The 40's Lifestyle

this section is divided into 2 parts:	-----	-----
Activities & Trends Hobbies, attitudes, fads & fun		Products, Technology & Careers Consumer products, cars, electronics, radio & records, the working world

===========================================================================
===========================================================================
===========================================================================
===========================================================================

	-----	Fads & Fun cast an eyeball on these cool fads! *bobby-soxers screaming and swooning over Frank Sinatra or some other handsome young singer *having your friends sign your autograph shirt *come as you are parties: pajamas, evening gowns, curlers, old work clothes....if you were wearing it when the phone call came, then you had to wear it to the party! *playing bridge in the college dorm, or having other couples over for bridge parties swell stuff to do roller skating going to the movies bowling listening to records going dancing playing golf or tennis at the club going to the race track Visit my Town & Country and Entertainment pages for more fun places to go!
Kids Stuff toys & games electric train sets plastic toys pedal cars paper dolls Slinky (1946) Daisy Red Ryder Air Rifle marbles balsa wood model airplane kits Midgetoy die cast vehicles (1946) Raggedy Ann & Andy Radio Flyer wagons Tonette flutes coloring books activities Girl Scouts Boy Scouts 4-H Campfire Girls books for kids Dr. Seuss Nancy Drew Big Little Books Little Golden Books (1942) read-along book & record sets (1946) Hardy Boys The X-Bar-X Boys Misty Of Chincoteague (1947) magazines for kids Highlights (1946) Boy's Life The American Boy Big Little Book	-----	Slinky History Daisy Red Ryder Air Rifle Daisy Air Gun Museum Lionel Trains Train Collectors Midgetoy Raggedy Ann & Andy Tonette Dr. Seuss Big Little Books The Ponies Of Chincoteague The X-Bar-X Boys Highlights Magazine *In 1946, Bozo The Clown made his debut in Bozo At The Circus, the first read-along book and record set for kids. Bozo was created by Alan W. Livingston and voiced by Pinto Colvig. *In 1947, the penning of the wild ponies on Chincoteague Island inspired Marguerite Henry to write Misty Of Chincoteague.

===========================================================================
===========================================================================
===========================================================================
===========================================================================

