- 10 months ago
Here is Episode 2 of Retro News.
Category
🛠️
LifestyleTranscript
00:00The Eagle has landed.
00:08Aye, Clinton, Delano, residence.
00:10Hello, Keston, pass.
00:18Retro News. It's a blast from the past.
00:22I'm Mark.
00:23And I'm Kendall.
00:24And this is Retro News,
00:25the show that digs through the archives of news history
00:28to bring you the important and not-so-important stories.
00:33This week, our cameras are focused on the year 1941.
00:37We'll see a 300-pound birthday cake,
00:40a crazy dance contest,
00:42a jalopy mud bath,
00:43and hats off to soldiers.
00:45But first, let's set the scene.
00:481941 was an important year in America's history.
00:51We were finally recovering from the Great Depression
00:53because there were lots of jobs available.
00:56World War II had broken out in Europe,
00:57and Americans were hard at work
00:59building tanks, planes, and ships for our allies.
01:02Between 1930 and 1940,
01:05American shipbuilders had launched 23 ships.
01:08In 1941, a shipbuilding boom started.
01:11Over the next five years,
01:134,600 ships were turned out by America's shipbuilders.
01:18About half of these ships were built in the San Francisco Bay Area
01:21where they finished a ship a day.
01:23When the ships were done,
01:25there was a big celebration
01:26where they were named and launched into the sea.
01:29Traditionally, a bottle of champagne
01:30was smashed against the bow and off it went,
01:33sometimes backwards, sometimes sideways,
01:35but always an impressive sight.
01:37But no launch was as slippery as the SS Cape Lookout.
01:39When a man sips on a banana, that's not news.
01:44But when 7,000 pounds of the fruit is used to launch a boat,
01:48that's something else.
01:49It's better than grease as the SS Cape Lookout
01:51slips down the shipways.
01:57For more innovations, let's go to Brennan and Rachel.
02:00In 1941, the military was testing all kinds of new defense ideas.
02:06They borrowed one idea from Great Britain.
02:09It's called the balloon barrage.
02:11The idea behind the balloon barrage
02:14was to protect the city from enemy planes.
02:17Huge balloons like this one
02:19would be tied to the ground by cables 10,000 feet long.
02:25Lots of balloons would be flown over important places.
02:28During the daylight hours,
02:30these balloons would force enemy planes
02:32to fly too high to do any damage.
02:35At night, the balloons and their cables
02:37would be invisible and snag planes in midair.
02:41Simple put effective.
02:44In 1941, the Army decided to add gliders
02:48to its aerial arsenal.
02:50So, what's with the giant fans?
02:53Well, if you can't find any wind,
02:55just make your own.
02:56On this field near Chicago,
02:58new pilots learned how to fly
03:00behind these big wind machines.
03:01It had to be a lot safer, too.
03:04The Army's plan was to use gliders,
03:06much bigger than these,
03:07to deliver troops and equipment
03:09to out-of-the-way places.
03:10When President Roosevelt started his program
03:14to enlarge the military,
03:16some manufacturers were asked
03:18to stop making goods for the people
03:20and make things for the military instead.
03:24This had been a tire factory,
03:26but in 1941,
03:28Goodyear rolled out the tires
03:29and brought in hundreds of women
03:31to make gas masks for the government.
03:33They were mostly made of rubber
03:42and pretty heavy, too.
03:44Depending on the style,
03:45they weighed between three and five pounds.
03:49The American Car Foundry
03:51began to make railroad cars in 1873.
03:54They still do.
03:55But, in 1941,
03:58they also made tanks.
04:00Armor plate for the tanks
04:02was made by a special process
04:04and welded into plates.
04:07An assembly line was set up
04:08and tanks were rolling out the doors
04:10at a rate of 100 a month.
04:12In April 1941,
04:14the first tanks rolled off
04:15Chrysler's assembly line.
04:17They don't look much like cars,
04:19but what they lack in form,
04:20they make up for with function.
04:23I guess looks aren't everything.
04:25President Franklin Roosevelt
04:29turned 59 on January 30, 1941.
04:32A five-foot-high, 300-pound cake
04:34was delivered to him
04:35in honor of his birthday
04:36and his annual March of Dimes drive.
