Blindfolded Boxing

Posted By: Paul - Thu Jul 25, 2013 - Comments (7)
Category: Contests, Races and Other Competitions, Sports, Martial Arts, 1940s, Europe

Linguistic advice from 1945

(found on "The Boys and Girls Page" distributed by the NEA Service, 1945)

Posted By: Alex - Wed Jul 24, 2013 - Comments (7)
Category: 1940s, Slang

New York bus driver’s “spring fling”

On Friday March 28, 1947, at 6:55 a.m., Bronx bus driver William Cimillo got into his bus to start his daily route. But then something happened. The open road called to him. He said later that he was overcome by "that old spring-time urge." He started driving, and he didn't stop until he reached Florida, where he was found four days later at a race track. During the entire trip, no one ever asked him why he was driving an empty New York bus down the highway.

"Baby, this is it... I just got the old springtime urge."

The bus company filed charges of grand larceny against him, but the public rallied in support of him, feeling that Cimillo simply gave in to that "yearning for escape" that everyone feels at one time or another. So eventually the company forgave him and put him back on the job, on the condition that he was on probation for one year.

Read more about Cimillo's adventure here and here.



More in extended >>

Posted By: Alex - Tue Jul 23, 2013 - Comments (5)
Category: Mass Transit, 1940s

Crimes By Women

[Click to embiggen]

Read the whole thing here.

Posted By: Paul - Wed Jul 10, 2013 - Comments (9)
Category: Scary Criminals, Comics, 1940s, Women

Gags and Gals

Posted By: Paul - Sun Jun 23, 2013 - Comments (5)
Category: Music, 1940s, Women

Miss Typical

I guess it's some kind of achievement to be judged the most entirely average, but still, I don't think "Miss Typical" pageants are often held nowadays. They seem to belong to an age when conformity was thought to be more of a virtue. Rachel Reber here won "Miss Typical Freshman Coed" title back in 1941.



Marilyn Charleston was judged Miss Typical Teen of Nevada:

Reno Gazette Journal - Sep 3, 1948

Posted By: Alex - Tue Jun 18, 2013 - Comments (3)
Category: Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Contests, Races and Other Competitions, 1940s

Girls Who Go Wrong

Click each image for greater readability.

Source.

Posted By: Paul - Tue Jun 11, 2013 - Comments (8)
Category: Etiquette and Formal Behavior, Comics, 1940s, Ethics and Morals

Let Mr. Mouse’s Nightmare Help You!

Psychotherapy via mouse torture. Milwaukee Sentinel - Nov 16, 1941.

Posted By: Alex - Wed May 29, 2013 - Comments (7)
Category: Science, Psychology, 1940s

Does Satan Exist?

Some media gimmicks never go out of style. But you'd think we could have reached a conclusion during the past sixty years, since the article appeared in 1948.

Posted By: Paul - Sat May 18, 2013 - Comments (3)
Category: Authorities and Experts, Religion, 1940s, Fictional Monsters

The Amazing Walking Baby

Back in 1948, Norman Robert Kolreg of Lewiston, Maine, became famous when he was able to walk upright (with some help from his mother) at the tender age of 5 days. Soon Mrs. Kolreg began exhibiting him to any curiosity seeker who showed up at her door. She even took out an ad in the paper, listing his scheduled performances. She didn't charge an admission fee, but she did accept donations. Which led to criminal charges being brought against her, alleging that being exhibited was injurious to the child's "life, limb and health." The charges were dropped, but only after she agreed to stop making him perform. [The Day - Apr 2, 1948]

Reportedly, little Norman kept on walking — soon without any help from Mom. I have no idea what become of him later in life.

Posted By: Alex - Tue May 07, 2013 - Comments (5)
Category: Babies, 1940s