said the sweaters were dangerous. They said the sweaters could get caught in machinery. A sweater on a woman that's too loose is a health hazard. A sweater that's too tight is a moral hazard.
GI JOE & Rosie GI JOE: A GI was a heavily galvanized garbage can. Then there was government issue. First GI Joe 1942. Rosie the Riveter: Women needed to fill the shoes of men and they needed an example. 11 million went to work. Rosie was actually a woman who riveted 3,345 rivets in 3 hours.
WWII Lingo M & M’s Geronimo Kamikaze RADAR Walkie Talkie Bazooka Guns
Graffiti Kilroy: A wide-eyed, bald-headed face peering over a fence, except for his fingers which gripped the top. It originated with US servicemen and went around the world from there.
The GI Bill • After the war, the men returned, having seen the rest of the world. No longer was the family farm an ideal; no longer would blacks accept lesser status. The GI Bill allowed more men than ever before to get a college education. Women had to give up their jobs to the returning men, but they had tasted independence.
Television • Television made its debut at the 1939 World Fair, but the war interrupted further development. In 1947, commercial television with 13 stations became available to the public.
Computers • Computers were developed during the early forties. The digital computer, named ENIAC, weighing 30 tons and standing two stories high, was completed in 1945.
TV Frozen Dinners The first meals were tasteless and soft, just big globs of food. Since both parents were working, we needed them to survive.
The Frisbee -1948 • During World War II, people had to find ways to have fun. When kids discovered that metal pie plates flew well, tossing them became popular. However, metal plates hurt your hands a lot and made a lot of noise. Then in 1948, Walter Morrison decided to make them out of plastic. They called them flying saucers. Did you know that 2 million Frisbees have been sold in the last 50 years? That is more than baseballs, footballs, and basketballs combined!
Things of the forties: • First automatic transmission “Oldsmobile” • Pepsi Cola • First automatic clothes dryer • The most trendy thing of the decade, the television set.
More Cool stuff from the 40’s The bikini was invented Hats were the thing to wear. The Jitterbug The Tuxedo: People wanted to look their best and did.
