- 8 months ago
This is Episode 7 of Retro News.
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00:00Retro News
00:19It's a blast from the past
00:21I'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
00:29And not so important stories
00:33Today, we're going to take a look at some women newsmakers from the past
00:37From Queen Elizabeth to a human cannonball
00:40You'll meet many females who left an imprint on America
00:43But first, let's take a look at some of the most memorable women in history
00:48The women of World War II
00:50World War II started in 1939 and lasted through 1945
00:54Women around the world played a huge role in the war
00:57On many different fronts
00:59Starting in the spring of 1941
01:01Every woman in Britain aged 18 to 60
01:04Had to be registered in the armed forces
01:06It was said that women would not be required to bear arms
01:09Unfortunately, many British women did work and die under fire
01:13By 1945, more than 190,000 British women
01:17Belonged to the Auxiliary Territorial Service
01:19ATS for short
01:21Women in the ATS drove and took care of vehicles
01:24They also manned anti-aircraft guns
01:26Among the women in the service was 2nd Lieutenant Elizabeth Windsor
01:30Who later became the Queen of England
01:32Now, let's go to Rachel and Brennan for some facts on US military women during World War II
01:37More than a year before the United States entered World War II in 1941
01:42The military knew it would need the support of women to take over clerical and communications jobs
01:47But the roles of women in the military went way beyond typing
01:51More than 150,000 women served in the Army during World War II
01:57They were part of the Women's Army Corps, called WAC for short
02:01The US Navy also enlisted women
02:04More than 80,000 women served in the Navy Women's Reserve during the war
02:09By 1943, both the US Coast Guard and the Marines had created their own women's reserves
02:16In total, more than 400,000 US military women served in World War II
02:23Nearly all had non-combat assignments
02:26Women had to be at least 20 years old to join any of the military branches
02:31And women with children were discouraged from enlisting
02:35More than 90% of women who enlisted were single
02:39More than 460 women were killed during the war
02:43And 88 female military nurses were held as prisoners of war
02:48Today, nearly 2 million women have served in the United States military
02:53In 1930, there were only 200 female pilots
02:57But, by 1941, more than 935 women were trained to fly the friendly skies
03:04Women were flying high at this flight training school in Miami, Florida
03:08Hundreds of women flocked to the school to learn how to fly from the ground up
03:13The year was 1941
03:15Soon, the government would call on female pilots across the country
03:20In 1943, the United States War Department asked the first group of female pilots to serve their country during the war
03:27This was done so that male pilots could be used in combat
03:31More than 1,000 women flew more than 60 million miles across the nation during World War II
03:37By 1943, more than one-third of the aviation workforce was women
03:42During World War II, there was a lot of work to be done in the U.S.
03:48And since many of the men were off at war, this opened new opportunities for women
03:53At the start of the war, 12 million American women were working
03:57By the end of the war, that number had risen to 18 million women
04:02Industrial workers were in high demand in all countries at war
04:07Many of these factory jobs had previously only been offered to men
04:11By 1943, more than 2 million women were working in war manufacturing plants, like this one
04:18Here, Canadian women were making mines to blow up tanks
04:22Woman power replaced man power in factories that produced planes, bombs, tanks and other weapons
04:30A new image of women in American society had been created
04:34During the war, women proved to the country that they could do what had long been considered men's work
04:41By 1945, women made up more than a third of the country's workforce
04:46During World War II, women were making a name for themselves in the workforce
04:51But they weren't the only ones
04:53Gertrude Warner brings us a story of some hard-working high school girls
04:57Who left their own mark on America
04:59High school girls turn up daily at Sylvania's electrical plant in Danvers, Massachusetts
05:05To do their bit for victory
05:07On their win-the-war shift after school
05:10The girls put in 31 hours a week
05:13Turning out kneaded fluorescent tubes
05:15They work on almost every stage of manufacture
05:18And have been quick to learn the critical technique
05:21From start to finish
05:29These youngsters can't fall behind in their school marks either
05:34For if they do, they must drop out of the production fight
05:38With dieticians and trained nurses on hand to watch their health
05:41These victory workers are contributing an important bit to our war effort
05:46These teenagers say, we're helping, and they are
05:50It took a lot of aluminum to build just one plane
05:57Building planes by the thousands took all the aluminum Americans could find
06:02Kendall has the story
06:04In July of 1941, the whole country worked together in the National Aluminum Drive
06:10Citizens from coast to coast rounded up thousands of pounds of old pots, pans, and even a car
06:16To be recycled for defense use
06:18Spirits were high, and so was the goal
06:20They wanted to collect enough aluminum to build 20,000 planes
06:24Aluminum, steel, and iron drives were common during World War II
06:32One successful campaign brought in 5 million tons of steel in just three weeks
06:37They were called suffragists
06:47Which sounds like they were suffering
06:49And in a way, they were
06:50Suffragists were the women of the United States who were fighting for the right to vote in the early part of the 20th century
06:56On August 26, 1920, the suffering ended
07:00Women were granted the right to vote with the passing of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
07:05Eleanor Roosevelt became the First Lady when her husband, Franklin Roosevelt, was elected President in 1932
07:11She immersed herself in the issues of the day and left her mark on America
07:15Joining me now is Professor What's It
07:17Professor, the First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt, was known as the President's Eyes and Ears
07:22What does that mean?
