1940

[MacTheWolf (imported)]

For any of you who were around in 1940, here are a few memories:

A new house in 1940 sold for $6,550.

A new car cost about $800.

Gasoline was 19 cents a gallon.

Bread was 8 cents a loaf.

Milk was 32 cents a gallon.

And a postage stamp was 3 cents.

I missed all that as I wasn't born until six years later.

[Slammr (imported)]

But average wage was $1900 a year, minimum wage 30 cents an hour. I had an after school job in the late fifties and was making 50 cents an hour. I remember when cokes and candy bars were a nickel. Hamburgers, cigarettes, and beer were a quarter each. Cheeseburgers were 30 cents. I remember when haircuts went up from 50 to 75 cents. When I was a kid, movies were 9 cents for kids and 35 cents for adults. A Saturday movie for a quarter included two movies, 5 cartoons, a serial, and a box of Crackerjacks which, at that time, had real prizes in them. My father brought home a $60 paycheck to care for a family of five, and that was about 1952. We did live on his paycheck, though. My mom didn't work. I was eight before I ever saw a hundred dollar bill. My aunt had one in her wallet. For some reason, she was showing it to me and my mom.

[MacTheWolf (imported)]

DAMN, Slammr is as old as me - heheheh

[racerboy (imported)]

...and according to Wikipedia Kitty Litter wasn't invented till 1947.

Modern readers of Heinlein's science-fiction story "The Door Into Summer" may be puzzled by the cat's wanting to check every door and window before venturing outside into the snow to "do his duty" -- why didn't he just use the cat box? Basically, because when the story was written, cat litter hadn't been invented (or its use hadn't yet become widespread).

Anyway, you may not be older than sliced bread like Betty White, but if you were born before 1947, you're at least older than cat litter.

[MacTheWolf (imported)]

Oh goody, my new claim to fame, I'm older than kitty litter

[Ernie of Maine (imported)]

The used Sand instead Kitty Litter it would get wheat and smell.

...and according to Wikipedia Kitty Litter wasn't invented till 1947.

Modern readers of Heinlein's science-fiction story "The Door Into Summer" may be puzzled by the cat's wanting to check every door and window before venturing outside into the snow to "do his duty" -- why didn't he just use the cat box? Basically, because when the story was written, cat litter hadn't been invented (or its use hadn't yet become widespread).

Anyway, you may not be older than sliced bread like Betty White, but if you were born before 1947, you're at least older than cat litter.

[Dave (imported)]

The movie REBECCA was released in 1940. One of the best mysteries in either the book or the movie:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cf0-GsXDzI

Also -- Disney released FANTASIA

[Peter47-NL (imported)]

For the Dutch 1940 was the year of the German occupation wich lasted until 1945. Food was not free to buy. The year that the centre and harbor of Rotterdam was bombed away. The year that the queen and government went in excile in London, the year that a horrible German terror was developing, the year that English and American songs, movies and theatre plays were stricly forbidden. That artist were pressed to become a member of the German"Kultur Kammer - Cultural Chambre" otherwise they were not allowed to do their jobs. A year later at february 25 1941 a general strike in Amsterdam against the deportation of the Jews was proclaimed and made to an amazing succes by the tram-drivers, port workers and the (communist) unions, joined by almost the whole city. This was an unique strike and the punishment was unique too. We all know what happend to the Jews. Not everybody knows that the Dutch population was almost decimated of hunger in 1945. People made hunger marches of hudreds km by bicycle, Churches were mortuary for hundreds of people, there was no wood for coffins.

1940 is in the collective memory of the Dutch not a pleasant year. After the war, after the liberation by the Americans, Canadians, English, Polish, Russians at the east side, English and American song were very populair.

[Arab Nights (imported)]

Peter, I interviewed this old Dutch lady for a story on that time. Interesting. It is a classic case of not so bad at the start and then little by little, like a lobster in a pot of heating water, things changed and it ended up horrible like you described. A classic case of slowly losing freedom. They managed to hide her father in the house for a while, but he was caught and shipped to German to 'work' in an arms factory. And then the starvation at the end. If I remember, the defeat of the Germans was the worst time. There was a system to fight the Germans, but there was not a system in place to replace them. Wretched time.

[Peter47-NL (imported)]

Arab Nights, The image of the Lobster is a good one. There is of course a lot to tell about those years, but now I want to stay with my own memories whick are a little later. I'm from 1947 and my memory goes proven back to 1949 when my brother is born and I was still 1 year old. I have my parents always surprised by the many details I told them. I rememder bying a bed for my brother. Before we went to the shop I see my mother sitting at the table with cookie tin with coupons, carefully cutting some to give them in the shop as a permission to buy the product, it could be any product. An other memory is in the house were we used to live. We lived with two families in one house, four rooms and one kichen, at the second floor. Between the two main rooms were two buit-in closets and a door. I see my mother with the lady who lived also in the house busy with the floor planks of one of those closets. Took the loose sawn planks out and came in fact in the space of the neighbors downstairs. The space of the neighbors seemed to be used as an extra place to store things. I remember a table-lamp came out and some other things. Then they said to me:"This was the hidingplace of your father."

Now some more pleasant stuf. I liked to listen to the radio and my favorite song was an Italian children song about a little duck and poppies, which I still like, It must be end fortie - begin fifties.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSt8WNERRG0

From the same time a Dutch version of a German song = De Speeltuin The Playground

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzYSwCeqCew

The original German is much better and is about the Wannsee Beach in Berlin "pack the swimsuit" The little girl here is the later star Conny Froboes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhZEba0SWNs

All late forties begin fifties.