It’s 1944. Meat rationing ends in America, allowing Turnage and Talton’s Grocery in Smithfield to sell more and Fred Adams to add more to his hot dog chili, Army defeats Navy 10-7 on the gridiron in the ‘Arab Bowl’ in North Africa, the green flag doesn’t drop at the Indianapolis 500 due to World War II, helicopters are first used by the US military in warfare, Bing Crosby croons ‘Swinging on a Star’ for Decca Records, Harry McAlpin becomes the first black reporter at the White House, the Cincinnati Reds sign the league’s youngest baseball player,15 year old Joe Nuxhall, Batman and Robin hit the funnies, Sue Dauser becomes the first female U.S. Navy Captain, ‘Casablanca’ wins the Oscar, Bill Nicholson belts 4 homers for the Chicago Cubs, Utah edges Dartmouth 42-40 in the 6th ever NCAA Championship basketball game, Astrid Lindgren begins writing ‘Pippi Longstocking’ while nursing a broken ankle, the Montreal Canadiens sweep the Chicago Blackhawks in 4 games to clinch the Stanley Cup, Leonard Bernstein’s ‘On the Town’ premieres in New York City, Ghandi is freed from prison, Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the ‘GI Bill of Rights’, WABC TV-5 hits the airwaves in New York, the Democratic convention opens in Chicago, a Messerchmitt 262 becomes the first jet fighter in combat, Tennessee Williams’ ‘Glass Menagerie’ premieres in Chicago, Anne Frank records her final diary entry before being arrested by Nazis and sent to the concentration camp in Auschwitz, the Jackie Gleason – Les Tremayne show premieres on NBC radio, Bob Hamilton clinches the PGA Championship,15,000 American troops liberating Paris march down Champs Elysees, Winston Churchill and FDR meet in Canada, ‘The Boys from Boise’ is the first TV musical comedy, the St Louis Browns clinch their only pennant and win their first World Series game before losing the Series to the St Louis Cardinals, Aaron Copland’s ‘Appalachian Spring’ premieres, Franklin D. Roosevelt defeats Thomas E. Dewey to secure his 4th term as President, Red Cross wins the Nobel Peace prize, the first open heart surgery is performed at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Marty Marion of the St Louis Cardinals is the National League MVP, General George Patton’s 4th Pantzers defeat the Germans in the Battle of Bastogne and this is Johnston County’s Thurman W. Peedin of the US Army on the cover of the July 3rd Life magazine helping a wounded soldier returning from patrol.
Contributed by Carter Rabil.
