One thing we always looked forward to when we dreamt about renovating our very own house was the possibilities of what we might find hiding in the walls from years ago. Of course there was that high hope that maybe we would find money or bonds of some sort. Although we never struck it rich we did find a few cool things around the house, in the walls, and up in the attic. We came across things like: old whisky bottles, a boy’s bow and arrow, cool glass jars, old postcards, and. . . THESE!
Yes, we found newspapers from 1942! While I wouldn’t consider myself a history buff, I really do enjoy reading things about World War II and just learning about how life was back then. These papers provided both eye opening realizations and comedic relief.
According to these two stories (above and below), woman were multitasking as usual. Helping America fight the most important war in the history of mankind AND making sure their legs and backs were “well groomed.” Yes, they were busy ladies!! 🙂
We also found a very interesting comic/illustration on the last page of the paper. Just to be clear: WE DESPISE RACISM OF ANY KIND!! We share this only because it provides a glimpse into the history of our country and the mindset that was present during those tough times.
Lastly, I wanted to share this war ration envelop we found. I am not sure how they were used exactly, but from what I have read sugar was rationed for a few years after the war ended.
During the war, the government controlled what kind of food you could buy and how much you could buy (with ration stamps). Even furniture buying was controlled. I can’t imagine what would happen if the government tried to do that now! I wonder if there was a lot of opposition back then or if most people willingly sacrificed because they believed in America’s role in the war.
Any history buffs out there? Please feel free to tell us what you know. I am fascinated by the little I have learned so far!
I’m not much of a history buff either, but I enjoy reading about WWII. When my husband and I were taking care of my grandparents’ house we found a lot of interesting things since they were both in the Navy at that time.
WOW! Interesting timing for this post! My hubby and I were doing some demo and found an old newspaper in our walls over the weekend! It was dated May 1928, and it happened to be a newspaper that one of my coworkers used to work for so I gave it to him as a little gift.
We also found about a million glass bottles under the floor boards, including one that the internet tells me could be worth about $250 (provided that someone would actually want to buy it of course.) Several months ago we unearthed a beautiful brass key from under the floor, and now I wear it as a necklace. LOVE LOVE LOVE finding old treasures.
This is really interesting, considering we were just talking about this during one of my classes this week. Americans had a lot of passion about the war and were happy to make sacrifices. It was a completely different mentality altogether.
My grandmother (who grew up in So. Cal.) was interviewed for an article a few years ago about life during WWII. She said her dad was a blackout warden, and would walk the streets of their town looking for any little slivers of light shining out of the windows (you had to black out your windows to avoid becoming an easy target for a night bomber). She also said that her senior year of high school was the first time boys from other schools were allowed to attend her high school’s prom. They had to do that because most of her male classmates were drafted the day they turned 18, so by the time prom came around in the spring (of 1943), there were very few of the boys left. She mentioned the sugar ration stamps, and said that most bakeries had enough stamps to do their ordinary baking, but for any special orders (like wedding cakes), customers had to provide the sugar stamps. When my grandmother and grandfather got married in 1946, her mother found a baker that said he could make a wedding cake without a sugar stamp. It turned out that he didn’t use any sugar at all in the icing. She told several other great stories. The article is definitely a treasure to me! 🙂
Thanks for all the comments, stories, and information ladies! This is all so interesting to me!
My mom tells about how PROUD Americans were to help with the war effort, to support the troops, to plant a Victory Garden, and to “do without” just to help. Some ladies even used spray on leg makeup instead of nylons (which were almost impossible to purchase). As someone else mentioned, there was a totally different attitude back then. Not so much of the “it’s mine” or “I’ll have it MY way” type of thing.