04:39Roosevelt dedicated his birthday
04:40to raising funds
04:41for polio research and treatment.
04:43Every January,
04:44dimes flooded the White House.
04:46These campaigns were a big success,
04:48raising a million dollars each year.
04:50This money supported the research
04:52that eventually resulted
04:53in polio vaccine.
04:55Joining me now
04:58is Professor Whatzit.
04:59Hi, Professor.
05:01Hi, Kendall.
05:01What's on your mind?
05:02Well, we've just had a look
05:04at all the machines
05:05the army was building.
05:06If the United States
05:07wasn't at war,
05:08why make so many?
05:09Well, that's a good question.
05:10In 1941,
05:12World War II
05:12was in full swing in Europe.
05:14Our British friends
05:15were regularly attacked
05:16by the German army.
05:18Cities, homes,
05:18and even schools
05:20were bombed.
05:21Didn't we want to help them?
05:22Well, the Battle of Britain
05:23was awful,
05:25and most agree
05:25that the British needed help,
05:27but many Americans
05:28had terrible memories
05:29of World War I,
05:30and they weren't eager
05:31to join the fight.
05:32So we sent ships and tanks
05:34instead of soldiers?
05:35That's right.
05:36The President thought
05:37we should help our friends
05:39win the war,
05:40and by doing that,
05:40we would make America
05:41safer, too.
05:43What if that didn't work?
05:44What if Great Britain
05:45lost the war?
05:46Well, if Great Britain
05:47lost the war,
05:48America would be in danger.
05:49Roosevelt believed
05:50the German army
05:51might come here.
05:52So that's the reason
05:53so many factories
05:54were building ships and planes.
05:56Some were for our friends,
05:57and some were for us.
05:59Exactly.
06:00President Roosevelt
06:01wanted to make sure
06:02America would be able
06:03to defend herself
06:04if needed,
06:05so he began to make
06:06our army bigger.
06:08Thanks, Professor.
06:09It took a lot of aluminum
06:11to build just one plane.
06:13Building planes by the thousands
06:14took all the aluminum
06:15Americans could find.
06:17In July of 1941,
06:19the whole country
06:19worked together
06:20in the National Aluminum Drive.
06:22Citizens from coast to coast
06:24rounded up thousands of pounds
06:25of old pots, pans,
06:27and even a car
06:28to be recycled for defense use.
06:30Spirits were high,
06:31and so was the goal.
06:33They wanted to collect
06:33enough aluminum
06:34to build 20,000 planes.
06:39Aluminum, steel, and iron drives
06:42were common
06:43during World War II.
06:44One successful campaign
06:45brought in 5 million tons
06:47of steel
06:48in just three weeks.
06:57Now, here's the retro quiz.
06:59Which animal wore a gas mask
07:05in 1941?
07:06I'll be back with the answer
07:07later in the show.
07:11In June of 1941,
07:13Baseball Hall of Famer
07:14Lou Gehrig
07:15died of a mysterious
07:16muscle disease.
07:18A superstar
07:19with the New York Yankees,
07:20the Iron Man,
07:21played in 2,130
07:22consecutive games
07:24over a span
07:25of 17 seasons.
07:26That's a record
07:27that remained unbroken
07:28until 1995.
07:31World War II
07:32involved two groups
07:33of countries.
07:34Here to help us understand
07:36who was who
07:36in World War II
07:37is Professor Whatzit.
07:39Hi, Professor.
07:41Hi, Mark.
07:42Professor,
07:43can you help us understand
07:44which countries
07:45were involved
07:45in World War II
07:46and what they wanted?
07:48Sure, Mark.
07:49In the end,
07:50most countries
07:50were in World War II.
07:52They were divided
07:53into two groups,
07:54the Axis,
07:55and the Allies.
07:56The Axis wanted
07:57to conquer the Allies.
07:58Who were the Axis powers?
08:01Germany,
08:02Italy,
08:02and Japan.
08:03Who were the Allies?
08:05Well,
08:05at the beginning of 1941,
08:07the Allies included
08:08France,
08:08Poland,
08:09Ireland,
08:10and Great Britain.
08:11What caused the war
08:12and when did it start?
