The Navajo Code from World War Two: Was it Unbreakable?

The Navajo Code, which was used during the Second World War, has become one of the most famous military codes of all time. The code was developed in 1942 for use by the United States Marine Corps. This code was complex and sophisticated which made it perfect for military use. The Navajo Code’s complexity made it different from other Native American military codes used at the time or in World War I. The code was never broken but there was a close call during World War II. It achieved some important successes during the conflict, and became invaluable to the U.S. Marines and helped baffle the Japanese military.

Daniel Boustead explains.

Navajo code talkers. Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands, June 1944.

The Japanese Military had cracked every code the United States had used through 1942(1). The Marines in charge of communications were getting skittish([1]).  There was an imminent need for an unbreakable code!  Civil Engineer Philip Johnston, who had spent time on the Navajo Reservation came up with the idea of using the Navajo language (which was unwritten and understood only by those who lived with the Navajos) as the basis for an unbreakable code([2]).  Philip Johnston presented the idea to the U.S. Marine Corps ‘top brass’ and they decided to implement the idea right away(2). Communications officer Major James E. Jones, Major General Clayton B. Vogel (commander of Amphibious Corps, Pacific Fleet), and Commandant Thomas Holcomb were responsible for launching and recruiting the men who became code talkers(3). These men agreed on the need for the maximum secrecy of the program([3]). 

In February, 1942 at Camp Elliot, Vogel and Jones witnessed and ran a test experiment with Navajo men(3). This test experiment involved the Navajo men giving Navajo words to military terms in the period of an hour(3). Jones and Vogel also witnessed Navajo and Marine communications men transmitting several messages resembling in style and content the military messages that would be used in battle(3). At the time the standard used code was the “Shackle” code, which was written in English, encoded via a coding machine, and sent(3). Then the receiving end decoded the message, again via machine, and wrote it out English(3). It took an hour to transmit and receive the test messages using the “Shackle Code”(3). In contrast, when the same messages were transmitted and received in Navajo - with the Navajo men acting as human coding machines - it took only forty seconds for the information to be transmitted accurately(3). The test experiment was a success and Vogel agreed to launch a pilot, but due to the secrecy of the program it was decided to limit the trial program to 29 Navajo men(3). From  July 1942 to September 1942, 29 Navajo men from Platoon 382 helped invent and develop the Navajo Code([4]). The 29 Navajo men of Platoon 382 asked three Navajo speaking military men named Felix Yazzie, Ross Haskie, and Wilson Price to help them work on the Navajo Code([5]).  Navajo Code Talker Chester Nez said of the addition of  these three men “I don’t know why historians insist on separating them from the original twenty-nine. For me, it was the original thirty-two. They deserved credit for the code just as much as any of us did”(5). 

A unique code

The Navajo Code differed from other Native American Codes used in the past, in that the Navajo resisted adopting English words and folding them into the Navajo language like telephone and radio([6]).  The Navajo instead made up their own words for such inventions such as telephone and radio and thus keeping their language free from outside influence([7]). A person who is not Navajo finds it difficult to hear Navajo words properly, virtually impossible for him to reproduce the words, and nearly impossible to even pronounce even one word of Navajo if they are not used to hearing the sounds(6). Furthermore, as future Navajo Code Talker Sam Tso said “My language, my Navajo language, does not have an alphabet. we cannot write down our language, and we cannot read it. So, when they invented this code they used the English alphabet and they gave a certain word, to the ABC’s there and then as I looked at it and found out they have divided all those ABC’s according to the animals that lived in the water, travel on the water, that flew in the air, and those animals that live on the land. So, they divided into three parts”([8]). 

There were two types of Navajo code developed by the original Navajo Code Talkers(9). The first was the Type 1 code, which consisted of 26 Navajo terms that stood for individual English letters that could be used to spell out a word(9). For instance, the Navajo word for “ant”, in Navajo wo-la-chee, was used to represent the letter “a” in English([9].) Also, the original Navajo Code Talkers developed the Type 2 Navajo Code which contained words that could be translated from English into Navajo and included a dictionary (9).  For example, in the Type 2 Navajo Code there was no existing word for “submarine”, so the Navajo Code Talkers agreed to use the term besh-lo, which translates to “iron fish”(9).

In contrast, during World War I, Choctaw and Comanche soldiers transmitted messages in their complex language to stymie the Germans, which was by no means a code (6).The Choctaw and Comanche were used on a limited basis during World War I(6).  It was after World War I had ended that the Germans discovered which native languages had been employed by sending “tourists”, “scholars”, and “anthropologists” to learn the languages of various Native American tribes (6). Fortunately, the Navajo were not visited by these Germans spies(6). This prevented the secrets of the Navajo language from being passed on to Nazi Germany’s ally, Imperial Japan. This allowed the then secret language of Navajo to be used in developing an unbreakable code(6). Also, the Navajo Code contained 642 words or terms in their dictionary([10].)  By comparison the World War II-era Comanche Code Talkers only had 250 terms or 250 words and the primitive World War I era- Choctaw speaking experiment had only 20 terms or 20 words([11] ).  The Comanche Code Talkers served in Europe against the Third Reich ([12]).

Japanese code cracking efforts

A Japanese interrogator named Goon, interrogated a captured Navajo prisoner named Joe Kieyoomia (who had the survived the 1942 Bataan Death March) and came to the conclusion that the Code had something to do with the Navajo language([13]). Joe Kieyoomia, despite being brutally abused by his Japanese captors, never gave away any of the Navajo Code secrets(13). The Japanese Chief of Intelligence. Lieutenant General Seizo Arisue, said that while he was able to decipher the code used by the U.S. Army and the U.S.  Army Air Corps, he was never able to crack the Navajo Code ([14]). In the aftermath of World War II, the  Fuji Evening, a Tokyo newspaper, stated “If the Japanese Imperial Intelligence Team could have decoded the Navajo messages.. the history of the Pacific War might have turned out completely different”([15]). This shows the effectiveness in secrecy  surrounding the Navajo Code. 

The Navajo Code also had some important successes on the battlefields of the Pacific during World War II. During the Guadalcanal campaign, Navajo Code Talker Chester Nez and his friend Roy destroyed a Japanese machine gun position using the power of the Navajo Code to order an artillery strike to destroy it([16]). In the Battle of Iwo Jima, from February 1945 to March 1945, signal officer Major Howard Connor of the 5th Marine Division, said “Were it not for the Navajos, the Marines would never have taken Iwo Jima”(14). Signal officer Howard Conner had six Navajo Code Talkers with him and during the first two days of the battle of Iwo Jima from February 1945 they sent over 800 messages, all without error(14).  One of the final transmissions of World War II were American scientists’ observations of the August 9, 1945 atomic bombing of Nagasaki and it was sent back via the Navajo Code(15).

In retrospect

The Navajo Code had everlasting fame as a military code. This code that was developed for the Marine Corps served with success from 1942 to 1945.  The complex and thoroughly detailed nature of the Navajo Code made it perfect for military use and was different from other Native American codes. Except for a close call, the Code was never broken. The Navajo Code was truly unbreakable!

Now, read Daniel’s article on “Did World War Two Japanese Kamikaze Attacks have more Impact than Nazi V-2 Rockets?” here.

[1] Avila, Judith and Nez, Chester. Foreword by Bingaman, Jeff United States Senator from New Mexico. Code Talker: The first and only memoir by one  of the original Navajo code talkers of WWII.  New York: New York. Dutton Caliber. 2011. 93. 

[2] Avila, Judith and Nez, Chester. Forward by Bingaman, Jeff United States Senator from New Mexico. Code Talker: The first and only memoir by one of the original Navajo code talkers of WWII.  New York: New York. Dutton Caliber. 2011. 90. 

[3] Avila, Judith and Nez, Chester. Forward by Bingaman, Jeff United Sates Senator from New Mexico. Code Talker: The First and only memoir by one of the  original Navajo code talkers of WWII.  New York: New York. Dutton Caliber. 2011. 92. 

[4] Avila, Judith and Nez, Chester. Forward by Bingaman, Jeff United States Senator from New Mexico. Code Talker: The first and only memoir by one of the original Navajo code talkers of WWII. New York: New York. Dutton Caliber. 2011. 101-102. 

[5] Avila, Judith and Nez, Chester. Forward by Bingaman, Jeff United States Senator from New Mexico. Code Talker: The first and only memoir by one of the original Navajo code talkers of WWII.  New York: New York. Dutton Caliber. 2011. 109.

[6] Avila, Judith and Nez, Chester. Forward by Bingaman, Jeff United States Senator from New Mexico. Code Talker: The First and only memoir by one of the original Navajo code talkers of WWII. New York: New York. Dutton Caliber.  2011. 91. 

[7] Avila, Judith  Schiess and Nez, Chester. Forward by Bingaman, Jeff United States Senator from New Mexico. Code Talker: The first and only memoir by one of the original Navajo code talkers of WWII. New York: New York. Dutton Caliber. 2011.  91-92. 

[8] Navajo code talkers of World War II: Journey of Remembrance. Dreamscape-Contemporary Learning Systems. Starbright Media Corporation production. 2018. 

[9] “American Indian  Code Talkers, The National WWII Museum-New Orleans”.  December 12th, 2020. https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/american-indian-code-talkers . 

[10] Avila, Judith Schiess and Nez, Chester. Forward by Bingaman, Jeff, United States Senator from New Mexico. Code Talker: The first and  only memoir by one of the original Navajo code talkers. New York: New York. Dutton Caliber. 2011. 273-291. 

