May 2: J. Edgar Hoover Dies

On this date in History ..... May 2, 1972:  

Just before the Watergate scandal erupted, J. Edgar Hoover dies after re-creating and leading the FBI for nearly 5 decades, serving under 8 presidents. 

He built the corruption-ridden agency into an efficient crime-fighting machine, establishing a centralized fingerprint file, a crime laboratory, and a training school for agents. 

After WWII, he worked closely with the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) and Senator Joseph McCarthy, the architect of America's second Red Scare.  

By 1969, Congress was suspicious of the FBI’s abuse of power and for the 1^st time Hoover found himself under criticism and the Congressional microscope.  Because of these inquiries, Congress passed laws requiring congressional approval of FBI appointments and limited time in office to only 10 yrs.

April 6: Happy Birthday, Twinkie!!

On this date in history .... April 6, 1930:  

Twinkies were invented by James Dewar who worked as a baker for the Continental Baking Co (later to be renamed Hostess). Dewar noticed the machines that made strawberry filled cakes were dormant during the berry off season, he used the lady-finger shaped machines to create a snack cake filled with banana cream.  

During WWII, bananas were rationed and the company switched to vanilla cream, which became so popular the banana filling was not re-introduced.   Bananas were in short supply, not because of a crop failure but because transportation priority was given to the war effort and space on ships and railroad cars was limited.

Twinkees became part of pop culture in movies and TV shows.  Archie Bunker, for example, never left for work without a Twinkie in his lunchbox!

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April 5: Only Japanese-American receives Medal of Honor

On this date in History ... April 5, 1945:

The actions of PFC Sadao S. Munemori resulted in him becoming the only Japanese American in WWII to receive the Medal of Honor, the Nation's Highest Honor.

In a battle near Seravezza, Italy, Munemori's unit was pinned down.  When the unit leader was injured, leadership fell on the shoulders of Munemori.  In a one-man frontal attack, he took out 2 machine guns with grenades.  Withdrawing under "murderous fire" from the enemy, he had almost reached safety with his men when an unexploded grenade bounced off of his helmet and rolled toward his comrades.  

Munemori threw his body on top of the grenade, saving his men.  His citation reads that his act of heroism "cleared the path for his company's victorious advance."

Sadao was a second-generation Japanese American, born in California.  He volunteered for the Army one month before Pearl Harbor.  After the Pearl Harbor bombing, Sadao, like other Japanese Americans in the military, was removed from combat training and assigned to menial labor tasks. In the meantime, his parents were incarcerated in one of the internment camps. In March 1943, he was permitted to be reassigned to a combat unit.

Munemori's medal was given his mother and is on display at the Smithsonian Institute.

He is honored in multiple ways for his heroism including:

• Sadeo S. Munemori Hall, a building located on the grounds of the Captain Nelson M. Holderman U.S. Army Reserve Center in West Los Angeles, California, was dedicated in his honor in 1993.
• Sadeo Munemori is memorialized by a statue in Pietrasanto Italy
• Americna Legion Post 321 in Los Angeles is named for Sadeo Munemori

Sources include: http://www.homeofheroes.com/moh/citations_1940_wwii/munemori_sadao.html 

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August 3: Gas Rationed in WWII

On this date in history .... August 3, 1941:

Gas sales were limited in the U.S. during WWII. 

Actually, gas wasn't what they were rationing at all. The main purpose of the restrictions on gas purchasing was to conserve tires. Japanese armies in the Far East had cut the U.S. off from its chief supply of rubber.

There were four rationing classifications:

• An "A" classification, which could be had by almost anyone, entitled the holder to four gallons a week. 
• A "B" classification was worth about eight gallons a week. 
• "C" was reserved for important folk, like doctors.  
• The magic "X" went to people whose very survival required that they be able to purchase gasoline in unlimited quantities--rich people and politicians, for example.

Gas rationing began on a nationwide basis on December 1, 1942. It ended on Aug 15, 1945. Speed limits were 35 MPH for the duration. For a short time in 1943, rations were reduced further and all pleasure driving was outlawed.  

The first nonfood item rationed was rubber.  The Japanese had seized plantations in the Dutch East Indies that produced 90% of America's raw rubber.  President Roosevelt called on citizens to help by contributing scrap rubber to be recycled, old tires, old rubber raincoats, garden hose, rubber shoes, bathing caps. 

By the end of 1942, half of U.S automobiles were issued an 'A' sticker which allowed 4 gallons of fuel per week.  That sticker was issued to owners whose use of their cars was nonessential.  Hand the pump jockey your Mileage Ration Book coupons and cash, and she (yes, female service station attendants because the guys were over there) could sell you three or four gallons a week, no more.  For nearly a year, A-stickered cars were not to be driven for pleasure at all. 