07:24Because the President was disabled, Eleanor traveled the country to see everything he couldn't
07:29She was able to bring him back stories of what life was like for the unemployed and their children
07:35And when the President's New Deal programs took effect, she was able to bring him first-hand news of what they were doing
07:41Eleanor Roosevelt is often called one of the most powerful First Ladies in history
07:45How did she use her influence?
07:48Well, Eleanor was always a strong advocate of social justice
07:52Before she was First Lady, she worked very hard to end child labor and to establish a minimum wage for adults
07:59Then as First Lady, she worked very hard for civil rights
08:05What kind of things did she do?
08:08Well, Eleanor noticed in her travels that many African Americans were being discriminated against in the President's New Deal programs
08:15She was able to bring this information back to the President
08:18And he, in turn, created executive orders that prevented the discrimination
08:23Mrs. Roosevelt was the First Lady to hold an all-female press conference
08:27What was she thinking?
08:29She was very clever
08:30This forced news organizations to go out and hire female journalists
08:35Because only they could have access to the First Lady
08:38She actually held 300 of these conferences
08:41Eleanor really wanted to wake people up
08:45Unfortunately, in those days, many people were denied opportunities based on their religion, their race, or their gender
08:53Eleanor really wanted Americans to move beyond that point of view
08:57Thanks, Professor
08:58Now, here's our retro quiz
09:00Here's today's retro quiz
09:06This famous writer could also draw and paint
09:09She was known for her bunny tails
09:11Who is she?
09:13I'll be back with the answer later in the show
09:15Pioneer pilot Jacqueline Cochran was named Outstanding Aviator of the Year five times during her career
09:24She was the first woman to fly a bomber across the Atlantic
09:27And on May 18, 1953, she became the first woman to fly faster than the speed of sound
09:33Now, here's Brandi with some more Women in the News
09:37In 1926, Gertrude Ederle became the first woman to swim across the English Channel
09:43In 1959, Ed Herlihy filed this report on the 33rd anniversary of her famous swim
09:50On the steps of New York City Hall, a moment from the past is relived
09:54Gertrude Ederle is there again, smiling for photographers, much as she did 33 years ago
10:00When the big city paid her tribute for the big swim
10:02It was August 27, 1926, when the 19-year-old Trudy returned from England as a national heroine
10:10She had conquered the English Channel
10:15Only five men had ever done it before
10:17But Trudy's time was two hours faster, and she was a woman
10:21The roaring twenties never were louder
10:23And New York's reception was overwhelming and historic
10:26This was the city's first ticker tape parade
10:29Setting a precedent for the Lindbergh reception the following year
10:32In 1959, Gertrude Ederle is an active businesswoman, still interested in sports, especially swimming
10:44But 1926 belonged to her
10:46Trudy alongside fabulous Mayor Jimmy Walker
10:49The toast of the town
10:50In the Roman Catholic Church, sainthood is only awarded to a holy person after his or her death
10:59In 1946, Francis Cabrini became the first American to earn the title
11:03Cabrini High School in New York became the center of interest to American Catholics
11:08As they gathered at the shrine of Francis Cabrini to pay tribute to America's first saint
11:13Cardinal Spellman blessed the crowd as he proceeded to the chapel to celebrate the sainthood of Francis Cabrini
11:19Mother Cabrini had been proclaimed a saint by Pope Pius in Rome
11:24Cardinal Spellman called attention to the great Christian works of Mother Cabrini who died in 1917 after a lifetime of service in the church
11:32It is in this high school, one of the many monuments raised to her memory, that she lies entombed beneath the altar
11:38St. Francis Day on December 22nd is named after Mother Cabrini
11:42Queen Elizabeth II is not only the Queen of England
11:47She is the head of state over many countries including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica and the Bahamas
11:54About 125 million people live in the countries where she is Queen
11:59Princess Elizabeth was born on April 21st, 1926
12:04She was educated at home and speaks both English and French fluently
12:08Before she was 20, Princess Elizabeth convinced her father, King George, that she should help out in the war effort during World War II
12:16In 1945 she joined the armed forces
12:19She is the first and only female member of the royal family to ever serve in the military
12:24Princess Elizabeth married the Duke of Edinburgh in 1947
12:28In 1948 she had her first son, Prince Charles