[11] Greenspan, Jesse. “How Native American Code Talkers Pioneered a  Type of Military Intelligence”. Updated:  November 11th, 2020. History Channel.  Accessed January 1st, 2021. https://www.history/com/news/world-war-is-native-american-code-talkers . 

[12] McIntyre, Cindy. “Comanche language helped win World War II”. Last Modified November 14th, 2017. United States Army. Accessed on January 3rd, 2021. https://www.army.mil/article/178195/comanche_language_helped_win_world_war_ii . 

[13] Avila, Judith Schiess and Nez, Chester.  Forward by Bingaman, Jeff, United States Senator from New Mexico. Code Talker: The first and only memoir by one of the original Navajo code talkers.  New York: New York. Dutton Caliber. 2011. 207-208. 

[14] “Navajo Code Talkers-World War II Fact Sheet, Naval History and Heritage Command”.  December  7th, 2020. https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/n/code-talkers.html . 

[15] Avila, Judith Schiess and Nez, Chester. Foreword by Bingaman, Jeff, United States Senator from New Mexico. Code Talker: The first and only memoir by one of the of the original code talkers. New York: New York. Dutton Caliber. 2011. 215. 

[16] Avila, Judith Schiess, and Nez, Chester. Forward by Bingaman, Jeff, United States Senator from New Mexico. Code Talker: The first and only memoir by one of the original Navajo code talkers. New York: New York. Dutton Caliber. 2011. 133. 

References

“American Indian Code Talkers, The National WWII Museum-New Orleans” December 12th, 2020. https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/american-indian-code-talkers.

Avila, Judith, and Nez, Chester. Foreword by Bingaman, Jeff, United States Senator from New Mexico. Code Talker: The First and only memoir by one of the original Navajo code talkers of WWII. New York: New York. Dutton Caliber. 2011. 

Greenspan, Jesse. “How Native American Code Talkers Pioneered a New Type of Military Intelligence”. History Channel.  Updated: November 11th, 2020. Accessed on January 1st, 2021. https://www.history/com/news/world-war-is-native-american-code-talkers.

McIntyre, Cindy. “Comanche language helped win World War II”. Last Modified November 14th, 2017. United States Army.Accessed January 3rd, 2021. https://www/army.mil/article/178195/comache_language_helped_win_world_war_ii

Navajo Code talkers of World War II: Journey of Remembrance. Dreamscape-Contemporary Learning Systems. Starbright Media Corporation. 2018.

“Navajo Code Talkers-World War II Fact Sheet, Naval History and Heritage Command”.  December 7th, 2020. https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/n/code-talkers.html

Visiting families who Escaped the Nazis: Life as a British National Health Service Worker

From escaping burning hospitals to visiting families who escaped from the Nazis, John Rooney has met extraordinary people throughout his career with the British National Health Service (NHS). Starting as a student at 19 years old, he still works there over 50 years later. Here, Alice Cullinane explains John Rooney’s story.

An engraving of Ely House in London, including St. Etheldreda's chapel, which was visited by John Rooney to find a patient in more recent times. Engraving by William Henry Prior and based on a 1772 drawing.

John lived in the grounds of Friern Hospital, a psychiatric hospital close to Colney Hatch in London. During an outbreak of flames, he had to run into the burning hospital, leaving his two young children at home. He recalls the experience being "really surreal…the corridor was just roaring in flames." People were "just wandering around in daze", with there being no organized plan. Fires in the hospital often were caused by patients smoking in places they should not be. However, the fire’s cause was vague due to beliefs of “an arsonist in that part of London.” Friern Hospital had the longest corridor in Europe and contained in-mates such as Aaron Kosminski, Jack the Ripper suspect,  alongside railway rapist and killer John Duffy. (1) The Guardian newspaper published an article which blasted the British mental hospital in 1965. The grimness of buildings, the size of the wards, the problem with staff recruitment and the pressure of work were all criticized. Due to multiple reasons, it was decided in 1989 that the hospital should close, with patients reintegrated into the community where possible. (2)

The NHS worker remembers going to a central London church to find a patient. "The church had a crypt below, and it was like another world - completely dimly lit, and the whole floor was just a sea of people." The church was St. Etheldreda's Church in Holborn, London, the oldest Catholic Church in England. In 1925, the Royal Commission on Historical Monuments scheduled St Etheldreda’s as an ancient monument, and worthy of preservation. During the German Bombing Blitz, St Etheldreda’s was hit by many explosions, with the WW2 bomb damage taking seven years to repair. (3) John remembers everybody in the crypt was lying down, “with alcohol, drug problems.”

Eerie events and Nazi Germany Survivors 

John also worked at Brookwood Hospital in Surrey, south-east England, known as the second ‘county Asylum.’ While working at the hospital, he was sent through the fields, to “help them get a dead patient out of the canal.” The hospital had a dairy, cobblers, sewage farm and chapel, located near the Basingstoke Canal. John remembers the patients face, “covered in green weed” and as a late teenage student, found the experience “very dramatic…like something out a horror film.” Patients were admitted to the hospital for various reasons; including Ethel Mary Short, taken in due to 'puberty' and Mary Jane Perry, due to a 'disappointment in love.' (4)

Alongside eerie events, the 72-year-old also visited patients with surprising and shocking stories. “There was an elderly Jewish lady who lived in one of the really upmarket areas of London. She escaped the Nazis' because her husband was tall and blonde - even though her husband was Jewish." The stereotype of a Jews’ appearance was ‘red hair’, as ‘red hair is commonly a recessive trait’, and more represented in ‘endogamous populations.’ (5) The Nazis’ saw Jews as a danger to the ‘Aryan race’, and were to be ‘removed from Central Europe, through expulsion, enslavement, starvation and extermination.’ (6) The couple, fortunately, escaped their death from the Nazis. “When they got stopped at the border, they (were) asked if they were Jewish. Her husband said to the guard, ‘do I look like a Jew?’, and they let them through, and they lived.” There were many methods to help the immigration of Jews, such as ‘Kindertransport’, which rescued nearly 10 000 children from Nazi Germany. The British government allowed Jewish children to immigrate without visas, but sadly, the children were forced to leave their parents. (7) 

John has also noticed the staffing change in the NHS, “people nowadays say they are short-staffed, but they have no idea what really short-staffed is." John was by himself in a ward with 126 patients; however maintaining a positive attitude, he said, "you just do what you can." John loves that "there are so many different things you can do…the NHS is very interesting." He has a great passion working for the NHS, finding it “satisfying because I believe in what I do.” From working in the hospital that housed Jack the Ripper, to visiting those who lived to tell their phenomenal story, John has many more tales to tell!

Now, you read Alice’s article about growing up in post World War Two Liverpool here.

References

1-     Wikipedia- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friern_Hospital#National_Health_Service

2-     https://ezitis.myzen.co.uk/friern.html

3-     http://www.stetheldreda.com/index.php/history-of-st-etheldredas/

4-     https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/health/historical-archives-surrey-mental-hospital-9382714

5-     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereotypes_of_Jews#Physical_features

6-     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_race

7-     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jews_escaping_from_German-occupied_Europe_to_the_United_Kingdom

A Maverick in 1920s London: Kate Meyrick

The booming 1920s were a decade of great change in many countries. Following the pain of World War I, many experienced happier times. Here, Tom Daly explains the story of a woman who owned nightclubs in 1920s London that were attended by some of the most famous in society.

Kate Meyrick in the 1920s. Available here.

The ‘roaring ‘20s’ is sometimes seen as a uniquely American phenomenon, while Europe emerged gingerly from a catastrophic war that had torn the continent apart. Yet the glamour of New York and Chicago was still matched by some of Europe’s more prosperous cities in the 1920s. Paris was home to a lively jazz scene, Berlin developed a reputation as a wonderfully decadent and sexually liberated city, and London became a hub for hedonism and indulgence among disillusioned war veterans and the more optimistic generation that came after them. At the center of London’s nightlife was a small Irish woman who ran numerous successful nightclubs, flaunted her wealth and celebrity in front of an incensed British Home Secretary, and who was mother to eight children. Her name was Kate Meyrick.

Meyrick was unabashedly outrageous. After living a relatively privileged life until her marriage fell apart in 1919, she threw herself in to the murky world of London’s emerging nightclub scene and established herself as its Queen. Unbothered by scrapes with the law, fiercely protective of her workers and immensely proud of her establishments, she basked in the resentment of the British establishment yet still managed to maintain her family’s place at the top of society – two of her daughters would marry into the peerage. ‘Ma Meyrick’ was ambitious, flamboyant and engaging. In 1920s London, that made her exactly the type of person who could make a success of themselves.

Background

Kate Meyrick was born Kate Evelyn Nason on August 7, 1875 in Dun Laoghaire, which was then called Kingstown, near Dublin. Her father, John, was a wealthy doctor but tragically died when Kate was just one. Her mother, Sarah, found a second husband in a Lancashire clergyman and took her two children with her to England, but died herself when Kate was just seven. Now orphans, Kate and her older sister Ethel moved back to Dublin to brought up by their grandmother. She attended Alexandra College as a teenager and showed early signs of her disregard for normal conventions, claiming that she was the first woman to ride a bike in Dublin. 