08:14World War II
08:15was a very complicated conflict
08:17and scholars disagree
08:18on exactly what caused it.
08:20But most do agree
08:21that it officially started
08:22in 1939
08:23when the Nazis invaded Poland,
08:25although they had already
08:26invaded Austria
08:27and Czechoslovakia
08:28the year before.
08:30Who were the Nazis?
08:31Well,
08:32the Nazis were a political party
08:33in power in Germany.
08:35Their leader,
08:35Adolf Hitler,
08:36had declared himself
08:37the absolute ruler
08:38of Germany.
08:39Sounds like he had a plan.
08:42He did.
08:43Hitler wanted more space
08:44for the German people.
08:45His plan was to take it
08:47from other countries.
08:48Didn't anyone in his government
08:50try to stop him?
08:51Those who did
08:52were fired or jailed.
08:54Hitler was determined
08:55to acquire more land.
08:56He built a huge military
08:57and by 1940,
08:59he had already conquered
09:00most of Europe.
09:02Hitler promised
09:02the German people
09:03they would become
09:04the most powerful country
09:05in the world,
09:06an empire that would last
09:07a thousand years.
09:09Thanks for that
09:09explanation, Professor.
09:11Now here's Brandy
09:12with a look at how
09:13Americans were dealing
09:14with the threat of war.
09:16Civilian defense
09:17was the name of the game
09:18in 1941.
09:19civilians,
09:20people who weren't
09:21in the military,
09:22were urged to get involved
09:23in keeping America safe.
09:25A civilian air patrol
09:26flew up and down the coast
09:27looking for enemy ships
09:28and volunteer observers
09:30scanned the skies
09:30for enemy planes.
09:32This is the Eastern Air Corps
09:34of 1941
09:35under Generals Emmons
09:36and Cheney.
09:38On this day,
09:39the Volunteer Civilian
09:40Warning Service
09:40was practicing
09:41what they'd do
09:42if they spotted
09:43an enemy plane.
09:44Bombers are sighted.
09:45The Observer
09:46grabs his phone
09:47and calls the Army.
09:48The Operator
09:49connects him
09:49with the Army Information Center
09:51where enemy planes are tracked.
09:52Army, go ahead, please.
09:53Interceptor planes are scrambled.
10:08This system depended
10:09on alert volunteers
10:10and the Army
10:12was hoping to recruit
10:12500,000 of them
10:14to form a nationwide network
10:15of eyes on the skies.
10:17This drill went without a hitch.
10:29Bombers are driven off.
10:31The Civil Defense programs
10:33really worked.
10:34The Civilian Air Patrol
10:35started in 1941,
10:37spotted 176 German submarines
10:40in the next year and a half.
10:42After that,
10:43the Navy patrolled the coasts.
10:45Some people did more
10:46than just volunteer.
10:48They joined up.
10:49Movie star Jimmy Stewart
10:50left Hollywood glamour
10:51for Army drab.
10:53President Roosevelt's son,
10:54John,
10:55set sail with the Navy.
10:56And baseball's Hank Greenberg
10:58also heard his nation's call.
11:00The colorful Detroit outfielder,
11:03one of baseball's
11:04highest-paid stars at the time,
11:06said farewell to the Tigers
11:07and his host of fans
11:08by chalking up two home runs
11:10in his last game.
11:11Greenberg said goodbye to baseball
11:13and hello to Uncle Sam.
11:14Goodbye to his $50,000
11:16a year baseball salary
11:18and hello to his $21
11:20a month soldier's paycheck.
11:23Greenberg was not the only
11:24baseball player
11:25to enter the military.
11:26By the end of World War II,
11:28500 major leaguers
11:29put their careers on hold
11:30to serve their country.
11:32The star-studded list
11:33included Hall of Famers
11:34Joe DiMaggio,
11:36Ted Williams,
11:37and Bob Feller.
11:38But the Army wasn't
11:38the only organization
11:39looking for volunteers.
11:41The Red Cross
11:42was also looking for folks
11:43who could lend a hand.
11:45Here's one of the oldest
11:46volunteers on record.
11:4891-year-old Sarah Wayland
11:51learned to knit
11:51when she was six years old,
11:53way back in 1856.