The green 'B' sticker was for driving deemed essential to the war effort; industrial war workers, for example, could purchase eight gallons a week.  Red 'C' stickers indicated physicians, ministers, mail carriers and railroad workers.  'T' was for truckers, and the rare 'X' sticker went to members of Congress and other VIPs.  Truckers supplying the population with supplies had a T sticker for unlimited amounts of fuel.





Sources for this article:
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/353/how-was-gas-rationing-handled-during-world-war-ii
http://www.ameshistoricalsociety.org/exhibits/events/rationing.htm

July 24: Operation Gomorrah

On this date in History ... July 24, 1943:  

Operation Gomorrah is launched. 

Britain begins bombing Hamburg Germany by night and the US bombs it by day. 30,000 Germans were killed & 280,000 buildings were destroyed. 

The effect on Hitler was significant. He refused to visit the burned out cities as “the ruins of the city bespoke nothings but the end of the war for him.” 

Out of the 791 British aircraft, only 12 were lost due to a new radar jamming device named “Window”.  Strips of aluminum foil were dropped by bombers on their way to the bombing sites, confusing German radar who thought the strips were dozens and dozens of aircraft. This confusion diverted the German defense away from the actual bombing targets.

July 12: Theodore Roosevelt Jr

On this date in History .... July 12, 1944:

General Theodore Roosevelt II, eldest son of Franklin D. Roosevelt, died of a heart attack in his tent in France, approximately one month after the Utah Beach landing, at the age of 56. 

Throughout World War II, he suffered from health problems and walked with a cane. He also had heart trouble. On the day of his death he had been selected by General Omar Bradley for promotion to major general and orders had been cut placing him in command of the 90th Infantry Division. These recommendations were sent to General Dwight D. Eisenhower for approval, but when Eisenhower called the next morning to approve them, he had to be told that Roosevelt had died during the night.  

He was buried at the American cemetery in Normandy. He now lies next to his younger brother, Lieutenant Quentin Roosevelt. Quentin, a pilot, had been killed in France during World War I and was initially buried at Chamery, but was exhumed in 1955 and moved to the Normandy Cemetery, in order to be re-interred next to his brother. 

See also my blog of June 6th:  http://thimblefulsofhistory.blogspot.com/2013/06/june-6-d-day-theodore-roosevelt-jr.html

July 10: Mel Blanc

On this date in History ... July 10, 1989:

Mel Blanc, the voice of numerous cartoon characters, dies at the age of 81.  

He was known as “The Man of a Thousand Voices” and the most influential in the voice-acting industry.  He was the first voice-actor to get screen credit. He dropped out of high school in the ninth grade and became the youngest orchestra leader at the age of 17.

In addition to his more famous voices, he did the voice for Barney Rubble (“The Flintstones”), Mr. Spacely (“The Jetsons”), and was the first voice for Toucan Sam in Fruit Loops commercials. 

He also voiced “Private Snafu”, a character in WWII Army cartoon films.  Snafu was drawn by Theodore Geisel a.k.a. Dr. Seuss (see my post/blog of March 2 .... http://thimblefulsofhistory.blogspot.com/2013/03/march-2-dr-seuss.html ). 

Blanc's tombstone is engraved, at his request, with the words, "That's all folks!"

NOTE: We own a copy of this timeless “no words are needed” commemorative print.  

It was a gift from our dear friends from England, Ken and Shirley.

June 30: Ernie Pyle Bill Passed

On this date in History .... June 30, 1944:

Congress passes Public Law 393 giving soldiers 50% more pay for combat service. This bill was also known as the Ernie Pyle Bill.  

Pyle, a famous war correspondent, born and raised in Indiana, had dropped out of Indiana University just one semester before graduating to work for an Indiana newspaper.  Within a few months, he was working for a Washington D.C. paper, lured by the extra pay of $2.50 per week.  

Pyle with the infantry
on Okinawa

As a war correspondent, he had pushed for extra combat pay for the infantry in his columns. Airmen already received flight pay, and Pyle, who traveled mostly with the infantry, believed these “underdogs of the military” should receive comparable “fight pay”. 

June 6: D-Day & Theodore Roosevelt Jr.

On this date in History .... June 6, 1944:

The day after General Eisenhower gave the order to commence Operation Overlord, which would become known as "D-Day", and would become the largest amphibious military operation in history. Some of the numbers of the day include:

• 6000 ships and landing crafts, carrying ....
• 176,000 troops
• 822 aircraft that would drop parachutists in Normandy
• 13,000 additional aircraft to provide cover and air support.

