General Life1940

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”

EntertainmentEven 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 BrothersBill Haley and his Comets

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Food100 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

CarsAverage Cost of a car - $850.00

Popular Cars: Cadillac Studebaker Ford

Chevrolet Austin 10

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?

By Maddy

MoneyWhat Things Cost in 1940:

Car: $800Gasoline: 18 Cents/GalHouse: $6,550Bread: 8 cents/loafMilk: 34 cents/galPostage Stamp: 3 centsStock Market: 131

United States $48,000USD 2006 1.00 $48,000

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.

EmploymentPopulation 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 WorkHigher 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 hourNow - Minimum Wage: $8.00

By:Dezi Maddy

Steph CaznaSandra Kendra