11:56Here in 1941,
11:58she knits a sock a day
11:59for the Red Cross
12:00and British War Relief.
12:02An English flyer training here
12:04tries one on for size.
12:06During World War II,
12:07more than 7 million people
12:09like Mrs. Wayland
12:10volunteered for the Red Cross
12:11and they helped
12:1275 million people.
12:17On July 19, 1941,
12:19the first African-Americans
12:21to be trained as military pilots
12:23entered the Tuskegee Institute
12:24in Alabama.
12:26They were known
12:27as the Tuskegee Airmen
12:28and served as fighter pilots
12:29in North Africa.
12:31They flew over 15,000 missions,
12:34destroyed over 1,000 German aircraft,
12:37and received more than
12:38150 distinguished flying crosses.
12:41Albert Einstein
12:42was one of the most famous
12:43scientists in the world.
12:45He won the Nobel Prize for Physics.
12:48Einstein's theories
12:48led to the development
12:49of electronics,
12:51quantum physics,
12:52space travel,
12:53and atomic power.
12:55Einstein was born in Germany,
12:57but in 1933,
12:58he accepted a position
12:59at Princeton University
13:00in New Jersey
13:01and left his Berlin home forever.
13:04Like all Jews in Germany,
13:05Einstein was terrorized
13:07by the increasingly
13:08intolerant Nazis.
13:10His citizenship
13:10and property were taken.
13:12He was not allowed
13:13to join scientific associations,
13:15and worst of all,
13:16his life was threatened.
13:18By Nazi standards,
13:20he was lucky.
13:21More than 6 million Jews
13:22were killed by the Nazis
13:24just for being Jewish.
13:26In 1941,
13:31the Variety Club
13:32presented its Humanitarian Award
13:34to noted educator
13:35Dr. George Washington Carver.
13:37I am not sure
13:38that I am worthy
13:40of this splendid citation,
13:43but I wish to say also
13:46that I thank you
13:47from the depth of my heart.
13:49This was not the first time
13:50that humble Carver
13:51questioned his worth.
13:52Earlier in his career,
13:53he saved small farmers
13:54and cotton growers
13:55from bankruptcy
13:56when their crops
13:57were being destroyed
13:58by the boll weevil.
13:59Carver convinced
14:00the starving farmers
14:01to grow peanuts.
14:02Then he discovered
14:03more than 300 new uses
14:05for peanuts,
14:06ranging from glue
14:06to printer's ink.
14:08This saved whole communities
14:09from starvation
14:10and poverty.
14:11A collection was taken up for him,
14:13and he was offered
14:13a check for $100,000
14:15as thanks.
14:16He refused it,
14:18saying the Lord
14:19didn't charge for peanuts,
14:20so who is he
14:21to take money?
14:22George Washington Carver
14:23is our spiritual hero
14:24for 1941.
14:29Even though America
14:30hadn't yet entered
14:31World War II,
14:32the conflict had a huge impact
14:34on fashion
14:35for two big reasons.
14:37First, Germany invaded France.
14:39That effectively cut off Paris,
14:42the fashion capital
14:42of the world,
14:43from designers everywhere.
14:45The second was
14:46a shortage of materials.
14:48Leather, nylon, silk,
14:50and other fabrics
14:51were being used
14:52in the war effort
14:53for uniforms,
14:54parachutes, gas masks,
14:56and the manufacture
14:57of many other defense tools.
14:59Ordinarily,
15:00designers would head to Paris
15:01to see the season's new trends
15:03and then come home
15:04and create their own fashions.
15:06Now, with Paris occupied
15:07by Germany,
15:08their inspiration was gone,
15:10and they were asked
15:11to conserve resources.
15:12But innovative American designers
15:14rose to the challenge.
15:16They created a new,
15:17no-frill silhouette.
15:19Short jackets taught
15:20fabric-saving straight
15:21or A-line skirts.
15:23Fashion's answer
15:24to the fabric shortage
15:25was mix and match.
15:26Designers created single pieces
15:28that could be worn
15:29in many combinations,
15:30giving the look
15:31of a larger wardrobe.
15:33Eventually,
15:33shoes were rationed.
15:35Heels could only be
15:35an inch high.