Kate grew into a petite young woman with a slender frame and striking dark features, and when she was 19 she married Ferdinand Meyrick, who like her father was a doctor. The couple moved to Hampshire in southern England and settled into a comfortable existence where they could afford to send all of their eight children to elite private schools. Luckily for the Meyricks their sons were not old enough to fight in the First World War but it was still a time of turbulence for Kate, who filed for divorce from Ferdinand in 1910 but was reconciled with him until 1919. Though they separated in 1919, they never actually got divorced.

Rise in London

With three sons at Harrow and three daughters at Roedean, two of Britain’s most elite schools, the newly single Meyrick was facing an uphill battle to fund her children’s education. So, she moved to London and set about amassing her own fortune. In April 1919 she bought a share in Dalton’s, a nightclub in Leicester Square owned by George Dalton Murray, who quickly spotted her potential and employed Meyrick as the club’s manager. Under her management Dalton’s developed a reputation as a brothel with a more friendly touch for troubled young war veterans seeking sex and companionship. This was exactly the case Meyrick made when the club was raided by police in 1920, as she protested in court that the women she employed offered comfort to disillusioned and sometimes disfigured men who had returned from war. Her protests did not work, and she was forced to pay a fine and close the club.

If Meyrick was upset at the closing of Dalton’s, she didn’t show it – she was moving on to bigger things. In 1921 she opened the 43 club in Soho, which was to become one of 1920s London’s most notorious spots. Amongst a backdrop of jazz music and a never-ending supply of alcohol and drugs, it was in the 43 club that aristocracy mixed with the newly wealthy, where royalty mixed with up-and-coming gangsters. The club was frequented by royalty from all over Europe, as well as writers, politicians and even members of the IRA, who headed to the 43 for a night of celebration in November 1921 after stealing a huge haul of munitions from British troops in London. Welcoming this type of clientele did have its risks, but the Meyrick’s diminutive appearance disguised her phenomenal ability to control even the most violent men. Meyrick didn’t care who you were or what your background was – as long as you had a thick wallet and pristine clothes, you were welcome in her club.

Meyrick founded several other nightclubs in the decade, including the Silver Slipper, the Manhattan, and the Folies Bergeres, but it was the 43 that remained the jewel in her crown. Not only did she accumulate a fortune but she also became a celebrity, known affectionately as ‘Ma Meyrick’ and facilitating one of her daughters’ marriage to a Baron and the marriage of another daughter to an Earl.

Legal Troubles

Meyrick’s first brush with the law came in 1924, when she was sentenced to six months in prison for selling alcohol in the 43 club without a license. The sentence was protested by King Ferdinand of Romania and Crown Prince Gustaf of Sweden, showing the array of glamorous customers she could boast, but the pleas on her behalf fell on deaf ears and she was forced to serve her sentence. In all, she would serve five prison sentences over the next ten years, mostly for licensing offenses. 

That year, a new Home Secretary was appointed by Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin. Sir William Joynson-Hicks was an austere man who, like many people of his generation who were children of the Victorian age, was worried about the morals of the country in the decadent 1920s. He developed an obsession with the nightclubs that had sprung up across London and was determined to harass them as far as the law would permit, but Kate Meyrick’s clubs, despite the handful of short sentences she served for licensing offenses, always seemed to be out of his reach. In March 1928, he finally found out why.

Sergeant George Goddard of the Metropolitan police had a modest salary but managed to live in a huge townhouse in London and drive two expensive cars. He also happened to be the man who was responsible for keeping an eye on the 43 club. Suspicious, Joynson-Hicks ordered a raid on the club without informing Goddard, and finally found what he was looking for. In 1929 Meyrick was convicted of bribing a police officer and sentenced to 15 months hard labor.

Final years and death

Meyrick was released from her sentence early in 1930, but the world she returned to was very different to the one she had left. While she was in prison, the Wall Street Crash had tanked the global economy and effectively ended London’s nightclub scene for the time being. Struggling to attract customers and facing a police force that had been cleaned up in the fallout of the Goddard affair, Meyrick got herself in more trouble and returned to prison in 1931. During this sentence she started writing her memoirs, Secrets of the 43, but it was banned almost as soon as it was published in 1933. Too many powerful people had a distinct interest in not having their nightclub antics in the 1920s being common knowledge.  

Not that this censorship ever bothered Meyrick – she was already dead. Her years of fast living had left her frail and she contracted pneumonia during her final stint in prison. She died in London on January 19, 1933 at the age of 57 and was buried in Kensal Rise, London. Her funeral was attended by all of her children and even her estranged husband, who appeared inconsolable during the service.

The story of Kate Meyrick was not a rags-to-riches story, yet it was still one of a woman defying the odds. A single mother in her mid-40s, she could have been forgiven for feeling sorry for herself and devoting her energy to her children. She did devote her energy to her children in a way – she always maintained that paying school fees was the only reason she had gone into the nightclub business – but she had certainly made something of herself in the process. She was shrewd and disdainful of convention, perfectly encapsulating the era she operated in, and a character so colorful and extraordinary as her deserves to be remembered.

Now, you can also read Tom’s articles on the Princess Alice Disaster on London’s River Thames here, 14th century French female pirate Jeanne de Clisson here, and why Tom loves history here.

Finally, read more from Tom at the Ministry of History here.

The 1950s Christmas: The Christmas that Became the Future

There have been few periods in human history that have brought about as major changes as the mid-20th century. A big change that was brought about during this time was how we have come to celebrate the Christmas holiday. Here, Amanda L. Walton looks at a 1950s Christmas and its parallels to a modern Christmas.

President John F. Kennedy and his wife Jackie at the White House in December 1962. Many of the Christmas practices of the 1960s - and to the present day - came from the 1950s.

The 1950s were a time of pride within the American culture. The space race was starting, and World War II had just ended. Families were prospering in ways that had not been possible before. There was enough food on the tables, people could afford cozy neat homes in residential neighborhoods, shopping became a popular pastime of American housewives, and middle-class families were able to live better than ever before (or since). 

The extra money that people had brought about a new level of consumerism that marked the second transitional change in the way that we celebrate Christmas. In her book, Midcentury Christmas: Holiday Fads, Fancies, and Fun from 1945 to 1970, Sarah Archer argues that the mid-20th century was the second time that Christmas has changed. She argues that first it was the Victorian Era with the myth of Santa Claus and then the mid-20th century which created the desire for the cozy Christmas that is still enjoyed today.

A Look at Mid-20th Century Christmas Traditions

Many of the Christmas traditions that continue to be practiced today originated in the mid-20th century. Below are a few that are notable.

Christmas Ornaments 

The mass production of Christmas ornaments was first seen with Shiny Brite (and yes, I have some of these from a local thrift store score!). These are popular collector items today and something that as a collector myself I have always been excited to obtain. During the 1930s all of the ornaments that were purchased were hand blown in Germany. The process of mass production allowed for ornaments to be affordable and obtainable by all families. 

The Tinsel Tree

I have to admit that I have a weakness for tinsel trees. My husband bought me one for our third Christmas in our new home. We plan to purchase a new one complete with a spinning base (ours only has the color wheel and a recent Rainbow Light that we picked up at an antique shop for $10) when we purchase our dream mid-20th century home that we are currently in the market for. The tinsel tree offered a space-age adaptation to an old classic and has since become the main defining decoration of the mid-20th century.

Crafting was Popular

Magazines at the time show all of the unique crafts that women could make within their own homes. A lot of the crafts featured used aluminum foil as it was being heavily produced post-war. Women were encouraged to grab their roll of aluminum foil through advertisements and craft tutorials in magazines. 

The Mass Consumerism of the Mid-20th Century

One of the things that changed drastically during the mid-20th century was consumerism. This is especially true when it comes to the Christmas season. Advertisements flooded newspapers and magazines with all of the latest gadgets that men, women, and children needed for the holiday.

Men were encouraged to spoil their wives with a practical gift that would make their life easier like the folding table and chairs or serving carts from Cosco, as well as new gadgets like electric knives or the Dishmaster (a unique contraption that was made to help make doing dishes easier). One unique ad that ran was for the Westinghouse Sun Lamp in the LIFE Magazine published on December 8, 1952. The ad shows a very tanned woman with her husband and a pale jealous wife in the in the background with the caption “Give June a Tan for Christmas.”

Women were encouraged to buy men gifts that would help them relax after their hard day at work, like El Producto Cigars and small three band portable radios. Advertisements also showed men who were overly excited receiving clothing, often clothes that were appropriate for the office. (This shows the desire that people had to obtain office jobs as they were considered to be the ultimate positions for people.)

Parents were encouraged to buy children the latest toys whether they be dolls or science kits. Younger children would squeal with delight for a rocking horse and Tinker Toys. Little girls dreamed of Barbies, Russian nesting dolls, Easy Bake Ovens, and Troll dolls. Little boys loved Lego, Hot Wheels, toy soldiers, and frisbees. All children became excited over Silly Putty, Slinky, Play-doh, and Mr. Potato Head. Family games also became popular, with gifts including Tripoley, Sorry, Scrabble, Monopoly, and Twister.

The middle class was booming at this time. Factory workers and industrial laborers could afford to live in suburban neighborhoods in newly built homes. They could afford to spend extra money on the luxuries that made life easier and more interesting. This led to the desire to provide things and experiences for their children that their own parents (raising them during the Great Depression) could not have done. Entertaining was also becoming popular at this time.

