Due to the dominance of World War II, the 40s brought about extreme societal and culture change. For the first time, women made an exodus from home into the workplace. Women who had, had a taste of independence were forced to give up their jobs to the men returning for WWII. And, of course, couples that had been kept apart by WWII made up for lost time, which brought about the baby boom.
On the tech front, the development of T.V., that made its debut at the 1939 World Fair, was interrupted. But by 1947 commercial television was in full swing with 13 stations available to the public. Computers were developed during the early forties. The digital computer, named ENIAC, weighing 30 tons and standing two stories high, was completed in 1945.
At the beginning of the decade, Big Bands dominated popular music. Be-Bop and Rhythm and Blues grew out of the big band era toward the end of the decade. Radio was the lifeline for Americans, providing news, music and entertainment.
Artists fleeing from Hitler immigrated to the United States, where they had a profound effect on American artists. The center of the western art world shifted from Paris to New York. In architecture simplicity became the key element. After the war, suburbs with their tract homes and uniformity sprang up. The average home was a one level Ranch House.
Facts about this decade:
- Population 132,122,000
- Unemployed in 1940 - 8,120,000
- National Debt $43 Billion
- Average Salary $1,299
- Minimum Wage $.43 per hour
- 55% of U.S. homes had indoor plumbing
- Antarctica is discovered to be a continent
- Life expectancy 68.2 female, 60.8 male
- The Slinky was invented in 1945
- Seventeen magazine was established in 1944
Rosie the Riveter was the symbol of the workingwoman, GIs, however, preferred another symbol, the pin-up girl, such as Rita Hayworth, Betty Page and Betty Grable.
The Zoot Suit was high fashion for young men until the War Production Department restricted the amount of fabric that could be used in garments. The same restrictions led to the popularity of the women's convertible suit. Silk stockings were unavailable, so, to give the illusion with stockings with their prominent seam, women would draw a line up the backs of their legs with eyeliner.
Source: kclibrary.lonestar.edu
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