Life Left Behind
What did things cost?
Eggs: 33 cents per dozen
Milk: 13 cents per quart
Bread: 8 cents per loaf
Butter: 36 cents per pound
Bacon: 27 cents per pound
Round steak: 36 cents per pound
Oranges: 29 cents per dozen
Coffee: 21 cents per pound
Before being called upon by J. Robert Oppenheimer to follow him to an unknown location in the deserts of New Mexico, members of the Manhattan project were largely university students and young professors. These were young people who were just starting their careers and their lives.
the 1940's was a decade defined by the second world war. Life for those on the American home front was certainly not as dangerous as those in Europe, however the shadow of war changed things. From drafts, to rationing, to pop culture and propaganda, America would never be the same.
Rationing
Every American was issued a series of ration books during the war. The ration books contained removable stamps good for certain rationed items, like sugar, meat, cooking oil, and canned goods. A person could not buy a rationed item without also giving the grocer the right ration stamp. Once a person’s ration stamps were used up for a month, she couldn’t buy any more of that type of food. This meant planning meals carefully, being creative with menus, and not wasting food. More than 8,000 ration boards across the country administered the program.
The Draft
on September 16, 1940 the United States inaugurated its first peacetime draft, the Selective Service and Training Act, which went into practice on October 29. With every male from ages 18 to 65 registered and divided by district, the number of the district was placed in a capsule, the capsules collected in a fishbowl and stirred, and capsules selected.
On December 20, 1941 a renewed bill made all men between the ages of 20 and 44 liable for military service, and required all men between the ages of 18 and 64 to register. The draft would continue until it expired in 1947
1940's Women's Guide to Glamour
