On September 27, 1907, 1,002 young European women, mostly from the UK, arrived at Ellis Island on the White Star oceanliner RMS Baltic. Most had come in search of husbands; and, with their impending arrival well advertised, many young American bachelors awaited them at the New York pier. Among them was a delegation of young farmers from northern Michigan, who had been sent by the state’s immigration office to bring willing, marriage-eligible young women to Kalamazoo. There was no explanation for the sudden arrival of so many maidens, but the New York Times speculated they may have come after hearing of a shortage of wives in the US, with many demanding too much of their husbands.
2. Hard times in America, 1935.
By 1935, US unemployment had diminished from its 1933 peak, but still stood at 20%, affecting 10 million workers. It was the year the Dust Bowl began and much of the nation was seeing its social fabric unravel. People were uprooted through eviction, foreclosure and job losses. Many lived in tents or rough shelters called “Hoovervilles,” so named after the former president. Many families had split up; children did not attend school; young men “rode the rails,” hitching rides on passing freight trains in search of work. The macroeconomic policy now advocated by economists to correct economic downturns — massive federal deficit spending to stimulate consumer demand — had not yet been developed. President Franklin Roosevelt, in office for two years, had instituted New Deal programs that targeted specific economic sectors, but not the broad federal programs which would come later and prove more effective. Full employment would not come until 1941, with the onset of World War II and heavy national defense spending; and with it came a new world of opportunity for women. Photos: 1/ Black barbershop, Vicksburg, MS. 2/ Black neighborhood, Vicksburg, MS. 3/ Sharecropper family, Hale County, AL. 4/ Disaster relief food line, Forrest City, AR. 5/ Shacks of unemployed, Houston Street, NYC. 6/ Shopping day, Kingwood, WV.
3. “Happy Birthday, Mr. President.” JFK’s 45th birthday party, May 19, 1962.
Following the extravaganza held at Madison Square Garden, in which Marilyn Monroe famously sang "Happy Birthday, Mr. President," JFK was the guest of honor at a star-studded private party held in a New York residence. Photos: 1/ JFK brother-in-law Stephen Smith and Marilyn Monroe. 2/ Jimmy Durante performs. 3/ JFK and sister Eunice Shriver talk with Jack Benny. 4/ JFK talks with Shirley MacLaine.
4. The Allied fight in the South Pacific, 1942-44.
The string of Pacific barrier islands lying east of Australia, with their potential for serving as air and sea bases, offered Japan the opportunity to cut the vital military supply line between the US west coast and Australia, the Allies’ Asian war staging area. But these islands also gave the Allies potential stepping stones to Japanese-held territories, including the Philippines, then an American possession, and ultimately the Japanese mainland. Japan acted first, invading New Britain and the Solomon Islands in early 1942. The Allies responded with the Battle of the Coral Sea; and the Allied victory there blocked an immediate, large-scale Japanese attack on New Zealand or Australia. What followed was a costly, piecemeal Allied advance against Japanese installations on the Pacific islands involving sea, air and ground forces, beginning with Guadalcanal and continuing north, reaching the Philippines in late 1944. It was a difficult effort. The Allied advance required the transportation of troops and supplies across great distances to locations with no infrastructure, where men — from Mason City, Iowa, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Marble Falls, Texas, and a thousand other towns large and small — would engage in combat in difficult jungle terrain during inhospitable weather against an enemy sworn to fight to the death. These are some photos of their fight: 1/ USS Wasp after suffering three submarine torpedo strikes. 2/ Rescue of survivors of a Japanese attack on the USS Lexington. 3/ Douglas Dive Bomber over Gizo Island. 4/ Mortar crew in action on Guadalcanal. 5/ Fire crew scrambles after a kamikaze strike on the USS Essex. 6/ Native men prepare to carry wounded US troops, Papua, New Guinea. 7/ Bringing equipment ashore on Cape Gloucester. 9/ Marines advance off the beach on Betio Island. 9/ Field surgical hospital.
5. Agent Orange in Vietnam.
The ten-year US defoliant spraying program over South Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia began in January 1962. Its purpose was to deprive the Vietcong of food and defensive jungle cover. Most of the spraying was done by low-altitude aircraft, but trucks, boats and backpack sprayers were also used. At the time, these chemicals were considered safe and were available to US consumers; but in Vietnam, consumer protections were not followed. Drums containing the chemicals were stored improperly and the spray solution was mixed at an average concentration rate that was thirteen times higher than recommended. Agent Orange contains dioxin, a highly toxic organic pollutant linked to cancers, diabetes and birth defects. During the Agent Orange program, US military personnel were told that the chemicals were harmless. It was only after the servicemen returned home that veterans began to suspect their ill health or wives’ miscarriages or children born with birth defects might be related to their exposure to Agent Orange. Documents revealed in a veteran group’s class action lawsuit against Agent Orange manufacturers showed that the manufacturers were aware of the health risks of dioxin but concealed this information from the government. There is scant evidence, however, that the government intentionally hid any information from the public. Toxicology studies of dioxin eventually persuaded the government to accept a connection between Agent Orange exposure and a long list of illnesses. The VA now runs a special benefits program for Vietnam veterans and their dependents affected by exposure to Agent Orange.
6. This week’s odd lot.
1/ George Custer, holding a rifle at his tent, with his four dogs and, in the far right, his pet pelican, near Ft. Dodge, Kansas, 1868. 2/ 2LT Robert Mueller, age 24, 1968. 3/ Shirley Temple kisses FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, mid-1930s, whom she once described as "a major crush."
Thanks for taking a look. We’ll be back on Saturday with more.