15:36You could choose
15:37from just six colors,
15:38and you were limited
15:39to two pair a year.
15:41Full-length stockings
15:42quickly disappeared,
15:43and ankle socks
15:44took their place.
15:45Designers weren't the only ones
15:46to become creative
15:47due to material shortages.
15:49One chemist came up
15:51with what he called
15:51synthetic clothes,
15:53made of chemicals.
15:55Here are his first creations.
16:01Because of the war in Europe,
16:03American fashion changed
16:04to a much more low-key look.
16:07Extravagant clothing
16:08was now considered thoughtless
16:10and even disrespectful
16:10of the war effort.
16:12But Americans never lost
16:14their sense of humor.
16:14Take a look
16:15at these war bonnets.
16:19Gals from Oregon State University
16:21got into the act
16:22with some goofy
16:23but well-intentioned toppers.
16:25The spirit of national defense
16:27went straight to their heads.
16:29Here's something for the Army.
16:32Can't forget those brave airmen.
16:34And a special salute
16:36to paratroopers.
16:37In 1941,
17:01baseball's Joe DiMaggio
17:02set a hitting record
17:03that still stands today.
17:04The Yankee Clipper got at least
17:15one hit in 56 games in a row.
17:24DiMaggio was named
17:24the league's most valuable player
17:26that year.
17:28Now for more sports,
17:29here are Adriana and Michael.
17:31In 1941,
17:33two of baseball's greats
17:34got together
17:34for a friendly game.
17:36It was two legends,
17:37Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb.
17:39But they weren't playing baseball.
17:41Bill does the greatest
17:42golf tournament in baseball.
17:44Babe Ruth,
17:45that's him on the left,
17:46and Ty Cobb
17:46competed in a benefit match.
17:51They were rivals
17:52on the baseball diamond,
17:53but with war looming,
17:54came together to support
17:55the nation's service men
17:57and women.
18:01The event was enjoyed
18:03by thousands of fans
18:04and was organized
18:05by Ruth himself.
18:06No surprise to those
18:08who knew him well,
18:09the patriotic Bambino
18:10often volunteered
18:11for the Red Cross
18:12and personally bought
18:13$100,000 in war bonds.
18:19Ruth and Cobb delighted
18:20the folks for 18 fun-filled
18:22holes with the babe
18:23coming out on top
18:24by a single hole.
18:30Ever play ping pong?
18:32The first people
18:33to play the game
18:33were British Army officers
18:35way back in 1880.
18:37They would round off
18:37a wine bottle cork
18:38and hit it back and forth
18:40with the lids
18:40from cigar boxes.
18:42Somehow, it caught on.
18:44In 1941,
18:45it was being played
18:45all over the world
18:46in tournaments,
18:47like this one.
18:50Washington, D.C.,
18:51the site of the Eastern
18:52Open Table Tennis Championship.
18:54The game's best
18:55from around the country
18:56gather here each year
18:58to compete in front
18:59of a mesmerized crowd.
19:01Here's New York's
19:02Lou Pagliaro,
19:03known as the Mighty Mike.
19:05You're seeing him
19:06in the middle
19:06of a hot streak.
19:08Lou won the National Championship
19:10in 1940, 41, and 42,
19:13setting a pace
19:14that left onlookers
19:15cross-eyed.
19:17On this day,
19:18he peppered his opponents
19:19with enough pounding paddle prowess
19:21to pick up
19:21yet another ping pong prize.
19:23What do you get
19:28when you mix
19:29a bunch of old cars
19:30and some mud?
19:31A big mess
19:32called the Jalopy Derby.
19:33It's not NASCAR,
19:34but it's fun.
19:36Only amateur drivers
19:37and ancient rattle traps
19:39enter this goofy classic
19:40of spills and thrills.
19:42Held on the Devil's Bend
19:43course in San Antonio, Texas,
19:45the race combined bumps,
19:47spills,
19:47and mud in your eye.
19:48If water skiing
19:50is more your speed,
19:51there's no better place
19:52to be than Florida,
19:53the water ski capital
19:55of the world,
19:56where in 1941,
19:57you could see shows
19:58like this one
19:59over the river
20:01and through the woods
20:02behind a speeding boat.
20:03They're towed.
