JS celebrates 65 years! (Special).In 1937, the first issue of Junior Scholastic appeared in schools across the country. What was life like for students back then? Let's say you're sitting in your classroom, watching the clock. But instead of ticking forward, the clock ticks back--all the way to 1937! Look around the room. The girls are wearing long, flowing dresses or skirts. The boys are clad in white shirts, ties, and dress pants. Is anybody wearing jeans, shorts, or sneakers sneakers Noun, pl US, Canad, Austral & NZ canvas shoes with rubber soles sneakers npl (US) → zapatos mpl de lona; zapatillas fpl ? Not in 1937. What's that on your desk? It's the very first issue of Junior Scholastic, dated September 18, 1937. Open it and you'll find a play about European explorers, a news article about the war between China and Japan, and a profile of Hugo Black--the new U.S. Supreme Court Justice. On the sports page Noun 1. sports page - any page in the sports section of a newspaper page - one side of one leaf (of a book or magazine or newspaper or letter etc.) or the written or pictorial matter it contains , young Joe Di Maggio is touted as the best outfielder in baseball. Hey wait, there's no color in Verb 1. color in - add color to; "The child colored the drawings"; "Fall colored the trees"; "colorize black and white film" color, colorise, colorize, colour in, colourise, colourize, colour the magazine. All of the photos are black-and-white! The bell rings, and you head home on your bicycle. Your mom She goes to the gym. will likely be there, since few women work outside the home. She has probably spent her day baking, sewing, and cleaning. When your father gets in from work, Mom has dinner on the table. After finishing your meal, you help wash the dishes--by hand. Dishwashers have not yet been invented. You do your homework and then join your family in the living room to listen to the radio. Everyone's favorite program is Gangbusters, a radio drama about crime fighters The first in a trilogy of beat 'em ups by Konami. It was followed by Vendetta and Violent Storm. The players must rescue several beautiful women who have been kidnapped by an evil kingpin. . A few experimental TV broadcasts have begun in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of and Philadelphia, but almost no one owns a TV yet. After listening to Gangbusters, your dad may read the newspaper. If he does, he'll probably shake his head with worry. Trouble is brewing in Europe, as the German leader, Adolf Hitler, looks to invade neighboring countries. And in Asia, Japan is fighting to acquire (get) some of China's rich farmlands and natural resources. At home, the news is also worrisome. Since 1929, the U.S. has been in a depression (severe economic downturn). Prices are low, but so are most wages--for people fortunate enough to have jobs. About 10 million Americans are unemployed. As President Franklin D. Roosevelt said in January, at the start of his second term: "I see one third of a nation ill-housed, ill-clothed, ill-nourished." To escape their troubles, many people go to the movies. For 20 cents, you can see a double feature (two movies), a cartoon, coming attractions, a newsreel, and maybe even a continuing adventure serial. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs IBM's early competitors in the mainframe business: Burroughs, CDC, GE, Honeywell, NCR, RCA and Univac. Seven Dwarfs Doc, Happy, Sleepy, Sneezy, Bashful, Grumpy, Dopey. [Am. , Disney's first full-length cartoon, is brand new. Bugs Bunny also made his debut recently. Who are the big stars in 1937? Actors Shirley Temple, Bing Crosby, and Spencer Tracy are famous from coast to coast. Joe Louis, an African-American boxer known as "the Brown Bomber," became the heavyweight champion of the world in June. He is the first black superstar in a heavily segregated country. About 130 million people live in the 48 states--most of them in cities, towns, and rural areas. There are no suburban housing developments or malls. People shop on Main Street until stores close at 5:30. It's a great year for inventions: nylon fabric, the shopping cart, the trampoline trampoline Resilient sheet or web (often of nylon) supported by springs in a metal frame and used as a springboard and landing area in tumbling. Trampolining is an individual sport of acrobatic movements performed after rebounding into the air from the trampoline. , and Spam, meat in a can. Jet engines, radar, and the mechanical cotton picker The mechanical cotton picker is a machine that automates cotton harvesting. It was first invented in the 1920s, but was not made practical until the 1950s, and even then, it was not immediately implemented on most farms. are among the latest developments in technology. You can read about such inventions in the first issue of JS! Dinner for a Dime Chances are, your family eats out once or twice a month. What will you find on a typical menu? How about meatballs and beans or hot dogs with sauerkraut? Both cost a dime! A big spender Noun 1. big spender - one who spends lavishly and ostentatiously on entertainment; "the last of the big spenders" high roller scattergood, spend-all, spendthrift, spender - someone who spends money prodigally might want to chow down on a pork-chop dinner for 30 cents. That may seem incredibly cheap,. but remember: In 1937, the average salary is only $1,250 a year. How do you get around? Maybe your family owns a car, but roads are narrow and bumpy. With air travel so expensive, most people prefer to journey long distances by train The first U.S. freeway will not open until 1940. What are some other differences between 1937 and today? Study the charts above to find out.
THEN & NOW
1937 2002
POPULATION
World Population 2.25 billion 6.14 billion
U.S. Population 130 million 284.5 million
THE COST OF LIVING
House $2,800 $169,000
Car $750 $21,800
Sweater $1.95 $30
Movie Ticket $0.20 $5.65
Quart of Milk $0.10 $1
Box of Cornflakes $0.08 $4
AVERAGE SALARIES
Lawyer $4,485 $110,000
Doctor $4,285 $125,000
Teacher $1,361 $44,604
Waiter $520 $32,746
Factory Worker $1,376 $40,928
Minimum Wage None $5.15
(per hour)
Write the letter of the correct answer on the line before each question. ___ 1. What was the average cost of a house in 1937? A. $5,300 B. $4,800 C. $2,800 ___ 2. Which of the following was a popular radio program in 1937? A. War of the Worlds B. Gangbusters C. Gotham Playhouse Presents ___ 3. How many people lived in the U.S. 65 years ago? A. 125 million B. 130 million C. 180 million ___ 4. Which African-American became boxing's heavyweight champion in 1937? A. Sugar Ray Robinson Noun 1. Sugar Ray Robinson - United States prizefighter who won the world middleweight championship five times and the world welterweight championship once (1921-1989) Ray Robinson, Walker Smith, Robinson B. Floyd Patterson Floyd Patterson (January 4, 1935 – May 11, 2006) was an American heavyweight boxing champion. At 21, Patterson became the youngest man to win the world heavyweight championship. He had a record of 55 wins 8 losses and 1 draw, with 40 wins by knockout. C. Joe Louis ___ 5. A profile of which new Supreme Court Justice appeared in the first issue of Junior Scholastic?. A. Hugo Black Hugo LaFayette Black (February 27, 1886–September 25, 1971) was an American politician and jurist. A member of the Democratic Party, Black represented the state of Alabama in the United States Senate from 1926 to 1937, and served as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court B. Thurgood Marshall For people and institutions etc. named after Thurgood Marshall, see . Thurgood Marshall (July 2, 1908 – January 24, 1993) was an American jurist and the first African American to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States. C. Clarence Thomas Clarence Thomas (born June 23, 1948) is an American jurist and has been an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States since 1991. He is the second African American to serve on the nation's highest court, after Justice Thurgood Marshall. ANSWERS 1. C 2. B 3. B 4. C 5. A |
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