The Mid-20th Century Menu

One of the things that always shocks me are the recipes that I see featured in mid-20th century cookbooks. Although admittedly I am a picky eater, I have found that many of these foods seem unappetizing on all levels. Dishes that involve savory gelatin or extra layers of mayonnaise seem unhealthy as well. One notable advertisement featured an Oscar Meyer tree which was a cone with broccoli and assorted cocktail weenies, hot dogs, and other processed meat items decorating the tree.

Families began opening their homes to family and friends during the holiday as well. The mid-20th century was the beginning of holiday parties and the desire to entertain one another. This led to some interesting party friendly recipes that were meant to wow your guests. Holiday dinners were being created to offer a full family experience. At the time, food culture was also being written about and talked about in ways that people no longer look at it.

In many forms of media, including newspapers and magazines, Christmas dinners were advertised, and menus were created. Food Timeline posted a number of holiday menus and posted them on their website. The 1947 White House Christmas dinner was a simple menu that was posted in The New York Times. The journalist was sure to point out that the foods that were used followed the National Food Conservation Program, except the bread and butter. The meal included bread rolls, butter, curled celery, assorted olives, roast turkey, chestnut dressing, giblet gravy, cranberry jelly, mashed potatoes, asparagus, plum pudding, molded ring with fruit, candy, nuts, and coffee.

As a mid-20th century historian, I have become obsessed with the time period. Many of the Christmas décor items and traditions that I celebrate were from this time period. I am sure that you have seen some of your traditions or favorite celebrations of Christmas included as well.

What do you think of a 1950s Christmas? Let us know below.

Now you can read Amanda’s article on US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg here.

References

“19 Mid-Century Modern Christmas Décor Ideas,” Curated Interior. https://curatedinterior.com/mid-century-modern-christmas-decor/

“26 Hilarious Christmas Ads from LIFE Magazine in the 1950s,” Vintage Everyday. December 8, 2018. https://www.vintag.es/2018/12/1950s-life-magazine-chirstmas-ads.html.

Africca Sanson. “9 Retro Holiday Recipes That Need to Make a Comeback,” Country Living. December 4, 2017. https://www.countryliving.como/food-drinks/g5028/vintage-holiday-recipes/.

Allison Meier. “Christmas at Midcentury, When Aluminum Trees Replaced Victorian Evergreens,” Hyper Allergic. December 12, 2016. https://hyperallergic.com/346592/midcentury-Christmas/.

Anna Stockwell. “A Retro-Classic Christmas Dinner Menu,” Epicurious. December 4, 2017. https://epicurious.com/expert-advice/a-retro-classic-christmas-dinner-menu-article.

Audrey W. (Arcadia Staff). “The Hidden History of 7 Popular Toys from the 20th Century,” Arcadia Publishing.https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Navigation/Community/Arcadia-and-THP-Blog/December-2018/The-Hidden-History-of-7-Popular-Toys-from-the-20th.

Cathy Salter. “Memoirs are Made for Misty Mornings,” The Columbia Daily Tribune. January 9, 2017. https://coulmbiatribune.com/890e7cda-1427-541c-a198-7e4cb4904b46.html.

Courtney Iseman. “What Christmas Looked Like (And Tasted!) Like the Year You Were Born,” Delish. December 16, 2019. https://www.delish.com/food/g30196945/what-christmas-looked-like-the-year-you-were-born/.

Emily VanDerWerff. “Christmas in the Space Age: Looking Back at the Wild, Weird Designs of Mid-20th Century Holidays.” Vox. November 24, 2017. https://www.vox.com/culture/2016/11/25/13697888/christmas-decorations-vintage-midcentury-interview.

“Historic American Christmas Dinner Menus,” Food Timeline. www.foodtimeline.org/christmasmenu.html.

Jenny James. “How to Nail Your Mid Century Christmas Décor,” Atomic Ranch. December 3, 2018. https://www.atomic-ranrch.com/architecture-design/house-tours/how-to-nail-your-mid-century-decor/.

Jenny Xie. “5 Fond Memories of Mid Century Christmas Design and Décor,” Curbed. December 12, 2016. https://archive.currbed.com/2016/12/21/14027930/midcentury-christmas-decor-design.

Joy Wallace Dickinson. “Space Age Glitter Lit Up Midcentury Christmas,” Orlando Sentinal. December 18, 2016. https://www.orlandosentinal.com/entertainment/os-joy-wallace-dickinson01218-2016127-col.

Laurie Wilson. “24 Vintage Christmas Dinner Recipes for Partying Like It’s 1899,” Eat This. November 19, 2018. https://www.eatthis.com/vintage-christmas-dinner-dishes-dont-eat-anymore/.

Linda Ferguson. “Mid-20th Century Christmas Decorations, Part 1,” Cool Old Stuff. http://www.coololdstuff.com/christmas1.html.

Linda Ferguson. “Mid-20th Century Christmas Decorations, Part 2,” Cool Old Stuff. http://www.coololdstuff.com/christmas2.html.

Lisa Kaminski. “What Christmas Looked Like the Year You Were Born,” Taste of Home. https://www.tasteofhome.com/collection/what-christmas-looked-like-the-year-you-were-born/.

“Most Popular Toys of the Last 100 Years,” Forbes. December 2, 2005. https://www.forbes.com/2005/12/01/mattel-hasbro-toys-cx_lh_1202feat_ls.html?sh=36057274625d.

Sarah Archer. Midcentury Christmas: Holiday Fads, Fancies, and Fun from 1945-1970. Woodstock, Vermont: The Countryman Press, 2016.

Skyler Hanrath. “These Were the Most Popular Toys in Each Decade of the 20th Century,” Ranker. March 8, 2018. https://www.ranker.com/list/most-popular-toys-in-the-20th-century/skyler-hanrath.

Tara Besore. “Here’s Everything You Need for a Mid-Century Modern Christmas,” Hammer and a Headband. November 28. 2018. https://www.hammerandaheadband.com/a-mid-century-modern-style-christmas/.

Taylor Murphy. “60 Vintage Christmas Dishes Worth Trying Today,” Taste of Home. October 10, 2019. https://tasteofhome.com/collection/vintage-christmas-recipes/.

America’s 1957 Civil Rights Act: Modern Reconstruction?

The 1957 Civil Rights Act in the US is often seen as not being a great success. However, here James Hernandez argues that the Act was very important as it led the way to the greater changes of the 1960s and beyond - it could even be seen as the start of ‘Modern Reconstruction’.

Lyndon B. Johnson (left) and Richard Russell (right) in 1963. The two Democrats were on opposing sides in the argument around the 1957 Civil Rights Act.

Arguably the fountainhead for the modern civil rights movement, the 1957 Civil Rights Act is seemingly excluded from its rightful place in mainstream history as it never fully delivered its promised potential. But nonetheless, the legislation should be celebrated for its symbolic significance as it demonstrated a growing acceptance towards the Civil Rights Movement and the federal government’s willingness to intervene with state governments to ensure African-Americans were provided with equal extents of the law. As the advancement of Civil Rights remains pertinent in American society today, the beginning of what will soon be widely recognized as Modern Reconstruction originates from the forgotten act as it established the fundamental basis for African-American voter protection and influenced the creation of President Johnson’s landmark Civil Rights agenda. 

1950s America

America was in dire need of a societal evaluation as the country fell deeper into the polarizing void that divided the nation over the issue of segregation during the 1950s. The claimed “free world” of the United States was contradicted by racial injustices present in the nation and was heavily criticized by the Eastern Bloc in the Cold War. Despite Brown v. Board delivering a much needed ruling in favor of desegregation and generating invaluable optimism to what would become the Civil Rights Movement, the new legislation was not strong enough to supersede the actions of pro-segregationist state governments that worked to uphold de facto segregation practices within the capacity of state law. The South became the epicenter for racial conflict as Southern Dixiecrats continually condoned the violent behavior of white segregationists. President Eisenhower soon recognized the growing division of the country and finally decided to put his foot down on the issue along with the help of Attorney General Herbert Brownell.

President Eisenhower’s powerful commitment to social justice played a key role in influencing and supporting Brownell’s legislative proposal that was soon introduced in the House on March 11, 1956 (H.R. 6127). The proposed law aimed to extend the security of African-American voting rights under the 15th Amendment as only 20% of the population was registered to vote as discriminatory provisions such as literacy tests were still ubiquitous in the South. Other key components included the implementation of a Civil Rights Commission to further analyze investigations regarding the denial of rights to minorities, the creation of an assistant attorney general position specifically to aid civil rights in the Department of Justice, the expansion of federal authority to interfere with state laws to ensure equal rights were being properly secured by states, and the enactment of further provisions that would protect African-Americans from unfair circumstances in court.

Lyndon B. Johnson’s role

Though the bill had received support from both parties, the passage of the proposed legislation carried the divisive potential to tear apart the Democratic Party. The legislation found an unlikely supporter in Senate Majority Leader Lyndon B. Johnson as he chose to lead passage efforts to maintain stability within his party and to garner support for his future presidential campaign. Johnson’s support was quite surprising considering the fact that he had voted against civil rights legislation only a year before. Whether he truly had a change of heart regarding the issue or if his intentions were really to advance his political career, Johnson would go on to champion civil rights in his future presidency.