12:32She would have three more children, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward
12:36Princess Elizabeth was given the title of The Queen in 1952 when her father, King George, passed away
12:43Queen Elizabeth is the most widely traveled head of state in history
12:47Even ahead of the late Pope John Paul II
12:50She is the second longest serving current head of state in the world
12:54Here's an all-female sporting event that was so unusual, we just had to show it to you
13:00In 1940, these competitive women raced against each other in this kooky collection of sporting events in Oakland, California
13:08Ten women started out in canoes, paddling their way across the water to the next event
13:13When they hit land, they quickly scattered to the scooters
13:16Next up, biking of course
13:25Each woman pedaled like mad to be the one in front
13:28These women weren't horsing around
13:41For the last event, they all hopped on horses and galloped off to the finish line
13:45Giddyup!
13:47Canoes, scooters, bikes and horses
13:58That's some quadathlon
14:00Her name, Sandra Day O'Connor
14:06And she made history on September 22, 1981
14:10When she was appointed to the United States Supreme Court
14:13In the 191 year history of the Supreme Court
14:16There had never before been a female justice
14:19When Sandra was working as a lawyer in the 1950's
14:22She found that many law firms didn't want to hire female lawyers
14:26As a matter of fact, at the turn of the century
14:28Women lawyers were not allowed to work at all
14:31Japan's first police women put on their uniforms in 1946
14:36American police helped to train them
14:38Ed Hurley filed this story
14:40Commissioner Valentine, America's most famous cop
14:44Is greeted by police chief Masuhara in Tokyo
14:47As he reviews Japan's new corps of police women at Shiba Headquarters
14:51Formation of the corps is another step in the social advancement of women in postwar Japan
14:57New York's one-time police head has taken an active part in the reorganization of Japan's police system
15:07At the request of General MacArthur
15:14Uh, look young lady, he's a tough cop all right
15:17But he doesn't eat young police women
15:19Japan's lessons in democracy proceed rapidly
15:22The voices of St. Michael, St. Catherine and St. Margaret spoke to Joan of Arc when she was just 13
15:33The saints told Joan to lead an army against the English
15:36Who had been at war with France for many years
15:38When she was 17, Joan cut her long hair, dressed in men's clothing and went off to talk to the King of France
15:44The King listened to what God and the saints had told Joan
15:47And he let her lead his army against the English
15:50Joan led her country to many victories
15:52But ultimately was betrayed by her own people and put to death
15:55Joan of Arc, a young woman who helped the people of France, is this week's spiritual hero
16:00During the war, silk was rationed because it was needed for parachutes
16:07Silk stockings were a luxury item and women gave them up during this time
16:11They even went so far as to draw lines down the backs of their legs to make it look like they were wearing stockings
16:18In 1946, Ed Herlihy filed this report on the first shipment of silk from Japan since the war ended
16:25SS Marine Falcon arrives in Seattle Harbor bearing another happy contingent of returning soldiers from the Pacific
16:32But below decks, there's a million dollar cargo
16:35The first shipment of raw silk from Japan since the war
16:39Each one of these bales is worth a thousand dollars
16:50There's enough silk here to make two and one half million pairs of stockings
16:55When she was born, she was a very small baby
17:10But she went on to do big things
17:12As a toddler, Wilma Rudolph struggled to survive
17:16Then at the age of four, she was crippled with polio and doctors said she would never walk
17:21Well, Wilma proved them wrong
17:24At the 1960 Summer Olympic Games, she became the first American woman to win three gold medals in track
17:30Now here are Adriana and Michael with more stories about women in sports
17:35Norwegian super skater Sonja Henney first stepped out onto Olympic ice when she was 11
17:41And by the time she was 16, she had won her first Olympic gold medal in figure skating
17:46Sonja is credited with changing the world of figure skating by being the first to wear short skirted costumes
17:53And using dance type techniques in her routines
17:57After winning ten world figure skating championships, six European championships, and three Olympic gold medals
18:06Sonja went on to even more success, appearing in many movies
18:10At the age of 25, she even became the youngest person to be made a knight
18:15First class of the world in the region in order of St. Olaf
18:19Now, here's Ed Herlihy with a bullseye look at why it's so important to hit the target
18:24Ready, aim, fire!