Hitler believed the invasion was a fake and a diversion and refused to release German troops to the area. 

Theodore Roosevelt Jr., the eldest son of Theodore and Edith Roosevelt, was the only general on D-Day to land by sea with the first wave of troops. He would be the oldest man involved in the invasion (age 56) and the only man to serve with his son on D-Day at Normandy. 

He heard the first wave landing craft had drifted more than a mile off target.  Armed with only a pistol, he took off walking with his cane to find the causeways to be used as an inland landing point. He then returned to the commanders and shared the information, coordinating the attack.  His famous words at this point were, "We'll start the war from right here!"

Roosevelt died a month later of a heart attack in his tent.  He was buried in the American cemetery in Normandy.  

His Medal of Honor Citation reads:

"Citation: for gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty on 6 June 1944, in France. After 2 verbal requests to accompany the leading assault elements in the Normandy invasion had been denied, Brig. Gen. Roosevelt's written request for this mission was approved and he landed with the first wave of the forces assaulting the enemy-held beaches. He repeatedly led groups from the beach, over the seawall and established them inland. His valor, courage, and presence in the very front of the attack and his complete unconcern at being under heavy fire inspired the troops to heights of enthusiasm and self-sacrifice. 

Although the enemy had the beach under constant direct fire, Brig. Gen. Roosevelt moved from one locality to another, rallying men around him, directed and personally led them against the enemy.  Under his seasoned, precise, calm, and unfaltering leadership, assault troops reduced beach strong points and rapidly moved inland with minimum casualties. He thus contributed substantially to the successful establishment of the beachhead in France."

Citation/Quote Source: 
http://www.1id.army.mil/bigredone/commandteam/former/ADC/Roosevelt%20Jr.,%20Theodore.htm

May 27: The Bismarck

On this date in History .... May 27, 1941:  

The British navy sinks the German battleship Bismarck in the North Atlantic near France. The German death toll was more than 2,000.  

On February 14, 1939, the 823-foot Bismarck was launched at Hamburg. Nazi leader Adolf Hitler hoped that the state-of-the-art battleship would herald the rebirth of the German surface battle fleet. After a May 24^th battle with “almost the entire British Home Fleet”, the Bismarck was crippled and badly leaking fuel.  It tried to return to occupied France but the British fleet tracked it down and finished it off. 

The incident inspired this Johnny Horton song:

April 1: Father-Son Medals of Honor

On this date in History .... 1942:

Douglas MacArthur is awarded the Medal of Honor for his invasion of the Philippines. This made him one of only two sets of father-son recipients of the Medal of Honor.  MacArthur’s father rec’d the MOH during the Civil War.  The other father-son recipients were President Theodore Roosevelt for leading the charge on San Juan Hill and his son, Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt Jr. for actions on D-Day in WWII.

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March 25: Elvis & the USS Arizona

On this date in History ..... 1961:

Elvis Presley performs a charity concert to raise money for the building of the USS Arizona Memorial in Hawaii. 

 

The fundraising for the memorial had slowed down tremendously. Elvis’s concert raised over $50,000 but more important than that, it lit a second fire under the fundraising efforts and the donations again began pouring in, reaching the $500,000 that was needed.  One year later, on Memorial Day in 1962, the memorial was dedicated. Two days after the concert, Elvis began filming the movie “Blue Hawaii”. 

 

In 1973, Elvis’s 1973 pre-broadcast rehearsal show for the “Aloha from Hawaii” concert was free but asked that attendees pay what they could. The money went to the Kui Lee Cancer Fund in Hawaii.

March 2: Dr. Seuss

On this date in History ..... 1904:

Theodor Seuss Geisel is born in Mass. Twenty years later, after being removed from his editor-in-chief position of a college humor magazine with Dartmouth College for drinking in his dorm on campus, which was in violation not only of school policy but of Prohibition Law, he was forced to invent his pen name of “Dr. Seuss” (his middle name which was also his mother's maiden name) so he could be published. He published 44 books and only 4 of them were not written in rhyme. 

His father, a brewmaster, wanting his son to be a professor, so after graduating from Dartmouth, Geisel went to Oxford University in England where he met his wife. The year they were married, he dropped out of school and came back to America where he began earning a living as a cartoonist and eventually drawing cartoon-like advertisements for Standard Oil, a job he held for fifteen years.

Viking Press gave him his introduction to illustrating children’s books. Geisel’s first book “And to Think I Saw it on Mulberry Street” was rejected 27 times before it was published, becoming the first of 44 books to be published by the author.  (Only four of those books were not written in rhyme.)