Senator Richard Russell of Georgia led Southern Democratic opposition to the legislation as Johnson gained momentum. Russell famously claimed that the bill would create “unspeakable confusion, bitterness and bloodshed in a great section of our common country” and was essentially “a potential instrument of tyranny and persecution” when referring to Part III of the bill which looked to extend federal authority. Russell cited a parallel between the proposition and the failed Civil Rights Act of 1866 which authorized the federal government’s usage of armed forces in order to ensure the implementation of civil rights provisions, further insinuating the likelihood of violence occurring if the bill was enacted. Russell’s efforts proved effective as Johnson soon surrendered all hope of including an extension of federal powers in the bill. In spite of facing substantial revisions, and a record setting single-person filibuster by Dixiecrat Strom Thurmond, the act was finally signed into law by Eisenhower on September 9, 1957.

In perspective

The 1957 Civil Rights Act was nowhere near as effective as subsequent legislation but the newly created bill was a promising stepping-stone. It was the first civil rights legislation put into law since Reconstruction and it set the stage for what would soon become one of the most influential reform eras in history - the 1960s. Despite historians citing the bill as a failure, the act should be recognized as the official beginning of the modern Civil Rights Movement. The movement would not have properly progressed without the federal embracement achieved through the 1957 act and further racial oppression would have resulted. If it were not for Martin Luther King Jr.’s untimely assassination, Johnson’s unexpected decision to not seek re-election, and the government diverting a large portion of their attention towards the escalating tensions of the Vietnam War in 1968, the Civil Rights Movement would have greatly progressed through the 1970s and 1980s and racial equality would have been more widely prevalent. Moreover, the Civil Rights Act of 1957 would have inevitably fulfilled its potential and obtained its rightful place in American history.

What do you think of the 1957 Civil Rights Act? Let us know below.

How did we get Modern Comic Book Characters? The Story of Dick Tracy and the Shadow

Many of the most successful movies each year are based on comic book characters, such as Superman and Batman. But what was the influence for modern comic book characters? Here, Daniel Boustead explains how it was the influence of the pioneering characters of Dick Tracy and the Shadow.

Promotional Image for the CBS Radio series The Detective Story Hour. The program included the Shadow.

The Comic and Pulp Magazine characters in the 1920s were stale and lacked depth. The Shadow, which was first a radio show, then a Pulp Magazine Novels star helped introduce innovations that are still found in comics to this day. The Dick Tracy comics also provided succeeding comics with some important literary character traits. The pioneering work of Dick Tracy and the Shadow creators would influence the work of Detective Comics (DC) and Marvel Comics. Dick Tracy and the Shadow were the epitome of comics because they served as the catalyst and provided the parameters for so many comics to follow.

Comics in the 1920s

Zorro, which was created by Johnston McCulley for pulp magazine’s All-Story Weekly in August of 1919, followed the same plot, literary, character conventions, and character traits of the swashbuckling heroes of old like Robin Hood, Don Quixote, Scarlet Pimpernel, The Three Musketeers, and Cyrano de Bergerac([1]). The literary trope of a superhero leading a double life was established first in 1905 in the book The Scarlet Pimpernel, which was based off a 1903 play of that same name (9). Science Fiction character Buck Rogers, which was created by Phillip Francis Nowlan in August 1928 for pulp magazine Amazing Stories, followed the same literary, character, and plot devices that were found in works such as those by Jules Verne, Edgar Rice Rice Burroughs, and H.G. Wells ([2]). The big comic star of the day, Popeye the Sailor Man, which was created by E.C. Segar, and first appeared in the newspaper comics on January 17, 1929 was largely a cutesy, silly and innocent work ([3]). Had Dick Tracy and the Shadow not been created there would not be the comic book fan conventions, movies and multi million industry that we see now.

The Shadow

Dick Tracy and the Shadow introduced three important elements that are found in superhero comic book characters right to this day: sometimes superpowers, graphic violence, and grotesque villains.  This was not previously seen in Zorro, Buck Rogers, or Popeye. Also, these three elements (more often than not) dealt with earth-based subjects rather than what Buck Rogers’ interplanetary adventures covered.

The Shadow’s unique legacy in the history of comics is critical to understanding the development of comic characters to follow. The Shadow first appeared on the radio on August 2, 1930 on a program called Detective Story Hour and then appeared in pulp story magazine novel form in April 1931, with the very first story issue entitled The Living Shadow (4). This was written by Walter B. Gibson, who would use the pen name Maxwell Grant ([4]). In print, film, and radio, the Shadow’s consistent superpower is a master of disguise and stealth ([5]). In 1937 in the Shadow Radio Show (during its fourth season), the Shadow was given the power to “cloud men’s minds so they cannot see him” ([6]). The exact date the Shadow was given this superpower was September 26, 1937 (5).  In contrast, in pulp magazine’s novels the Shadow gets out of dangers by using his stealth, his .45 Caliber Pistols, and the occasional magic trick (6). In the radio version, his power to “cloud men’s minds so they cannot see him”, allows him to hypnotize people instantly so that he can move as an invisible shadow. The Shadow (in the radio version) can hypnotize people so they can forget things, and he can command them to perform certain acts. The Shadow used this power to force a criminal to write a detailed account of his past crimes. He accomplishes this task by using a fire opal ring known as a girasol (7). This enables him to focus his hypnotic abilities ([7]). The radio show Shadow’s introduction of his superpower in 1937 predated Superman, and in turn influenced the rise of Superman, who would first appear in comics on April 18, 1938([8]).

The Shadow radio show and pulp magazine novels also had graphic violence. The November, 1931 Shadow pulp magazine novel issue entitled “The Red Menace” contained a masked villain called The Red Envoy, who murdered everyone in his path to get secret plans for an aerial torpedo, before he is defeated by the Shadow (4). In one of the novels the villains used a device called the “Silent Death” which was an electric ray machine that could deal death on a massive scale (4). In the Shadow radio show entitled “Death from the Deep” (from 1937 to 1938 summer seasons) a villain named Vinton shoots around the inside of a Submarine thinking he has killed the Shadow but has no success because the Shadow is invisible (10).  The level of violence in the Shadow would influence future superhero comics to come.

Dick Tracy

Dick Tracy did not have any superpowers, but he was a master detective in the style of Sherlock Homes. Dick Tracy was created by Chester Gould and first appeared in the comic section of the Detroit newspaper Sunday Mirror on October 4, 1931 (11). 

The world of Dick Tracy was filled with graphic violence.  In the October 17, 1931 issue of Dick Tracy, Big Boy’s minions killed Dick Tracy’s girlfriend Tess Truehart’s father, Emil Truehart, in front of Dick Tracy and Tess Truehart during a robbery at the Truehart residence (12).  In 1934, villain Doc Hump experimented on humans and dogs by injecting them with rabies (13).  In the November 11, 1934 issue the villain Doc Hump planned to unleash a dog on a captured Dick Tracy only to have the dog turn on him (13). He tears his throat out, killing him instantly (13). On the May 21, 1935 issue Dick Tracy uses a hose to pump car exhaust fumes into a cave in order to flush out villains Cutie Diamond, Zora Arson, and her brother Boris Arson (14). Cutie Diamond and Zora Arson run out of the cave with their guns blazing - to which Dick Tracy and his partners killed them (14). Boris Arson hid in the cave behind a wall of stone and mud until Dick Tracy fired a machine gun into a hole in the cave where Boris Arson was, and the bullet caused a fatal wound in his bullet proof jacket, which killed him (14). In 1936, Chester Gould introduced the costumed criminals the Purple Cross Gang who committed many murders (15).  In 1937, the character of the Blank (real name Frank Redrum), whose face was shot off earlier, was cruel to criminals who rejected him simply because he was too ugly (15). The Blank would murder those that got in his way, tying criminals under a car so that they would die from carbon monoxide poisoning and throwing criminals out of a car going 50 miles per hour (15).  He also threw criminals out of an airplane while he laughed manically at their suffering and death as they crashed through a barn (15). 

Villains

The universe of Dick Tracy also had many grotesque villains. On February 25, 1932 the Dick Tracy comics introduced the disfigured villain of Broadway Bates with his pointed nose (16). The character would influence Batman’s the Penguin which first appeared in Batman comics in December 1941 (17). On May 7, 1934 Dick Tracy comics introduced the frightening character named Doc Hump (13). Doc Hump had a bald, humped shaped head and was an evil mad scientist who would influence the design of famous Superman villain Lex Luthor (15). Lex Luthor would first appear in the Superman comics in April, 1940 (18). On October 21, 1937 Dick Tracy comics introduced the first repulsive villain known as the Blank, because he had a semi-opaque cheesecloth to cover his face (19).  The Blank’s countenance would influence Batman super-villain Dr. Death, who would appear in the Batman comics in July 1939 (20). The Blank’s grotesque appearance would also influence the most famous Batman villain of all, the Joker, which first appeared in the Batman comics in April 1940(21). Dick Tracy’s villains influenced other comic writers to create their villains to look grotesque because it was artistically viable and commercially successful.

Legacy

On March 30th, 1939 Batman hit the newsstands, and it was heavily influenced by Dick Tracy and the Shadow (22). Batman co-creator Bill Finger said: “My first script was a take-off on a Shadow Story. I patterned my style of writing Batman after the Shadow” (23). On October 14, 1941 William Moulton Marston’s DC comic character Wonder Women appeared, which had plenty of graphic violence and grotesque villains (24).  Marvel Comic’s Spider Man hit the newsstands in August 1962 and was heavily influenced by Dick Tracy and the Shadow’s graphic violence and grotesque villains (25). In Spiderman, there is an ugly villain named the Chameleon (26).  The X-Men were also swayed by the legacy of Dick Tracy and the Shadow when it hit the newsstands in September 1963 (27). Magneto (appearing in X-Men) was very menacing in his appearance (28). 