18:28The spirit of the Oregon pioneers invades the New York Yankees ballpark
18:33Where the deadly precision of girl archers astound Yank stars Robinson and Crosetti
18:38Universal's Canyon Passage dead shots change over and show the Boston's Dominic DiMaggio and Ted Williams
18:48How to bring home the bacon on the frontier
18:56And here's some real sharpshooting
19:03Even in Technicolor, it couldn't be more thrilling
19:06Her passion for flying saved her place in the history books
19:13Amelia Earhart was the most famous female pilot of the era
19:17By the age of 23, she was already setting records
19:20She flew to an altitude of 14,000 feet, which no woman had ever done before
19:26Also setting a speed record
19:28She was also the first person to fly solo from Hawaii to California
19:33In addition to her milestones, Amelia Earhart is also remembered for her mysterious disappearance
19:39After heading out on a 27,000 mile trip around the world, Amelia's plane disappeared over the Pacific Ocean
19:46She and the plane were never found
19:48Take a look at this tiny tat who's showing everyone how grand she is on the green
19:54She's just five years old
19:57But little Patsy is definitely making her mark as the country's youngest golf champion
20:02She can smack the ball around just like someone three times her age
20:06Professionals say she swings with perfect form
20:09Playing since she was a mere three years old, Patsy should grow up to become one of the sports best
20:15Gulping may be her first wall, but there's still no substitute for her favorite dolly
20:21Joining me now is Professor Wetsit
20:23Hi, Professor
20:24Hi, Kendall
20:25What's on your mind?
20:26We've been talking about great American women
20:29I was wondering if you knew anything about Helen Keller
20:31I sure do
20:33And what an accomplished woman she was
20:35Helen Keller was born in Alabama in 1880
20:38When she was just a baby, only 19 months old
20:41Her parents realized that she couldn't see or hear
20:44That must have been awful
20:46What caused it?
20:47Doctors didn't have a name for it at the time
20:49It was caused by either scarlet fever or meningitis
20:52In the 1800s, diseases like these were almost always fatal to small children
20:57Today, we have vaccinations or antibiotics to treat them
21:01What did her parents do about her disabilities?
21:03At first, they didn't know what to do
21:05They just let Helen run free to do whatever she wanted
21:08She couldn't talk to her parents and they couldn't talk to her
21:11By the time she was six years old, she was unmanageable
21:14She couldn't eat with a knife and fork or even dress herself
21:18Fortunately, Helen's parents found a teacher, Annie Sullivan
21:22Who worked with blind children
21:24She had a system to teach Helen how to communicate
21:26How did she do that?
21:28Annie Sullivan taught Helen how to speak using sign language
21:32Helen could feel Annie forming the words with her hands
21:35And when she got older, Helen learned how to read and write with her hands using Braille
21:41What's Braille?
21:42Well, in Braille, letters and numbers are represented by raised dots on the page
21:47She read books by feeling the words
21:50Did Helen ever go to school with other children?
