When the World Went Dark

By Marilyn Turk

For the past two years, I’ve been immersing myself in World War II history while writing The Gilded Curse, which came out in March 2016, and now it’s sequel that comes out next year.

I’ve discovered so many interesting facts about the era – strange to us now, but familiar to our parents or grandparents. One of the things that most impresses me about that period of history is the way the people of the United States (and Great Britain as well) supported the war effort in their everyday lives. Patriotism was at its highest, and everyone – from school children to homemakers to factory workers and farmers – contributed as they could, sacrificing comfort and more to demonstrate their loyalty to their country.

One of the wartime practices that affected many people, especially anyone who lived near the coast, was the requirement for blackouts or dimouts – putting out or covering all lights outside and many inside so the enemy would not see where to strike. 

Here are some facts I discovered about the blackouts.

As early as the day after Pearl Harbor, the city of San Francisco went black after receiving a report of approaching enemy aircraft. Two days later on December 9, 1941, New York City sounded its first alarm.

To begin with, blackouts were ordered during air raid drills. But by March 1942, dimouts were required in coastal areas. An article in the March 12, 1942 East Hampton newspaper stated that "a 'Lights Out' order for Long Island has been issued by the Suffolk County Civilian Defense Council ... the plan is to reduce lights along the Long Island shore so as to eliminate the silhouetting of ships against a lighted background, which would be a very fine set up for enemy submarines operating offshore."

All outdoor advertising lights were shut off, including neon lights around buildings like diners and marquees. New York City dwellers tried to maintain their lifestyles in the dark. An example was written in an article in the New York Times, "The opening night of Ray Bolger’s new musical saw theatergoers completely baffled by the lack of … landmarks, as they felt their way from Sardi's to the Shubert Theater and back by an elaborate system of navigation based on the Braille system and dead reckoning…”

Car owners covered or painted over the upper part of their headlights. 

Automobile drivers failing to dim their lights were subject to one-year jail terms and $5,000 fines.

Unfortunately, car and pedestrian accidents occurred because of the blackout, resulting in authorities reducing the speed limit to 35 mph at night, painting curbs white and in general, warning people to stay off the roads at night.

Blackout shades and curtains were bought or made to cover windows on homes and apartments to keep lights from shining outside. 

Campfires were not allowed on beaches, and even cigarette smoking was not allowed outside at night. Most citizens readily complied, but for those who violated the regulations, they received fines or sometimes, jail sentences. 

Family listening to the radio (box on right)

Jack Benny broadcasting a radio show

Due to the blackouts, Americans entertained themselves at home more than before. Books sold in record numbers as did the sale of playing cards that rose 1000 percent. Radio listening grew by 20 percent as they listened to their favorite big band entertainers like Harry James, Tommy Dorsey, and Glenn Miller, crooners like Bing Crosby or Frank Sinatra, or shows that starred Dinah Shore, Bob Hope, Red Skelton, Arthur Godfrey and others.

Do you know anyone who experienced the blackouts in World War II?

Marilyn Turk loves to study history, especially that of lighthouses and the coast of the United States. She is the author of Rebel Light, a Civil War love story set on the coast of Florida, A Gilded Curse, a historical suspense novel set on Jekyll Island, Georgia, in 1942, and Lighthouse Devotions - 52 Inspiring Lighthouse Stories, based on her popular lighthouse blog. (@ http://pathwayheart.com)

Dance Marathons -- Can you Dance and Sleep at the Same Time?

Hi

Hi everyone. Pam Meyers here. This month, I've invited Connie Cortright to guest post here, presenting an article she wrote on another blog. Having written a book set in the 1930s that focused on the Big Band era, I found her discussion of dance marathons of great interest. Below is Connie's article "Dance the Night Away."  

You can get to know Connie at her blogsite "Through the Milk Door," which focuses on life in the 20s, 30s, and 40s.

By Connie Cortright

During the month of May, high school seniors look forward to their prom dances. That tradition, older than the 20s and 30s, still continues today. However, there is one very popular dancing tradition that is not around anymore. That is the dance marathon.

Dance marathons got started during the Roaring Twenties for entertainment. These events were hosted and promoted in towns across the country. The winner of the contests were the last dancers on the floor still standing. The amazing thing about these was the length of time they lasted, some longer than two months.

The pairs of dancers, who all started on the first day of the marathon, were required to be in constant motion, picking up one foot and then the other, 45 minutes of each hour. The other 15 minutes were the rest period. As the hours wore on, those were the only minutes they could collapse on a cot behind a curtained area and sleep. They even ate - twelve meals a day - while they were dancing with food provided by the sponsoring organization. The participants stood next to a high table, placed on the dance floor, and ate while keeping their feet going.

The dancing couples became accustomed to sleeping on their feet. One partner would be the "carrier" dragging the sleeping partner around the dance floor. In some cases the sleeper would have his/her hands

tied around the carrier's neck so that they wouldn't fall. They were disqualified when someone's knees touched the floor, so the carrier had to make sure this didn't happen. When the women were carriers, this must have been a challenge.

During the Great Depression, marathon promoters went from one town to the next holding these events. For many people who didn't have jobs during these hard times these marathons provided a roof over the heads of the contestants and food for empty stomachs. Many dancers actually became "professionals",  couples driving from one marathon to another as a means of making a living. These professionals outlasted any inexperienced dancers, winning prizes of hundreds or even a thousand dollars.