The comics and pulp characters were old and hackneyed in the 1920s. The important innovations of the Shadow Radio Show and the Shadow Pulp Magazine Novels left a lasting legacy on comics.  The innovations of Dick Tracy also left a profound effect on comics as well. Dick Tracy and the Shadow would have a lasting legacy on D.C. Comics and Marvels Comics, and so many others to come. Dick Tracy and the Shadow were the comics to end all comics. 

What do you think of Dick Tracy and the Shadow? Let us know below.

Now you can read Daniel’s past article on whether World War Two Japanese Kamikaze attacks had more impact than Nazi V-2 rockets here.

[1] Zorro. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zorro. 

[2] Buck Rodgers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buck_Rodgers 

[3] “Explore the History of Popeye”. https://popeye.com.  Accessed on October 23rd, 2020. http://popeye.com/timeline/

[4] Holt, Keith and Severin, Todd D. “The Shadow Mysterious Being of the Night”. The Shadow: Master of Darkness. October 23rd, 2020. https://www.shadowsanctum.net/history/articles/The_Shadow_Pulp_Years-Severin_Holt2.html . 

[5] The Shadow. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shadow . 

[6] “Radio History of the Shadow”. The Shadow: Master of Darkness. October 23rd, 2020. https://www.shadowsanctum.net/radio/radio.html . 

[7] “The Shadow”. www.internationalhero.co.uk. October 23rd, 2020. https://www.internationalhero.co.uk/s/shadpulp.htm . 

[8] Superman. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman

9 The Scarlet Pimpernel. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scarlet_Pimpernel.

10 “Death from the Deep”. The Shadow: Master of Darkness. November 16th, 2020. https://www.shadowsanctum.net/radio/synopsis/ss-2.html

11 “Timeline-The Chester Gould Dick Tracy Museum”. The Dick Tracy Museum. November 9th,2020. https://www.dicktracymuseum.com/timeline-1 . 

12 Emil Truehart. https://dicktracy.fandom.com/wiki/Emil_Truehart . 

13 Doc Hump. https://dicktracy.fandom.com/wiki/Doc_Hump . 

14 Boris Arson. https://dickracy.fandom.com/wiki/Boris_Arson . 

15 Grand, Alex. “Chester Gould’s Dick Tracy and his 1930’s Era War on Crime”. Last Modified April 25th, 2020. Comic Book Historians. Accessed on November 15th, 2020. https://comicbookhistorians.com/dick-tracy-1930s-comic-milestones . 

16 Broadway Bates. https://dicktracy.fandom.com/wiki/Broadway_Bates . 

17 Penguin (Character). https://en.wikipedia.org/wikipedia/Penguin_(character)

18 Lex Luthor. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lex_Luthor . 

19 The Blank. https://dicktracy.fandom.com/wiki/The_Blank . 

20 Doctor Death. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Death_(character) . 

21 Joker (character). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joker_(character) . 

22 Batman. https://en.wikipedia.org/wikipedia/Batman .

23 Severin, Todd D. “The Shadow Strange Creature in Black the Comic Book Years”. The Shadow Master of Darkness. November 19th, 2020. https://www.sahdowsanctum.net/history/articles/The_Shadow_Comic_Years-Severin.html . 

24 Wonder Women. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonder-Women . 

25 Spider-Man. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider-Man.

26 Chameleon (Marvel Comics). https://en.wikpedia.org/wiki/Chamelon (Marvel Comics). 

27 X-Men. https://en.wikipeida.org/wiki/X-Men . 

28 Magneto (Marvel Comics). https://en.wikipedia/org/wiki/Magneto_(Marvel Comics). 

The Myth and Reality of Santa Claus

The figure of Santa Claus has been increasingly commercialized in the 20th and 21st centuries. But who was the real Santa Claus? Daniel L. Smith gives his take here.

Daniel’s book on mid-19th century northern California is now available. Find our more here: Amazon US | Amazon UK

An early 20th century depiction of Santa Claus.

In present day America the day after Thanksgiving is traditionally spent hanging Christmas decorations and various lighting across the house and yard. These fun displays usually fit in the category of snowman, reindeer, or a big jolly old man with a white beard in a bright red suit with white fuzzy trim. We usually see images of this same person in stories or on the television magically hopping down chimneys and delivering gifts to sleeping families worldwide. This image has become something we’ve all been generationally born into, but where did this myth originate from? What is the truth behind this entire story?

The reality and the myth

“The real St. Nicholas lived from 270 to 342 and was known in his lifetime for fighting evil and promoting justice. He was credited with performing many miracles. His body was buried in the church in Myra, but in the 11th century pirates stole the bones and took them to Bari, Italy, where they supposedly are preserved in a Catholic church. About that time Nicholas also became a popular saint in Northern Europe. He was sometimes depicted with a staff, looking more like a Greek bishop.

The legend that has become the basis of the Santa Claus story is as follows.

A poor man had three daughters. Unable to give them dowries, he thought he would have to sell them into prostitution (something the extremely poor were sometimes forced into). Nicholas wanted to help but also keep his charity work secret. He went to their home one night but climbed on the roof when he found all the doors and windows locked. He dropped three bags of gold down the chimney, and the three young women had hung their stockings by the fire to dry. The gifts fell into the socks, and the tradition was off and running.

St. Nicholas Day, Dec. 6, is still celebrated in many countries, and often includes gifts for children and gift exchanges among adults. So, the real person who fought for social justice, elimination of poverty and protection of children has had his image corrupted by a friendly guy in a red suit who brings you generally more than you would ever want.[1]

But in the early days of Christianity, conspicuous consumption was not common among Christians. 

A Material Cause

During the days of Paul the Apostle, greed was an easy reality to observe. The rich get rich and the poor get poorer. Arguably materialism in our times today is the only way to prove any kind of “flaunting success.” Continuing to buy and accumulate “things” has become the way Americans prove our worth to others.[2]

Historian Adam English writes that, “Nearly everyone knows that Santa Claus -- the obese, old gent who squeezes himself down the chimney every Christmas Eve -- is the American alter ego of St. Nicholas. Slimmer and less overtly jolly, St. Nicholas roams about Western Europe showering children with presents on his traditional feast day of Dec. 6. In the Netherlands and parts of Germany, children expect a visit from a white-bearded, ecclesiastically garbed "Sinterklaas" (his Dutch name), who decides whether they have been naughty or nice before handing out treats from his sack.

Dutch and German immigrants brought St. Nicholas to America in the early 19th century, and he began a process of assimilation, trading in his bishop's miter and crosier for a fur-trimmed red suit and cap. The Santa we now know was the creation of poet Clement Clarke Moore (1779-1863), the author of "The Night Before Christmas"; cartoonist Thomas Nast; illustrators like N.C. Wyeth and Norman Rockwell; and the magazine ads for Coca-Cola painted by Haddon Simmons starting in 1931, in which Santa took a break from the arduousness of setting up junior's electric train by pausing to have a coke.”[3]

Christians and Santa Claus

So, here we are in 2020 and most of American society relishes in the contemporary version of St. Nick. One has got to wonder how Christians should feel about the secularized and materialistic view on Christmas Santa Claus?

Ken Ham, Director of the Creation Museum and bearer of 6 honorary university graduate degrees mentions, “The mythical Santa is clearly founded in a man who honored Jesus Christ with his life and his possessions. Nicholas gave freely of his riches to benefit those who were less fortunate than himself. This is clearly a fundamental Christian principle, as we see care for the poor proclaimed throughout Scripture (e.g. James 2:1–17).

Is that the same idea we see in the Santa Claus celebrated today? The popular song extols children to stop shouting, pouting, and crying in order to earn Santa’s favor and his gifts. This is clearly not the attitude that we see in the biblically motivated actions of the original St. Nick—and a far cry from a biblical attitude of raising children in the fear and admonition of the Lord.”[4]

Hope, Joy, Blessings

Of course discernment is the key here when it comes to a good old-fashioned secularized Christmas. Because even though Christ’s day has been cut down to a materialistic game of possessions, there are still hints scattered throughout the collage of the holidays. Bright stars, Gifts, Blessings of Joy and Hope. These are all principles of the day we know as Christmas. It is a day of blessing others. It is a day of healing and redemption. It is a day to reconnect and start fresh, knowing that there is divine light at the end of a dark road. Christmas is the day that mankind was gifted with the ultimate redemption on life by God Himself.

Other than the divinity of Jesus Christ, humanity has been blessed with the likes of the Apostles, the Christian Church, ministries of giving and selfless service, and much, much, more. Santa Claus, or St. Nick, was a man of Christ. He was known for much more than working with elves, magically transporting down chimneys, and riding a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer across the skyline. He was a man who knew how to live a life for Christ and serve the needs of humankind who ultimately needed it the most.
 

You can read a selection of Daniel’s past articles on: California in the US Civil War (here), Spanish Colonial Influence on Native Americans in Northern California (here), the collapse of the Spanish Armada in 1588 (here), early Christianity in Britain (here), the First Anglo-Dutch War (here), the 1918 Spanish Influenza outbreak (here), and an early European expedition to America (here).

Finally, Daniel Smith writes at complexamerica.org.

