Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Editorial: You Dropped the Bomb on Me

Droping the atomic bomb on Japan still holds the question of whether it was necessary or unnecessary, but how could that be when the bomb helped America in so many ways. Yes, it was necessary! America had to end the war as fast as possible and the decision to drop the bomb increased that process. To invade a country like Japan would have cost hundreds of thousands of lives and it would have devastated the country, and the Japanese were not people to just surrender when in battle, they fought to the last life and were not above suicide tactics as demonstrated by the Kamakazi raids. As terrible as it was, dropping the bomb probably saved thousands of lives and saved the country from ruin. It was basically the best way to solve the problem other than any alterior motives.

Fashion:

Just Because You Have To Ration, Doesn't Mean Stop the Fashion!

Rationing

Of Clothing, Cloth and Footwear

From June, 1941

Rationing has been introduced not to deprive you of your real needs, but to make more certain that you get your share of the country's goods - to get fair shares with everybody else.
When the shops re-open you will be able to buy cloth, clothes, footwear and knitting wool only if you bring your food ration book with you.  The shopkeeper will detach the required number of coupons from the unused margarine page.  Each margarine coupon counts as one coupon towards the purchase of clothing and footwear.  You will have a total of 66 coupons to last you a year; so go sparingly.  You can buy where you like and when you like without registering.



The Turban was originally made for women in the factories to keep their hair away from factory machinery, but as simple as that idea really was, it became an iconic style for females everyday. The Turban was also used as a disguise for un-kept and messy hair.

SPORTS:


"I'd like to thank the good Lord for making me a Yankee." 
-Joe DiMaggio

An eleven-time all-star hit’s the Hall of Fame in 1955; Joe DiMaggio hit his 56 Game Streak! 1941 was quite an important year for the Yankees, as they plunged their way into the World Series! With their rival Red Sox being led by Ted Williams, they still couldn’t beat the heart of the team and the determination DiMaggio had to bring the Yankees out of their beginning game slump to a victorious win! This landed Joe DiMaggio Most Valuable Player.

Cash and Carry

Under the American Neutrality Act of 1937 the US was forbidden from supplying weapons and goods to any country involved in a war. Cash and carry is a law that changed the Neutrality Act to allow countries at war to purchase American goods as long as they paid cash and picked up their orders in American ports.
This system worked to advantage of both buyer and seller by allowing the US to remain neutral  and providing Britain and France with the weapons they urgently needed .
However, the system soon stumbled when France was defeated less than a year later leaving Britain to fight on alone. As cash was required for the purchases Britain was rapidly approaching bankruptcy. To overcome this problem the "Lend-Lease" act was passed by Congress in 1941, under which the US was able to lend, lease or exchange war materials with other nations.

Book Review: Night by Elie Wiesel

This highly rated novel about Elie Wiesel's experience in Nazi Concentration Camp, Auschwitz during World War II. Night is a good resource for students who are just learning about the Holocaust for the first time or studying about World War II. The book gave you vivid images of the painful, crucial experience in the concentration camp.  He explains the cruelty and digusting actions taken by the  Germans to exterminate the Jewish people. Beginining as a child and all the way up to adulthood, you feel the saddness of his time in Auschwitz. A story of bravery and horror this twisted nightmare of treatment of human beings, will shock anyone that can make it through the first twenty pages. This book is recommended for anyone who has a strong stomach and wants to learn in detail about harshness of Hitler's hatred. The novel was rated with five stars and won a Nobel Peace Prize and was added to Oprah's Book Club.

Monday, February 21, 2011

Rosie the Riveter gets America Working

The men have left for battle and their families are left at home with no one to provide for them. Well when times get harder, the people get tougher. Now that the men are gone, women must step up and take their place as the bread winner. Women begin to work in factories. They may work but times were still prejudice and they did not get paid as much as their husbands. But that did not stop them. And for the first time women were joining the armed forces. Such as: WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service), WASPs (Women Airforce Service Pilots), WAC (Women’s Army Corps), WAAC (Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps). These programs were for each branch of the military. Although women were doing men’s jobs, the women never allowed in combat. These ladies came to be known as Rosie the Riveters

Operation Overlord: D-Day Invasion

Allies felt pressured to bring a close to this war. In order to do that they came up with Operation Overlord, this was a plan to launch a massive invasion on the French coast. On June 6th 1944 there would be 3.5 million soldiers ready to land on three beaches of Normandy, France. The night before the planned invasion there would be paratroopers sent behind enemy lines. Every man that was ready to set foot on the sand knew the urgency behind this battle. The entire war was important, but the unity felt by all the men could be felt over the vibrations of the gun fire. There was a sense of duty and honor that the men knew they had no choice but to be victorious. In the end the Allies were triumphant and took back Paris, the French capital. Because of their victory Normandy is now American soil.