20:04There are plenty
20:05of obstacles here
20:06at Cypress Gardens, Florida,
20:08but this intrepid trio
20:09know the way.
20:14They've done a good job
20:16skiing around the hazards,
20:17but this guy,
20:18well,
20:19he likes the more direct route.
20:23In the late 1930s,
20:24the Nazis put their plan
20:25to take over Europe
20:26into action.
20:28Meanwhile,
20:28across the globe,
20:29the same kind of thing
20:30was happening in Asia.
20:32Japan wanted to rule
20:33all of Asia,
20:34and by 1940,
20:35they had taken over
20:36a big part of China.
20:38Japan joined Germany
20:39in the Axis.
20:40Then, in 1941,
20:42Japan attacked
20:42more Asian countries.
20:44President Roosevelt
20:45considered Japan
20:46as dangerous as Germany.
20:48The United States
20:49told Japan
20:49we would not sell them
20:50oil, iron, or rubber
20:52until it left
20:53all the countries
20:53it had invaded.
20:55In December 1941,
20:57Japan sent men
20:57to Washington
20:58to work out an agreement.
21:00Even as their representatives
21:02were in peace talks
21:03with our government,
21:04the Japanese fleet
21:05moved within
21:06striking distance of Hawaii.
21:07Then, on December 7th,
21:09at dawn,
21:10in this island paradise,
21:11Japanese warplanes
21:12shattered the peace.
21:14For the next two hours,
21:15the Japanese
21:15rained bullets and bombs
21:17on the unsuspecting sailors.
21:1821 ships were destroyed
21:20or damaged.
21:21188 airplanes demolished.
21:242,403 soldiers
21:25and civilians
21:26were left dead.
21:28The dramatic,
21:28unbelievable news
21:29spreads across the nation.
21:31With growing anger,
21:32Americans learn
21:33of the surprise attack
21:34at Pearl Harbor.
21:35immediately following the raid,
21:37U.S. fleet units
21:38set out
21:38in pursuit of the raiders.
21:40The Japanese aircraft carrier
21:42that slipped through
21:42with its deadly cargo
21:43of bombers
21:44was sunk
21:45and several of their
21:46submarines were destroyed.
21:47Meanwhile,
21:48in the far-off Pacific,
21:49Guam had nearly been destroyed
21:51by Japanese ships
21:52and planes.
21:53Wake Island
21:54had been attacked.
21:55Japanese forces
21:56had also raided
21:57Singapore,
21:58Hong Kong,
21:58Thailand,
21:59and the Philippines.
22:01America's hope
22:01to avoid the war
22:02was gone.
22:04Since the unprovoked
22:06and dastardly attack
22:09by Japan
22:10on Sunday,
22:13December 7, 1941,
22:17a state of war
22:19has existed
22:21between the United States
22:24and the Japanese Empire.
22:31Make a wish
22:32and blow out
22:32the candles for
22:33Reverend Jesse Jackson.
22:35He was born
22:35October 8, 1941.
22:38Reverend Jackson
22:39founded the Rainbow Coalition,
22:40an organization
22:41that works for
22:42equal opportunities
22:43for everyone.
22:44And Dick Cheney,
22:45Vice President
22:46for George W. Bush,
22:47born January 30, 1941.
22:50Mr. Cheney
22:51served as a congressman
22:52and as America's
22:53Secretary of Defense
22:54before becoming
22:55Vice President
22:55of the United States.
22:59In 1941,
23:01the historic home
23:02of Betsy Ross
23:02was given
23:03to the city
23:03of Philadelphia.
23:05A pretty good seamstress,
23:06Betsy was asked
23:07by George Washington
23:08to make the first
23:09American flag
23:09in 1776.
23:12Washington showed
23:12her a rough sketch.
23:14Betsy thought
23:14the stars should be
23:15five-pointed.
23:16Washington agreed.
23:17And for the next
23:1850 years,
23:19Betsy Ross made
23:19all the American flags
23:20for the United States.
23:22After the unprovoked
23:25attack on Pearl Harbor,
23:26America was changed forever.
23:29Down but not out,
23:30the country responded
23:31with strength and unity.
23:33Thousands of recruits
23:34rushed to enlist.