References

[1] Allen, Martha Sawyer. "What would St. Nick do? : St. Nicholas - the real guy - was known for his battles against evil and for justice and the downtrodden. Somehow over the centuries his image has been corrupted into that of Santa Claus, who has been called the patron saint of greed." Star Tribune [Minneapolis, MN] 4 Dec. 1999: 05B. Business Insights: Global. Web. 7 Dec. 2020.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Allen, Charlotte. "The Real Father Christmas." Wall Street Journal, Dec 06, 2012, Eastern edition.

[4] Ham, Ken. "Christians and Santa Claus: A Biblical View." Answers in Genesis. Last modified December 15, 2009. https://answersingenesis.org/jesus/birth/wintertime-worship-santa-claus-or-jesus-christ/.

Growing up in Post-World War Two Liverpool

World War Two had great impacts on so many people, but what were the impacts and memories of people after the war? In this memoir-based article, Alice Cullinane explains the experiences of her grandfather who grew up in Liverpool, England in the years after World War Two.

The impact of the Liverpool Blitz.

John Rooney was in his 50’s when he discovered his father’s codebreaking history at Bletchley Park, the famed code-breaking site in England. He was born just after the war in Liverpool - the “heaviest bombed area of the country” outside of London, which killed nearly 3,000 people. (1) From wearing gas masks that contained a ‘magic mineral’, to watching the Luftwaffe bomb the Liverpool docks, John has experienced life severely troubled by war. 

“We lived in big Victorian houses…quite run-down, but not derelict.” John was 1 of 12 children in his considerably large family, with siblings contributing towards the ‘Baby Boom’ era. In post-war Britain, the government built new schools and introduced other measures such as free school milk and child benefits to cater for the boomer generation. (2) Bombings destroyed thousands of homes, with Britain facing its worst housing shortage of the 20th century. Around 750,000 new homes were required in England and Wales in 1945 to provide all families with accommodation. (4) “Where we lived, there had only been a small number of bombings." However, on John's road, the bombings destroyed one house, leaving just "a heap of debris" with "no doors or windows." He remembers "my elder brother and I finding a lot of ruined houses…going in one once to be chased out by a family who lived in this ruined house."

Although the war ended before John’s life, it is undeniable that remnants lingered. He recalls having "two gas masks in the house, which we actually needed because my elder brother set the house on fire." His brother caused the house fire by "playing with matches", which he recalls finding very "exciting."

In 1939, the government issued 38 million gas masks to the public, with strict instructions - carry at all times. (5) However, by the beginning of 1940, almost no one bothered to take their gas mask with them; the government announced monthly gas mask inspections as a result. Fear hung around the use of gas, but the Germans never used it against the British in World War Two.  Local doctors noticed factory workers employed in making the masks were showing abnormally high numbers of deaths from cancer; they later discovered the gas mask filters contained Asbestos, consequently seen as the ‘magic’ mineral during much of the 20th century. (6)

Rationing, the Luftwaffe and Bletchley Park

"We found it (the war) all very exciting. There was rationing…I remember my mum tearing out the coupon."  The equality of rationing appealed to many. There was a sense that everyone was doing their bit to fight the war from home. Rationing also helped a black market to thrive; ‘Spivs’ offered extra food and rare luxuries to those who could afford them. (7) "We were told by my mum…to walk down the middle of the road when it was windy" as "the slates would come sailing off the roofs and smash in the road." Housing shortages and little money meant that many didn't repair their homes. There was a neglect of numerous homes which were due for demolition under slum clearance plans before the war. (8) John recalls "areas of a huge amount of damage…everything was damaged and broken. They began clearing that in the 1950s."

“I remember somebody the same age as me saying…he used to watch the Luftwaffe come over and bomb." In the early 1940s, the Liverpool docks were a significant target for the Luftwaffe (9); however they had supply problems and a lack of aircraft reserves throughout the battle. There was a proposal for the Luftwaffe to take on a kamikaze unit, although no suicide missions took place. (10) John's dad, was "originally in Palestine, in the intelligence branch of the Royal Signals." He "was then moved to Bletchley Park, where he was one of the code breakers there." All staff signed the Official Secrets Act in 1939, and even within Bletchley Park discretion was highlighted in 1942: "Do not talk at meals. Do not talk in the transport. Do not talk travelling. Do not talk in the billet.” (11) "He wasn't allowed to talk about it…but we did notice…there were things like we had German bits in the house and codebooks."

In the 1990s, John discovered his dad's exciting history, finding great joy in seeing his name on the computers in Bletchley Park. "My mum, she worked in the censorship." Local officials used censorship and propaganda to maintain the morale of citizens during the war, helping prevent defeat. Specific details which might have caused people to lose hope were kept secret, for the spirit of the country. (12) “She used to do fire duty, watching for buildings going on fire.” The Luftwaffe dropping incendiary bombs worried the British government in particular, so they recruited 6,000 people for the Auxiliary Fire Service, and they went on duty after working their regular jobs. The establishment of temporary fire stations occurred in schools and church halls. (13) John’s mother "would walk along the main road, and the buildings would be burning either side of her."

When John visited France in the 1960s, he felt "it was as if the war had only just happened…20 years later." For many, including John, it's clear that the war had lasting effects on society and the economy, taking decades to return to a new normal.

What do you think of life in post World War Two Liverpool? Let us know below.

References

(1)   Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liverpool_Blitz

(2) Yesterday: https://yesterday.uktv.co.uk/history/article/baby-boom/

3) Historic Liverpool: https://historic-liverpool.co.uk/liverpool-in-the-1950s/

(4) History of Housing UK: http://www.bushywood.com/building/History_House_Building_UK_WWI_WWII_Shortages.htm#:~:text=As%20with%20WW1%2C%20there%20was,had%20been%20destroyed%20by%20bombing.&text=The%20birth%20rate%20climbed%20after,shortage%20of%20the%2020th%20century

(5) Find my Past: https://www.findmypast.co.uk/1939register/why-britain-issued-gas-masks-ww2

(6) Spartacus Education: https://spartacus-educational.com/spartacus-blogURL124.htm

(7) Find my Past: https://www.findmypast.co.uk/1939register/rationing-in-britain-ww2

(8) The History of Council Housing: https://fet.uwe.ac.uk/conweb/house_ages/council_housing/print.htm

9) WW2 People’s War-https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/15/a3237815.shtml

(10) Facts about the German Luftwaffe- https://www.historyhit.com/facts-about-the-german-luftwaffe/

(11) Wikipedia- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bletchley_Park#:~:text=All%20staff%20signed%20the%20Official,not%20talk%20in%20the%20billet.

(12) My Learning- https://www.mylearning.org/stories/censorship-and-propaganda-in-ww2/483?#:~:text=World%20War%20Two%20affected%20the,in%20Britain%20in%20many%20ways.&text=For%20this%20reason%2C%20local%20officials,the%20morale%20of%20the%20country

(13) Spartacus Education- https://spartacus-educational.com/2WWincendiary.htm

Britain’s Relationship with the European Dictators in the Interwar Years

In the decades between the two world wars, Europe was very unstable, and many countries saw dictators come to power. Here, Stephen Prout considers how democratic Britain engaged with the dictators in Italy, Spain, and Germany over the period

Neville Chamberlain and Adolf Hitler meeting in 1938. Source: Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1976-063-32 / CC-BY-SA 3.0, available here.

Britain’s relationships with the main West European dictatorships, Italy, Spain and Germany, during the interwar period were often of a cordial and accommodating manner. The view Britain stood alone in defying the dictatorships was not necessarily true in this period.

The treaties established after the Great War did not address all the old grievances. New ones arose. The USA almost immediately distanced itself from the League of Nations and Europe, leaving the victors to preside over matters with their old imperial ways. Democracies largely failed and a precarious economic outlook helped both right- and left-wing extremism flourish. Communism was often the specter most reviled by the democracies and the dictators, ironically bringing unintended consensus between them.

Britain and Italy

Mussolini is remembered as being part of the Axis Powers, but Italy was very much regarded as an asset and the relationship followed a friendlier dynamic and path right up to the war.

During the Great War the British government maintained Italian participation and Mussolini himself was supported financially by British Intelligence payroll to promote pro-war feeling in his journalistic capacity. This cordial relationship continued after fascism installed itself.

Fascist atrocities and violence did little to deter the British from continuing this friendly relationship with Mussolini. They would adopt a partially sighted attitude to many of Mussolini’s actions such as his march on Rome to seize power, the murder of his political rival Giacomo Matteotti, and the removal of opposition figures that followed were simply dismissed with the thought that ‘Italy is not England’.

The condoning was publicly evident. The Times of London proclaimed that British and Italian empires were in perfect harmony. Up to the beginning of the 1930s Italian policy was given full approval by the British press and statesmen, such as Sir Austen Chamberlain. Clearly, Britain would not be shaken when British interests were unmolested.

In 1923 for a few short months Italy invaded the island of Corfu and demanded substantial reparations from Greece.  A short military offensive ensued described by Baldwin as “violent and excusable” for demands that Lord Curzon termed as “extravagant”.  Britain did little to protest; instead Curzon believed that referring the matter to the League of Nations would cause Italy to leave the League, so he bypassed protocol.