He also drew propaganda posters and made animated training films for the War Department during WWII, featured a character named “Private Snafu”.

Click "here" to see a video of "Private Snafu"

In 1954, Life Magazine published an article criticizing children’s reading levels. Two publishing houses challenged him to write a children’s book using only 200 vocabulary words. The challenge was met with the Seuss icon book of “Cat in the Hat.”

“At the time of his death on September 24, 1991, Ted had written and illustrated 44 children's books, including such all-time favorites as Green Eggs and Ham, Oh, the Places You'll Go, Fox in Socks, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. His books had been translated into more than 15 languages. Over 200 million copies had found their way into homes and hearts around the world.

Besides the books, his works have provided the source for eleven children's television specials, a Broadway musical and a feature-length motion picture. Other major motion pictures are on the way.

His honors included two Academy awards, two Emmy awards, a Peabody award and the Pulitzer Prize.”    (Quote Source: http://www.catinthehat.org/history.htm )

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February 21: Pearl Harbor Spy Found Guilty

On this date in History .... 1942:

Bernard Julius Otto Kuehn, a member of the Nazi Party, was found guilty of spying, just 76 days after his efforts aided the enemy in the attack on Pearl Harbor. 

The FBI had been suspicious of him since 1939 because of his “question contacts” with Germans and Japanese.  He had two houses, lots of money, threw lavish parties for military officials while expressing deep interest in their work …. but no real job or source of income. His answer to inquiries about his wealth was that he had made good investments overseas. It was also curious that this German National was an “advanced student of Japanese language” and he was never able to give a definitive answer as to the reason he was in Hawaii. He had a 25-year old married son who was a secretary to a high official in the Nazi Bureau in Berlin.

The Kuehns ended up in Hawaii from a bizarre string of events that began with their then-17-year-old daughter, Susie Ruth, who had been a mistress of Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels.  When Goebbels tired of her, she turned out to be difficult to get rid of, due to her father’s close friendship and connections to the head of the Gestapo, Heinrich Himmler. But when the Japanese requested a German spy to work in Hawaii (because a German would be less noticeable in the American environment than a Japanese spy), Goebbels saw his chance to get rid of the whole family and recommended the Kuehns for the position.

While in Hawaii, the entire family participated in spy activities.  Susie Ruth became a modern version of Mata Hari and dated many young military officers but her biggest contribution was when she opened a hair salon.  She intentionally set her prices very low so the military wives would be sure to become regular customers and a good source of information as they gossiped about things they heard from their husbands.  Sometimes the salon was so busy that Mrs. Kuehn had to go down there to help her daughter record and document the information that would later be transferred to the Japanese consulate.

Even the ten-year-old son, Hans, would work the spy game, becoming the only bona-fide child spy in history.  Dressed in a little sailor suit while taking a walk with his dad, he quickly became a favorite of the sailors, who would take him aboard the ships. Coached by his dad on what to ask and with a keen mind to remember everything he saw, he came off of the ships with information his spy father could never obtain.  His father was always careful not to go on board with little Hans so any attention, good or bad, was never directed his way.  It was just a cute little boy who showed a passion for the big ships.

After December 7, the FBI and local law enforcement, who had been watching the Japanese consulate, found officials in the consulate burning piles of paper. Once decoded, they were found to contain a set of eight signals for U.S. fleet movements. For example, a light shining in the dormer window of Kuehn’s Oahu house from 9-10 p.m. meant that U.S. carriers had sailed; a linen sheet on a clothesline at his beach house between 10-11a.m. meant the battle force had left the harbor.  Evidence was found showing he had send “specific and highly accurate” details, in writing, to Japan.

He was sentenced to “death by musketry” which was commuted to 50 years of hard labor.  He was released just four years later and deported.

sources for this information includes the www.fbi.gov website.
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January 31: Germany Resumes U-Boat Attacks

On this date in History .... 1917:

Germany announces they will again begin unrestricted warfare in the Atlantic with their submarines, known as U-Boats. 

The American stance of remaining a neutral in the Great War was wearing thin with the sinking of the Lusitania and an Italian ship with 27 Americans. Three days after Germany’s announcement, an American ship, the Housatonic was sunk.

On February 22, the U.S. Congress appropriated $250 million to ready America for war. In March, Germany sank four more U.S. merchant ships.  On April 6, the House of Representatives endorsed the Senate’s declaration of war and “America formerly entered WWI.”

