General Life

1. General Life 1940

2. Music ♬ • In the 1940s the most popular music genre was “Big Band” music. Big band music is like Jazz, Swing and blues all in one. A big band usually had 12-25 musicians playing the following instruments: • Saxophones • brass instruments • guitar • piano • bass • Vibes • Drums • Examples of artist from the “Big Band Era” were: • Louis Armstrong-“What a wonderful world” • Glenn Miller-“In the mood” • Artee Shaw-“Dancing in the dark” ♫ ♪

3. Entertainment Even during "Hard Times" and wartime, people need to be entertained. The American people in the 1930s and 1940s were no exception. They enjoyed many forms of entertainment, particularly if they could do so inexpensively. With the addition of sound, movies became increasingly popular. Comedies, gangster movies, and musicals helped people forget their troubles. In the early 1940s, some of the great dramas of American film reached theatres. Radio was also wildly popular, offering many kinds of programs, from sermons to soap operas. In the 1930s, big bands and swing music were popular, with Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, and Glenn Miller popular bandleaders. In the 1940s, the bands started to break up, and band singers like Frank Sinatra and Sarah Vaughan went out on their own. War songs became popular. Some 1940’s famous music groups were: The Andrew Sisters The Delmore Brothers Bill Haley and his Comets ♫♪

4. Food 100 Aspirin Tablets 39 cents   Ohio    1946 Apples, Pippin, 25 cents for 2 pounds New Jersey 1946 Bacon Sliced 59 cents per pound Pennsylvania 1948 Bananas 11 cents per pound Illinois 1947 Beef Chuck Roast 43 cents per pound Illinois 1947 Bleach 21 cents 1/2 gallon Pennsylvania 1948 Campbells Tomato Soup 25 cents for 3 cans California 1944 Cantaloupe 23 cents Pennsylvania 1948 Cauliflower 15 cents per head Pennsylvania 1948 Chewing Gum 12 cents for 3 Pennsylvania 1948 Chicken 41 cents per pound New Jersey 1946 Coffee 85 cents for 2 pound bag Doughnuts 15 cents per dozen Eggs 64 cents per dozen Flour 25 cents 5 Pound bag Fruit Cocktail 38 cents per can Grape jam 35 cents a jar Ground beef 55 cents per pound Ivory Soap 8 cents Ivory Soap 35 cents for 2 bars Jello 23 cents 3 pks

5. Cars Average Cost of a car - $850.00 Popular Cars: Cadillac Studebaker Ford Chevrolet Austin 10

6. Language/Slang • ‘Ditch’ – to leave someone who is with you. E.g. she is going to ditch her friends • ‘Skip’ – to leave with someone in pursuit. E.g. he took the money and skipped town • ‘Take a powder’ – to leave. E.g. If you don’t want to stay then take a powder • ‘ace’ – expert. E.g. he’s an ace journalist • ‘Bonkers’ – insane or crazy. E.g. your plan is totally bonkers • ‘Can’ – jail or prison. E.g. he did a crime and was thrown in the can • ‘Chicken’ – coward. E.g. don’t be a chicken • ‘Pain in the neck’ – an annoyance. E.g. my brother is a pain in the neck • ‘Flatfoot’ – a policeman or detective. E.g. the flatfoots protect this town • ‘What’s cooking’ – what’s going on. E.g. Hey there, what’s cooking • ‘Slug’ – to hit. E.g. don’t annoy me or I’ll slug you. • ‘Hitch’ – to get married. E.g. they got hitched last Tuesday • ‘Holy Mackerel’ – an interjection of surprise. E.g. Holy Mackerel! You scared me • ‘Knucklehead’ – a stupid or foolish person. E.g. that boy is a knucklehead • ‘Old lady’ – refers to someone's mother. E.g. my old lady dropped me off at school • ‘Quarterback’ – to lead. E.g. who is going to quarterback the meeting?

7. By Maddy

8. Money What Things Cost in 1940: Car: $800Gasoline: 18 Cents/Gal House: $6,550Bread: 8 cents/loafMilk: 34 cents/gal Most cents from the 1940s are common among collectors and retail for 5 to 10 cents, assuming average wear. If the coins are in nearly-new condition they could potentially be worth 25 to 50 cents, except for 1943-S steel cents that go for around $1 in Extremely Fine condition. Most dates and mint marks within that range are worth about $7 in worn condition, up to about $9 in nearly-new condition (prices as of 06/2008) The only exception is coins dated 1946 and with a D mint mark on the reverse side around the 8:00 position. These are worth about $20 in nearly-new shape. Postage Stamp: 3 centsStock Market: 131

9. Employment • Population 132,122,000 • Unemployed in 1940 - 8,120,000 • National Debt $43 Billion • Average Salary $1,299. Teacher's salary $1,441 • Minimum Wage $.43 per hour • 55% of U.S. homes have indoor plumbing • Antarctica is discovered to be a continent • Life expectancy 68.2 female, 60.8 male • Auto deaths 34,500 • Supreme Court decides blacks do have a right to vote • World War II changed the order of world power, the  United States and the USSR became super powers • Cold War begins. In the 1940s, women's occupations were quite limited.  By and large, women were restricted to jobs such as secretaries and file clerks, teachers, social workers, nurses, telephone operators, sales persons, and performers.  Women were expected to marry and raise a family and devote themselves to their husbands and children. Most men were called up into service as it was around the time of the war ex. RAF, Navy, Army If any man was unable to go into service he could usually have any job he desired. Women on the other hand were a different story altogether. They were either in a force like the WRENS, ATS, WAAF or they worked in coalmines, typists, bomb factories etc. the most common job for a man was either a in the army or was a farmer. Clerical, Factory Work, Shipyard Work Higher paying- Factory owners (mostly men)Store managers/ownersMovie star (Humphrey Bogart, for example, got paid a lot!)Paralegal/lawyer Average Annual Salary: $1,9001940 - Minimum Wage: 30 cents per hour Now - Minimum Wage: $8.00

10. By: Dezi Maddy Steph Cazna Sandra Kendra