23:36On the West Coast,
23:37Japanese fishing boats
23:38and their crews
23:39were seized.
23:40The nation
23:40was on a wartime footing.
23:43Essential bridges
23:43were patrolled
23:44and Capitol office buildings
23:46were guarded
23:46against possible sabotage.
23:48The nation's aircraft plants
23:50were under heavy guard.
23:51Important waterways
23:53and other strategic areas
23:54were patrolled.
23:56America was on guard.
23:58Civilian air raid spotters
24:00take their posts,
24:01scanning the skies
24:02for enemy planes.
24:04In New York,
24:05legionnaires
24:05man their lookout posts
24:07atop the Empire State Building,
24:09the highest spot
24:09in the great metropolis.
24:11Many West Coast cities
24:12prepare for nightly blackouts.
24:14Factory windows painted.
24:16Homes sealed up from within
24:18to guard against the threat
24:19of enemy raiders.
24:21Lights go out in America
24:22as the nation gets its first
24:23real air raid blackout.
24:25Giant lights search the darkness.
24:28Sound detectors listen
24:29for the approach
24:29of hostile planes.
24:31Some store lights
24:32didn't go out
24:32during the blackout.
24:34Determined citizens
24:35took care of that.
24:36They put the lights out.
24:38This was the American scene,
24:40December 10th, 1941.
24:42Here's the answer
24:47to the retro quiz.
24:49In 1941,
24:50which animal wore a gas mask?
24:51The answer is horses.
24:54At Fort Ord, California,
24:56soldiers practiced
24:56in dangerous clouds
24:57of smoke and fumes.
24:59To protect themselves,
25:00the men wear a gas mask.
25:02And so do their horses.
25:06In 1941,
25:08there was something new
25:09under the sun.
25:09The suntan service station.
25:12No fuss or bother.
25:14Just spray on the oil
25:15than nature does the rest.
25:17With a combination like that,
25:19they'll be the toast
25:19of the town.
25:20These girls use walnut shells
25:22to cover their eyes.
25:25Now that's an eye-popping idea.
25:27Speaking of eye-popping,
25:29take a look at this
25:29fancy footwork.
25:31It's the Harvest Moonball
25:33at Madison Square Garden
25:34in New York City,
25:35and the contestants are reaping
25:37a bumper crop of jive
25:38and jitterbug.
25:39The joint is jump in.
25:42The annual ball
25:42was the most famous
25:43dance contest in the world.
25:45It was for amateurs only
25:46and drew crowds
25:48as large as 20,000 people.
25:50Top musicians of the day
25:51provided live music.
25:54Part of the top prize
25:55was a professional
25:55dance contract
25:56that would set these hot feet
25:58on the road to Broadway.
26:00These are the honor students.
26:01They could cut a rug
26:02to ribbons.
26:05Palisades Park, New Jersey,
26:07the host of one of the
26:07toughest competitions
26:08of the summer,
26:10the Diaper Derby.
26:14After weeks of training
26:16and a strict diet
26:17of cream of wheat,
26:18these babies,
26:18bred for speed,
26:19line up at the starting gate.
26:21And they're off.
26:22I said they're off.
26:24It's Bundle of Joy
26:25and Diaper Dan,
26:26neck and neck.
26:27And Diaper Dan goes down.
26:30Trailing the pack,
26:31but not out of the race yet.
26:32Scooting down the backstretch,
26:34it's Chrysler.
26:35Diaper Dan in a daze
26:36around the clubhouse turn.
26:38Looks like this thoroughbred
26:39is ready for the seniors tour.
26:41And oh,
26:41needs an up is down.
26:43It's a photo finish.
26:44The new champion,
26:45Fussy Eater by a hand.
26:49In the military,
26:50it's always a big day
26:51when someone moves up in rank.
26:53Take a look as Marines
26:54in San Diego
26:55celebrate their new top dog.
26:57Just call me Sarge,
26:59says James Jolly Plum Duffy,
27:01official mascot
27:01of Fleet Marine Force.
27:03On his fourth birthday,
27:04Jim, for short,
27:06gets a boost in rank
27:07and leads a parade.
27:08Hot dog.
27:14That's our retro news report
27:16for this week.
27:17Now here's the last laugh.