I always enjoy looking back at my life and learning things I either never knew or have forgotten. Recently I obtained some literature from the year 1940. That’s a long time ago and I can appreciate that since I was born only six years later. Let’s see what 1940 had to offer its citizens.
- Local dime stores were the place to be as a child. Candy and soda pop were the favorites.
- Newspaper headline from January: OSKAR SHINDLER BEGINS PROVIDING REFUGE FOR KRAKOW JEWS
- Jack Nicklaus was born on January 21st.
- Formal dancing, accompanied by the sounds of the big bands of the day, was a great way to conclude a celebrative event.
- The Philadelphia Story and Fantasia were the top box office hits. One of Disney’s first animated hits, Pinocchio, was released as a feature-length film.
- Tom Brokaw, Ted Koppel, and Fran Tarkington were all born in February.
- The use of telephones was in its infancy. Party lines were shared lines and kept everyone in the loop, as those online could quietly listen to any conversations at hand.
- Winston Churchill became the Prime Minister of Great Britain.
- On May 15, 1940, the first nylon stockings went on sale.
- The state of New York hosted the World’s Fair at Flushing Meadows.
- On November 7, 1940, the Tacoma Narrows bridge collapsed into the water. The only casualty was a dog sadly left in the car as its owner fled.
- FDR was president, the population of the United States was at 132 million, and the average salary for a full-time employee was $1200 a year. The minimum wage was $.30 an hour.
- The first McDonald’s restaurant opened on May 15, 1940, in San Bernardino California.
- On January 31, 1940, Ida M. Fuller became the first American citizen to receive a Social Security check.
- Bread was $.08 a loaf, bacon $.27 a pound, eggs $.33 a dozen, milk $.26 a gallon, coffee $.21 a pound, gasoline $.11 a gallon, a movie ticket was $.24, postage stamps were $ $.03’s, average cars costs $990, and the cost for a single-family home on average was $2938.
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