Getting nostalgic

Husband and I went out to eat lunch on Monday at one of our favorite restaurants where we played tourist for a while. We felt just fine eating amongst all those out-of-towners who came to eat at this famous tourist stop, and we enjoyed listening to their conversations as they oooh'd and aaah'd over the food. We had been there many times so we knew what to expect. The best time of year to eat there is at Christmas because of all their elaborate decorations, and reservations are required because they are booked months in advance.

Following lunch, we spent some time in the gift shop. They have an ecclectic variety of goods and we had a fun time picking out some things for someone special. Along the way, I found a booklet entitled 1942 Remember When . . . A Nostalgic Look Back in Time. This was the year I was born, in a different time and dimension.

To give you younger folks a little background, the world was just recovering from a decade-long economic depression never before experienced. Europe was being overrun by the Nazis and the United States had only become involved in the war following the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese on December 7, 1941. By the time I was born in April 1942, the world was a changed place, teetering between prosperity for those lucky few and hardship and sacrifice for the rest of us.

In 1942, things cost a lot less than they do today. For example:

• New house, $3,775.00 (compared to about $225,000.00 today)
  
• Average Income, $1,885.00 per year (compared to about $50,000.00 today)
  
• New Car, $920.00 (compared to about $30,000.00 today)
• Average Rent, $35.00 per month (compared to about $1,000.00 today)
• Tuition to Harvard University, $420.00 per year (compared to about $60,000.00 per year today)
• Movie Ticket, $.30 each (compared to about $10.00 today, or $5.25 for the early bird special)
• Gasoline, $.15 per gallon (compared to about $3.00 per gallon today)
• United States Postage Stamp, $.03 each (compared to $.39 today)
• Granulated sugar, $.59 for 10 pounds
• Vitamin D Milk, $.60 per gallon
• Ground Coffee, $.45 per pound
• Bacon, $.45 per pound
• Eggs, $.20 per dozen
• Fresh Ground Hamburger, $.30 per pound
• Fresh Baked Bread, $.09 per loaf

We experienced shortages and rationing of goods. My parents had a corner grocery store so we were never hungry. I can remember, however, long lines outside their store as people waited in line to get items that had just arrived. Lucky Strike cigarettes were $.14 per pack and there were always rumors of neighbors hoarding food and other goods when hoarding was discouraged.

Some of the other events and changes that occurred that year were:

• January: Henry Ford patented a method of constructing plastic auto bodies
• February: The "Archie" comic book debuted
• March: General MacArthur vowed, "I shall return"
• April: A nightly "dim-out" began along the East Coast
• May: New York City ended nighttime baseball games for the remainder of WWII
• June: Capitol Records opened for business
• July: The Women's Army Auxiliary Corps began first basic training at Fort Des Moines (Iowa)
• August: U.S. bombers staged the first independent raid on Europe, attacking Rouen, France
• September: "Rosie the Riveter" became a national symbol for women entering the workforce
• October: The National Boxing Association froze titles of those serving in armed services
• November: The U.S. began the rationing of coffee
• December: George M. Cohan, Broadway's "man of genius," died in New York at the age of 66

Franklin D. Roosevelt was president and Henry Wallace was vice president. Life expectancy was 62.9 years, and auto makers stopped producing cars to turn production to war materials. The next new car in the U.S. wasn't made until 1945. Gas rationing went into effect and the draft age was lowered to 18 years of age. The most notable event was this was the year the Manhattan Project began. It only took three years to develop the means to nuke the enemy to kingdom come thus ending World War II.

Remembering all this has made me nostalgic for family and friends who are no longer with us. I remember a place out of time that only lives in my memory. I remember the things we did, the people we knew, the clothes we wore, the places we went to, the music, the movies, the books, the sights, the sounds, and the events. We were a different people then with different values.

Would I go back to 1942 if I had a Way Back Machine? No, I don't think so, because you wouldn't be there.

There are places I remember all my life, Though some have changed
Some forever, not for better, Some have gone and some remain.
All these places have their moments,
Of lovers and friends I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living, In my life I loved them all.

-- The Beatles