Greece
The forties are pretty well defined by World War II. US isolationism was shattered by the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor. As President Franklin D. Roosevelt guided the country on the homefront, Dwight D. Eisenhower commanded the troops in Europe. Gen. Douglas MacArthur and Adm. Chester Nimitz led them in the Pacific. The discovery of penicillin in 1940 revolutionized medicine. Developed first to help the military personnel survive war wounds, it also helped increase survival rates for surgery. The first eye bank was established at New York Hospital in 1944. Unemployment almost disappeared, as most men were drafted and sent off to war. The government reclassified 55% of their jobs, allowing women and blacks to fill them. First, single women were actively recruited to the workforce. In 1943, with virtually all the single women employed, married women were allowed to work. Japanese immigrants and their descendants, suspected of loyalty to their homelands, were sent to internmen!t camps. There were scrap drives for steel, tin, paper and rubber. These were a source of supplies and gave people a means of supporting the war effort. Automobile production ceased in 1942, and rationing of food supplies began in 1943. Victory gardens wer
The average home was a one level Ranch House, a collection of previously unaffordable appliances surrounded by minimal living space. Many of the most popular radio shows continued on in television, including Red Skelton, Abbott and Costello, Jack Benny, Bob Hope, and Truth or Consequences. First, single women were actively recruited to the workforce. The same restrictions led to the popularity of the women's convertible suit, a jacket, short skirt, and blouse. Computers were developed during the early forties. Eisenhower commanded the troops in Europe. More than one pregnant woman came into the delivery room with "Kilroy was here" painted on her belly. Kate Smith and Arthur Godfrey were popular radio hosts. After they returned, Kilroy began to mark his place on the walls and rocks of public places. GI's took the dance overseas when they to war, dancing with local girls, barmaids, or even each other if necessary. Richard Wright completed Native Son in 1940 and Black Boy in 1945, earning acclaim, but government persecution over his communist affiliation sent him to Paris in 1945. Be-Bop and Rhythm and Blues, grew out of the big band era toward the end of the decade. Milton Berle's slapstick comedy, Texaco Star Theater, was credited with creating the demand for televisions. Costumes / Fashion The Zoot Suit was the height of fashion among daring young men until the War Production Department restricted the amount of fabric that could be used in men's garments. Citizen Kane, not fitting the template, was one of the masterpieces of the time.
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