21:52She went to several schools for the blind and deaf
21:55And then graduated from Radcliffe College, which is the sister college of Harvard
21:59This was something no other blind and deaf person had ever done
22:03She sure accomplished a lot in spite of all of those challenges
22:07Helen Keller considered life an adventure
22:09Once she was able to learn, she never wanted to stop
22:12No matter what happened, she stayed on course
22:15She never let other people discourage her from doing things that seemed impossible
22:19I think Helen Keller's story proves that people can accomplish anything
22:23Me too. Thank you, Professor
22:26And now here's Adriana with birthdays
22:28Happy Birthday to these women in the news
22:31Susan B. Anthony, who helped women get the right to vote
22:35Born in February, 1820
22:37Anthony spent her whole life dedicated to the cause of women's rights
22:41In honor of her work, the United States issued the Susan B. Anthony Silver Dollar in 1979
22:47The first U.S. coin to feature a woman
22:49Mother Teresa, a Catholic nun well known for her work among the poor of India
22:54She was born in August 1910
22:57Mother Teresa traveled to some of the poorest parts of the world working as a teacher, nurse, and missionary
23:03She was honored with the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979
23:07And Mary Shelley, who created one of the most famous movie monsters of all time
23:12One night, when she was only 19, Mary and some friends had a ghost story contest
23:17You can bet she won with her tale of the Frankenstein monster
23:23Mary was born way back in August of 1791
23:29The Space Agency NASA was created in 1958
23:33And for the first 20 years, outer space was for men only
23:36That was until 1978, when six women broke that gender barrier to reach for the stars
23:42Sally Ride was the first American woman in space
23:45And Ellen Ochoa was the first Hispanic female astronaut
23:48Eileen Collins was the first female space shuttle pilot
23:51And Catherine Thornton helped repair the Hubble telescope in space
23:55Ellen Baker and Bonnie Dunbar were on Atlantis
23:58When it linked up with the Russian space station NEAR
24:01What a way to blast into the history books
24:03How would you like to be a human cannonball?
24:09The zucchini family made a business out of it
24:12The first zucchini was shot from a cannon in 1922
24:15The last one in 1991
24:18During World War II, all the zucchini's sons were soldiers
24:21So little sister put on a helmet and climbed into a cannon
24:24Take a look
24:26Victoria's zucchini is a 22-year-old ball of dynamite
24:30And we're here to prove it
24:32To thrill the crowd at Palisades Park, New Jersey
24:34This young miss is shot from a cannon
24:36She travels 400 feet through the air with terrific speed
24:40Watch the left of the screen
24:50Her father first did this 20 years ago
24:52Then her two brothers
24:54With them in the army, she carries on
24:56We must say that she seems to have a bouncing good time
24:59But just a minute
25:01This couldn't happen to a nicer girl
25:03She can't miss, we hope
25:11Here's the answer to the retro quiz
25:13What writer and artist is famous for her bunny tails?
25:16The answer? Beatrix Potter
25:18She wrote and illustrated the tale of Peter Rabbit in 1902
25:22This story about an adventurous little bunny
25:24Is just one of many children's books by Beatrix Potter
25:27The tale of Peter Rabbit has sold over 40 million copies worldwide
25:35In the early days, people used planes for more than just getting from here to there
25:39Sometimes they're used for entertainment
25:41Exhibition flyers, or barnstormers as they were called
25:45Would perform death defying stunts in front of huge crowds
25:49Men weren't the only daredevils
25:51There were lots of women's stunt flyers as well
25:53These pilots thrilled the California crowd in 1935
25:57The nation's feminine aces put on a breathtaking exhibition of fancy flying
26:01Showing their perfect control over all types of planes and all kinds of stunts
26:05There's a biplane, they call it that because it has two sets of wings, one below the other
26:11Let's take a look at some more spectacular stunt work by women
26:15Spectators at this stunt show are in for an eyeful
26:19This daredevil from England is about to come face to face with this fire
26:23She blasts her bike through the blaze and not even a scratch
26:27Here's another look
26:29She's off on her bike again
26:33This time barreling through a bunch of barrels
26:39These kids are too nervous to watch this next stunt
26:41And I can see why
26:43Crashing through glass at full speed
26:47Let's take a look at that one more time
26:49Yikes
26:51And how about this for daring
26:53A toddler who talks to jaguars
26:55Two year old Patricia Ann Thompson made friends with these jaguar cubs
27:01Although they were only two months old
27:03The keepers at the Washington Park Zoo said the fuzzy babies could not be trusted
27:07As far as you could throw a grand piano
27:11But Patricia proved them wrong
27:13She trusted them and they never showed their claws
27:15No teddy bears or dollies for this little girl
27:19Her playmates were the cat's meow
27:21That's our retro news report for this week
27:23Now here's the last laugh
27:53So now here's the last laugh
27:55You can sing your songs
27:57You can sing your songs
27:58To the next one
27:59The next laugh
28:01Now here's the last laugh
28:03The next laugh