January 15: FDR Makes Plea for Baseball

On this date in History .... 1942:

The day after FDR signs Presidential Proclamation #2537 requiring people from enemy countries to register with the government, he switched his attention to the national pasttime of baseball, and sent his famous “Green Light Letter” to the baseball commissioner, encouraging the continuation of baseball games during WWII.

Roosevelt said his comments were “solely a personal and not an official point of view”.  The letter ensured that the 1942 season would be played as planned, negating rumors of a shutdown.

Despite a loss of many star players to military service, such Joe DiMaggio & Ted Williams, all 16 teams played regular schedules for the duration of WWII.

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December 27: Tires are rationed

On this date in History .... 1941:

The Office of Price Administration mandates the first rationing program of the war by mandating no one person could own more than five tires and any tires owned in excess of five had to be turned in. 

War with the Japanese made it difficult to get rubber from the Dutch Indies, which was where over 90% of the U.S.’s raw rubber came from, and what rubber could be obtained was used for war supplies. People were urged to save their tires by carpooling and driving less.  Posters sent messages such as “When you ride alone, you ride with Hitler!” 

Scrap rubber drives collected tires, water hoses, swimming caps, gloves, raincoats, baby rubber pants and anything else that could be recycled for the war. 

Gas rationing began on December 1, 1942, not so much as a way to save gas but more as a way to reduce driving which would save the use of tires, which would decrease the civilian demand for rubber. Tire rationing ended on December 31, 1945.

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December 21: Navajo Code Talkers

On this date in History ... 2000:

Pres. Clinton signs a bill which gives the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian award in the U.S., to the 29 original WWII Navajo Code Talkers. Silver Medals were given to approximately 300 other persons who qualified as a Code Talker. 

 

 

During WWII, the Japanese were breaking codes left and right. Philip Johnson, who grew up a missionary’s son on a Navajo reservation, was one of a few non-Navajos who spoke the language fluently, and suggested using the language as an unbreakable code. The language, at the time, was not written down and had a very complex grammar.

 

The military accepted the idea and during testing saw that a coded message that would take a machine 30 minutes to code could be sent in 20 seconds through a Code Talker. A code was developed using the language, but no code book was printed. The Talkers had to memorize every code. 

 

Other Navajos, who had not gone through the code-training program, could not understand the code. This was proven when Joe Kieyoomia, a Navajo Sargeant but not a Code Talker, was captured during the Bataan Death March. The Japanese had him try to interpret the messages but the message made no sense to Joe. (He had no way of knowing that the Navajo word for “potato” meant “hand grenade”.)

Code Talker medal 1968.
Photo source: www. lapahie.com

The program was considered classified until 1968 so the men that had a tremendous impact on the victory at Iwo Jimo received no recognition for over 20 years.  According to Maj. Howard Connor, 5^th Marine Division Signal Officer, “Were it not for the Navajos, the Marines would never have taken Iwo Jima.” The six Code Talkers under his command sent over 800 messages in two days, all completely error free.

On November 15, 2008, Pres. Bush signed the Code Talkers Recognition Act which gave every Code Talker the same Congressional Gold Medal as was received by the original 29.

George Smith, the last Navajo Code Talker, died November 2012.

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December 20: Soviet Code Broken

On this date in History ..... 1946:

Meredith Gardner broke a Soviet code that revealed Soviet espionage in the Manhattan Project, and Soviet activity in the Treasury Dept, the State Dept and even the White House. The code breaking, a collaboration between the US and the UK to break Soviet coded messages, was known as the VENONA Project. It was so secret that Pres. Roosevelt and Truman knew nothing about it and led to evidence used in such spy cases as Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.

 

While Mr. Gardner was the key man in breaking this code, most of the code breakers were young women.

December 11: Hitler declares war on U.S.

On this date in History .... 1941:

Hitler declares war on the United States. 

Hitler had a verbal agreement with Japan that Germany would join Japan in a war against the U.S. but was unsure on how that would come about. The bombing of Pearl Harbor was the perfect opening, even though the attack had surprised even Germany.  

German Foreign Minister von Ribbenthrop feared the addition of the U.S. would overwhelm Germany’s war effort but Hitler didn’t agree. He thought Japan was stronger than they actually were and figured once Japan defeated the U.S. then Japan would help Germany defeat Russia.

Once the declaration of war had been delivered, Hitler addressed the Reichstag, claiming the true cause of the war was entirely the fault of Roosevelt and his failed New Deal, accusing FDR of inciting war, falsifying causes, then wrapping himself in “Christian hypocrisy and slowly but surely leads mankind to war”.  At the end of this speech, the Reichstag “leaped to their feet in thunderous applause.” 

FDR’s request to Congress for a Declaration of War was unanimously approved.


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