Huge crowds, paying twenty-five cents per person, came to these events for entertainment. The emcees would focus on one couple or another trying to raise the drama in the contest so the town people would return night after night.

When interest in the the marathon lagged, or it got down to the last few couples, the promoter would schedule special elimination events and advertise them on the radio to get the crowd coming back again. These elimination events could be hour long races around the dance floor with the couples tied together or other types of events. The idea was to get the weaker couples to collapse on the floor getting the contest to end sooner. After dancing more than a month these torturous races caused injury for the contestants. In some cases contestants died during these events.

Toward the end of the 30s, the marathons became more inhumane. The promoters grew rich from the misery of the contestants. After several years, states started outlawing these marathons. By the end of the 30s, the era of the dance marathon ended. World War II brought a complete halt to these events because the unemployed young men were now employed by the US Army.

Information taken from HistoryLink.org

A native of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, author Pamela S. Meyers lives in suburban Chicago, an hour's drive away from her hometown which she visits often to dig into its historical legacy. Her novels include Thyme for Love, and Love Will Find a Way,  contemporary romantic mysteries and her 1933 historical romance, Love Finds You in Lake Geneva,Wisconsin, released in April, 2013. She can often be found speaking at events around Lake Geneva or nosing in microfilms and historical records about Wisconsin and other Midwestern spots for new story ideas.

GREAT SONGS OF WORLD WAR II

Anne Greene

here. I’ve written about what Scottish men wore under their kilts, and what happened to their kilts. I told you that you would find more spectacular information about what changed the Scottish Highlanders and their way of life in my book Masquerade Marriage.

 

And the story continues in my long awaited book, Marriage By Arrangement, which releases on the 6^th of next month, December 6, 2013.

 

This 14^th day of November, I’m writing once again about events during World War II.

 

During World War II the American people kept their spirits and hopes high with the many new songs that blossomed during the first dark years of the war when America was losing the battle to Hitler’s Germany and Japan’s Hirohito.

 

World War II was the first conflict to take place in the age when almost ninety percent of American households had radio. Never before had it been possible for songs to be so widely distributed to the population. Never before had the number of listeners been so high.

 And overseas, American troops had regular access to radio in all but the most difficult combat situations. American troops listened to popular music on Armed Forces Radio between bouts of combat.

 

The song, They’re Either Too Young or Too Old took a light-hearted look at the men left for the women on the home front while American Troops were off fighting the war.

 

Popular songs like Sentimental Journey, I’ll be Seeing You, Moonlight Serenade, and I’ll be Home for Christmas, all spoke of women’s longings for loved ones overseas and the troops yearning to be home. Those songs gave society’s blessing that it was okay to miss your man because he fought for the good of Americans everywhere. And the many patriotic songs brought smiles to faces and pride to the hearts of Americans on the home front and abroad.

 

Earlier in the century big band music had grown wildly popular and still was in the 1940s. Some of the more popular war songs were:

 

There’ll Be Bluebirds Over The White Cliffs of Dover by Jimmy Dorsey & His Orchestra.

Be Careful It’s My Heart by Irving Berlin. 1942

Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy by the Andrews Sisters 1941

Comin’ In On A Wing and A Prayer by The Song Spinners

Don’t Get Around Much Anymore by Duke Ellington & His Orchestra

Don’t Sit Under The Apple Tree With Anyone Else But Me by 1942 by Stept, Brown, and Tobias.

Every Time We Say Goodbye by Cole Porter 1944

GI Jive by Johnny Mercer

I Don’t Want To Walk Without You by Harry James& His Orchestra 1942

I’ll Be Seeing You by Bing Crosby

It’s Been A Long Long Time by Harry James

I’ll Get By As Long As I Have You by Harry James& His Orchestra

Kiss The Boys Goodbye by Frank Loesser 1941

Praise The Lord and Pass The Ammunition by Frank Loesser 1942

 

People in the USA held the same desires as their leaders, and the government counted on popular music to reflect the same war aims that Franklin Delano Roosevelt wanted. Everyone hoped for a quick final victory over the Axis, and the songs about a world after the war with the boys coming home met those wishes.

 

This unity gave the USA an enormous energy that allowed the nation to accomplish far more, at less human cost, than the other major powers in the war. So during the dark years of the war where almost every citizen lost a loved one, music kept spirits high. 

 

Have you heard any of these popular songs, and if so, which is your favorite? 

 

Leave a comment and one lucky winner will win my book, A Texas Christmas Mystery. Please leave your email address so I can contact you for your address.

 

ANNE GREENE delights in writing about wounded heroes and gutsy heroines. Her second novel, a Scottish historical, Masquerade Marriage, won the New England Reader Choice award, the Laurel Wreath Award, and the Heart of Excellence Award. The sequel Marriage By Arrangement releases December 6, 2013. A Texas Christmas Mystery also won awards. Anne makes her home in McKinney, Texas. She graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Literary Studies from the University of Texas. Tim LaHaye led her to the Lord when she was twenty-one, and Chuck Swindoll is her Pastor. View Anne’s other books, her blog, travel pictures, and art work at http://www.AnneGreeneAuthor.com. Her highest hope is that her stories transport the reader to an awesome new world and touch hearts to seek a deeper spiritual relationship with the Lord Jesus.

 

Join Anne for excellent writing tips on her blog,

http://www.anneswritingupdates.blogspot.com.

 

Buy Anne’s books at http://www.PelicanBookGroup.com. Or at http://www.Amazon.com.

 

Don’t forget to leave a comment. Anne loves to talk with her fans.