Activities & Trends ---- magazines Life Collier's Saturday Evening Post Photoplay Movie Life Look Ideals (1944) Vogue Harper's Bazaar Reader's Digest Esquire Time Seventeen (1944) Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine (1941) newspaper features Kathleen Norris Advice Column Uncle Wiggily Stories comic books Superman Batman Crime Comic Books Smokey Stover Red Ryder the funnies Little Orphan Annie Dick Tracy Bugs Bunny Krazy Kat Tillie The Toiler Gasoline Alley Brenda Starr The Katzenjammer Kids Buck Rogers Flash Gordon Blondie books Perry Mason 1940's Bestsellers	-----	slang Like most things in the 40's, many slang terms were influenced by the war. *doll dizzy --girl crazy *dilly --a cute girl *blackout girl --a cute girl *Able-Grable --a cute girl *some of Hitler's work, no doubt --an unattractive girl *void coupon --an unattractive girl *share crop --a sexually promiscuous girl *khaki wacky --boy crazy *active duty --a sexually promiscuous boy *drooly --a cute guy *greeby --terrible *ducky shincracker --a good dancer family life "Breakfast is ready!" For a long time, the average age at which young people first got married hovered around 24 for men and 21 for women. In the 40's, these figures took a big plunge...down to 22 for men and 20 for women. The wartime climate created a sense of uncertainty, and couples were dispensing with long courtships and tying the knot as soon as possible. After the war, everyone was eager to "get back to normal," and young people got married and settled down in record numbers, and at increasingly younger ages.
======================================== ========================================		======================================== ========================================
telephones In the 40's, most city and suburban households had a telephone. Service was slow to arrive in rural areas, however....only 30 percent of farm homes had a phone during the 40's. the central exchange office Each telephone subscriber was connected to the nearest central exchange office, which was named after the town or street where it was located. Your individual subscriber number could range from 1 to 5 digits. "number, please?" If an operator connected the calls within your exchange, you had a manual exchange. You signaled her by picking up the receiver and clicking the switchhook. Your phone didn't have a dial, because phone numbers were given to the operator verbally. When you made a call, you gave her the subscriber number and party line extension. In towns with several exchanges, you also mentioned the central office name. long distance All out-of-town calls were placed by the operator. You gave her the city and state, the exchange or central office name, and the subscriber number. If the call was going very far, a chain of operators would be involved. To prepare for the day when direct long distance dialing would be available, operators began using area codes in 1947. party lines If you couldn't afford your own phone, you shared a party line with your neighbors. Up to 12 parties shared a single subscriber number, which was followed by a party letter (J, R, M, or W), a ring code (1 long, 2 short, etc), or a combination of both. When using a party line, you had to be careful what you said, because you never knew who was listening! Get Me PEnnsylvania 6-5000 Lettered Prefixes The Telephone EXchange Name Project All About Telegrams & Telegram Forms		automatic exchanges If you could dial local numbers yourself, you had an automatic exchange. Automatic switching boards were first used regularly in the 20's. When your exchange converted to an automatic system, the manual switchboard was removed, party line subscribers were given their own individual numbers, and everyone was given a phone with a dial. BUtterfield 8 After conversion, automatic exchanges kept their central office names. Callers dialed the first two letters, which were capitalized. Sometimes the letters were followed by a number. This became known as your exchange name. On the dial, each number was shared by three letters. Even though the exchange names were different, the actual numbers being dialed could be the same as another exchange. If the exchanges were close to each other, one of them adopted a new name When you made a call within your exchange, dialing the complete exchange name usually wasn't necessary. As usual, out-of-town callers needed to use the full exchange name. typical phone numbers automatic exchange: -------KEnwood 237 -------HUdson 3-2700 -------DAyton 3-1000 -------PEnnsylvania 6-5000 within an automatic exchange: -------8-2345 -------33-5678 -------29-238 manual exchange: -------Majestic 237 -------Cedarville 4821 -------phone 437 party line: -------Smallville 1603-W-2 -------Bedford 236-J -------Dearborn 1547-8 telegrams For urgent messages, holiday greetings, and long-distance communications, the telegram was still a popular alternative. You could call your message in, or go to a Western Union office and fill out a blank form, and in no time at all your message would be sent over telegraph lines and delivered by a uniformed Western Union employee on his trusty bicycle. In 1945, Western Union began to replace its century-old system of poles and wires with the new technology of microwave transmission.
======================================== ========================================		======================================== ========================================
Christmas The most popular holiday during the 40's was Christmas. Think about it: some of our favorite Christmas movies came out during this decade, and the most beloved Christmas song of all time was released in 1942...White Christmas. Beginning with the 1939 holiday season, the Montgomery Wards department store in Chicago handed out illustrated booklets featuring the story of Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer. In 1947, Johnny Marks set the story to music, and it was a major hit for Gene Autry in 1949. The war years were a difficult period, causing many people to question their beliefs and to yearn for a simpler, happier time. Families torn apart and scattered across the globe wanted nothing more than to be HOME, and what holiday evokes the feeling of "home" more than Christmas? ======================================== ======================================== most popular baby names of 1945 girls Mary Linda Barbara Patricia Carol Maria Sandra Nancy Sharon Susan boys James Robert John William Richard David Thomas Charles Michael Ronald ======================================== ======================================== In the early 40's, everything we did was affected by the war. Visit my Life During The War page to see life on the home front and in the military during World War II.		Thanksgiving In 1939, President Roosevelt bowed to the wishes of the nation's retailers, and moved Thanksgiving from the last Thursday in November to a week earlier. This added an extra week to the Christmas shopping season. This confused and angered most Americans, and only half of the states celebrated on the new day. The same thing occurred in 1940 and 1941. By 1942, FDR had seen the error of his ways, and he signed legislation that established the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving forever. The first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade took place in 1924. Giant helium balloons depicting popular entertainment characters were first used in 1927. During the war, the parade was cancelled, in large part because the rubber and helium used for the balloons were needed for the war effort. The parade resumed in 1945 and was first televised in 1948. The Year We Had Two Thanksgivings Macy's Thanksgiving Parade History Facts About The Macy's Parade ======================================== ======================================== faith Religion was still traditional in the 40's. Nuns were dressed in full habit, and their strict, no-nonsense attitude instilled fear in the hearts of children who attended Catholic schools. In many states, blue laws were in effect, making it illegal for stores and other establishments to conduct business on Sundays. In these areas, there was no shopping, eating out, or putting gas in the car on the Lord's day. A typical Sunday consisted of attending church, followed by Sunday School. Then it was time to read the funnies, sit down to a HUGE noon meal, and then go out for a drive and maybe a picnic. The Little Brown Church In The Vale Blue Laws Catholic School Memories
======================================== ========================================		======================================== ========================================
		debutantes The tradition of making your debut in adult society came from England, and gained popularity in America in the late 1800's. Upper-class girls of marrying age "came out" at parties and debutante balls...this was a formal announcement that she was eligible for marriage to suitable young men. In this way, young ladies were guided into the proper social circles, and well-to-do families could maintain (or raise) their social standing. In the 40's, debutantes often performed charity work or took on special projects. In 1947, the "Deb Of The Year" was none other than Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis. The classic "debutante look" consisted of light-colored evening gowns and above-the-elbow white gloves. Debutante Registers were published each year, featuring photos and details about the young ladies. debs of the 40's Oona O'Neill Valerie Axtell Jacqueline Bouvier Gloria Vanderbilt

---

continue to page 2:
Products, Technology, Careers

---

return to the 1940's main page