Negative Political Cartoon

This comic is illustrating the carving of Adolf Hitler and the Asian ruler during World War II into the side of a cliff.  This cartoon is illustrating the fact that if Americans do not support the war effort by buying saving bonds and stamps, communism will will and take over America and thus, "liberating" America.  During the 1940s, American's were extremely anti-communist and they felt that it was a disease that was spreading throughout Europe and the world and that it is America's duty to stop communism at all costs.  Also, near the bottom left of the picture is a flag pole with the Nazi flag flying over the American flag essential depicting the thought of communism conquering America's democracy and freedom.

Positive Political Cartoon

Ostrich hats are being handed out to the men in line. Dr. Seuss chose the ostrich because they put their heads into the ground and cannot see what is happening on the surface. The quote on the sign symbolizes that although the newspapers had been reporting atrocities in Europe, the hats allow the wearer to ignore those events. The historical figure that Dr. Seuss is referring to by calling it Lindy Ostrich Service is Charles Lindbergh because Lindbergh favored isolationism for America. The literal meaning of this cartoon illustrates how so many people were ignoring the horrors in Europe by putting on a facade for the world.  The purpose of this cartoon was to help people realize that the U.S needed to get their heads out of the ground and into events of Europe to bring justice where justice had been due long before.

 

Mysterious Things That Happened

      On July 1, 1947, San Antonio Light reported that Troy Pendergrass of Hot Springs, New Mexico, chased a flying saucer, as he thought, until it landed.  When it landed, it was discovered to be a piece if foil, five inches by eight inches.
     
On July 7, 1947, F.G. Harston found a sixteen inch disk in Shreveport, Louisiana.  The disk was equipped with two radio condensers, a fluorescent light switch, and copper tubing. 

     There were many sightings of spaceships in 1947.  But no one in 1947 reported a "crashed alien spaceship." They reported " crashed flying saucers." 

Major Disasters

1942- ammonium nitrate explosion in Cleveland, Ohio , 20 people killed 
1944- liquefied natural explosion in Tesserendo, Belgium,  36 people killed, 4,300 cubic meters of confined gas exploded in a huge fireball, sweeping streets with burning gas. 
1943- Butadiene explosion, 79 homes and 2 factories destroyed, 57 people killed 
1947- ammonium nitrate cargo ship exploded 532 killed, 300 wounded, 200 missing, city severely damaged 
1948- dim ethyl ether exp., Ludwig, Germany 245 killed, 3,800 wounded, damage within an 8 km. radius 
 

Headlines

 
In the 1940s, many of the important headlines were based on World War II. Alot of  headlines said things like  "Japs Declare War. Attack U.S."  There was many other headlines in the 1940s too.  There would hundreds of little boys on the street selling newspapers.

Fasion

 Even with the challenges imposed by shortages in rayon, nylon, wool, leather, rubber, metal (for snaps, buckles, and embellishments) and even the amount of fabric which could be used in any one garment, the fashion industries wheels kept chugging slowly along, producing what it could. After the fall of France in 1940, Hollywood drove fashion in the United States almost entirely, with the exception of a few trends coming from war torn London in 1944 and 1945, as America's own rationing hit full force, and the idea of function seemed to overtake fashion. Fabrics shifted dramatically as rationing and wartime shortages controlled import items such as silk and furs. Floral prints seem to dominate the early 1940s, with the mid to late 40s also seeing what is sometimes referred to as "atomic prints" or geometric patterns and shapes. The color of fashion seemed to even go to war, with patriotic nautical themes and dark greens and khakis dominating the color palates, as trousers and wedges slowly replaced the dresses and more traditional heels due to shortages in stockings and gasoline.

Music

The most popular music style during the 1940s was swing which prevailed during World War II. In the later periods of the 1940s, less swing was prominent and crooners like Frank Sinatra, along with genres such as bebop and the earliest traces of rock and roll, were the prevalent genre.