Curzon believed the League would have been ineffective as sanctions would have been vetoed by France and the USA, not being a member, would still trade with Italy. The outcome would have isolated a friendly power, which was not expedient to British interests.  In fact, Lord Curzon dealt with the matter by dispensing with all Foreign Office formalities and involving the League little, a behavior or disregard that was no better than those displayed Mussolini.  However aggressive military actions by the British in Iraq around the time were little different, so they had no moral high ground themselves.

Strained relations

Curzon showed limited disapproval of Mussolini’s actions, but Britain needed an ally.  Apart from the Corfu incident there were divisions with France over the 1922 Treaty of Lausanne. Reliance on France was in question after France, with Soviet Russia and Italy, set up formal agreements with Turkey.  His efforts to maintain a relationship with Poincare, the French Premier, were strained and by 1922 Britain saw herself isolated and weakened in the Middle Eastern diplomatic world. Britain and France were on the brink of a European ‘divorce’ from their old alliance. Italy could fill that void or balance out French power and influence. Indeed, Italy appeared to be the one to rival or at least be used in leverage against French ambitions to support British interests. 

More approval came when the Ambassador to Rome Howard Kennel commented “that the Fascist Regime was the thing saving Italy from Communism”.  The anti-communist stance would be of equal importance in influencing Britain’s dealings with the dictators alongside her own financial interests. Much could be tolerated if her own interests were not affected.

This attitude can be found in the circles of the Cliveden set in Britain. This group was an elite networking group of the political and establishment influencers.  Neville Chamberlain, Anthony Eden, and Lord Halifax were known in these circles. They had admiration for fascism and sympathies for German grievances. The Times of London in August 1922 saw fascism as “a necessary subversive force” to counter the perceived menace of Bolshevism.  

Winston Churchill himself was not shy of praising Mussolini and other dictators. In 1927 he quoted from Creeds of The Devil “If I had been an Italian I am sure that I should have whole been whole heartedly with you from start to finish in your triumphant struggle against the bestial appetites and passions of Leninism.”  He would also later say: “I would not pretend that if I had to choose between Communism and Nazism that I would choose Communism”. 

Churchill often changed his attitudes and allegiances, but interestingly before the Second World War he courted the dictators from Italy, Spain, and Portugal before his overtures to Stalin. Expediency allows many things to be forgotten and overlooked.

The relationship with Italy was further ratified and strengthened in 1925 by King George’s visit to Italy, which “added a glint of respectability to the fascist regime.” Meanwhile establishment circles and media were sharing similarly favorable sentiments.

Another view by the Observer was that “Italy should be kept as an ally against France” at a time when the French occupation of the German Ruhr was seen as just as reprehensible as Italian actions in Corfu by some.

Italy’s later invasion of Abyssinia did little to change British diplomacy.  The reluctance to deal with Italian aggression in 1935-36, which sprang not from timidity of the fascist but of “conservative ideological sympathy with the Fascist regime” (AJP Taylor).

Franco and the Spanish Civil War

Franco’s Spain also enjoyed cordial treatment from the British government.  Spain between 1936 and 1939 was undergoing a Civil War. All the main European Powers played a part. Italy and Germany were actively supporting Franco. Soviet Russia, Franco’s opponents.  The British followed a policy of non-intervention along with France, which did as much to aid Franco as military support from the Axis Powers. 

AJP Taylor also says that timidity was the primary influence behind the British political stance on Spain, Pro-Fascism second and then a significant financial interest.  It has been argued had it been the Communists who had the upper hand then perhaps actual intervention would have been applied.  Churchill, he argues, was also pro-Franco during the civil war.  

Westminster also echoed anti-communist and pro-Franco sentiments as British economic interests were at stake, with Spain accounting for many British imports and exports and with the strategic importance of Gibraltar.

Diplomats such as George Ogilvie-Forbes reported in 1936 to the Foreign Office that “word was needed in the press or parliament that the rebels were guilty of wanton cruelty especially to children” however the response was muted.  These reports detailed regular atrocities, yet Britain maintained her distance. At the end of the war in 1939, Franco quickly gained recognition from Britain.

Eastern Europe and the united front

Trouble in Czechoslovakia and Poland gathered momentum in the late 1930s. Although Britain always kept a distance from Eastern Europe, she took a lead in the 1938 Sudeten Crisis.  The likes of Neville Chamberlain, William Strang, Nevile Henderson, and Lord Halifax did not favor the Czechoslovaks but instead tolerated Hitler’s demands, putting pressure on the Czechs to concede.  Henderson regarded the Czechoslovak leader Benes as “pig-headed” over his refusals.  Strang from the British Foreign Office recommended the surrender of Czechoslovakia, making her a German satellite.

Poland suffered equally dismal treatment.  Lord Halifax said on the very day of his pledge “we do not think this guarantee will be binding”. Alexander Cadogan, another unsympathetic diplomat, remarked that “Poland was not worth the bones of a single Grenadier”. 

While the Czech crisis was in full swing an Anglo-Italian agreement was concluded fresh from the international illegalities of Abyssinian affair. Britain was still prepared to sign agreements with the dictators.

In Britain’s defense the horrors that the Nazi regime committed were not yet known and they perhaps felt no obligation to fully understand what the regime would do. Most countries that were in the center of the disputes were not democracies and some, like Poland and the Soviet Union, had their own virulent anti-Semitic ways.  There was genuine sympathy for German claims after he Great War, a menacing Soviet Union in the background, and few allies to rely on. 

What do you think of Britain and the Great Dictators? Let us know below.

References

AJP Taylor “Origins of the Second War ”

R J B Bosworth “The British Press, The Conservatives ad Mussolini, 1920-34” Sage Publications

Creeds of the Devil Churchill Between the Two Totalitarianisms 1917-45 – Antoine Capet Universite De Rouen

Enrique Moradiellos – British Strategy in the Face of Military Rising in Spain P 123-157 – Contemporary European History – Cambridge University Press

C E Peden – Economic Background to British Foreign Policy 1937-39 – Wiley

C A Macdonald – Economic Appeasement and the German Moderates Introductory Essay – Past and Present P 105-135 – Oxford University Press.

Tommy Douglas: The Greatest Canadian

Scottish-born Tommy Douglas (1904-1986) was an influential Canadian politician over decades. He led the province of Saskatchewan for nearly two decades and after that was leader of one of Canadian’s main parties, the New Democratic Party. Here, Douglas Reid tells us about the life of Tommy Douglas.

Tommy Douglas later in his career. Source: Themightyquill, available here.

The date is October 17, 2004.  The clock reads 7PM, central time.  Canadians across the land are fixated on their television sets.  This night they will choose a winner. The result of the second part of a two part voting system that involved the entire country was about to be revealed. Three months earlier the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation had polled thousands of citizens to discover whom they considered to be the “Greatest Canadian”.  Any Canadian was allowed one vote per their choice.  Votes could be cast by fax, by letter, or on-line.  Viewers were presented with the 50 semi-finalists but in random order. From this jumble votes were again registered, and the field was narrowed to a final top ten.

The final ten included the following luminaries:  9th – Alexander Graham Bell, 8th – Sir John A. Macdonald, 6th – Lester B. Pearson – 4th – Dr. Frederick Banting – 3rd - Pierre Elliot Trudeau, 2nd – Terry Fox.  And from this formidable group the clear winner was one Tommy Douglas. So how did this diminutive Scottish-Canadian come to rise above them all and what had he done to attain this honor? The answers are “grit” to the first query and “much” to the second. The Tommy Douglas story begins in a midsized Scottish town located halfway between Glasgow and Edinburgh named Falkirk.

Tommy Douglas’ origins

Tommy Douglas was born to a working-class family in a working-class town of the Scottish central lowlands. His paternal grandfather was known to kith and kin as Mr. Douglas and his father was known as Tom Douglas. But the youngster would be known to the world for the rest of his life as “Tommy.” The elders had toiled for generations working in one of several sooty foundries of Falkirk.  It was in one of the humble dwellings that scarred the town’s landscape that an event would take place that would change young Tommy’s life profoundly.

While skipping home from school one day and splashing through every mud puddle he could find, 10 year-old Tommy went sprawling through the gravel and managed to scrape and perforate his left leg quite badly. Tommy was carried home by neighbors and laid unceremoniously on the kitchen table. A local doctor was summoned who had no surgical skills and who applied a suspect liquid to Tommy’s lips and proceeded to scrape to no good result.  The leg never healed properly and would bother him greatly into adulthood and beyond. And yet, as we shall see, this unfortunate event would years later benefit millions.  But first the Douglas family had some serious travelling to do. Tommy would live in Scotland from birth to age seven, then ship to the Canadian province of Manitoba from age seven to eleven, back to Scotland from 11-15, and finally to Canada again – this time to stay. The specific destination was Winnipeg and events here too would affect Tommy’s worldview forever.

From Winnipeg to Weyburn

Winnipeg is centered on the confluence of the Assiniboine River and the Red River. The year 1921 was a seminal one in Winnipeg. It was the site of the infamous Winnipeg general strike. Thousands of workers in various basic trades assembled in downtown Winnipeg. They were angry and carried billboards that demanded a decent work place and an income that would promise more than bread and potatoes.  The dim-witted mayor of Winnipeg sent in hundreds of police units – with guns – and a protester was shot and killed. The strike would last several days and leave at least one onlooker who experienced it with a profound response. Tommy Douglas was still a teenager when he, and a friend, scaled one of the downtown buildings and witnessed the havoc. Tommy would leave Manitoba for another Canadian province, and one that would become his forever home – Saskatchewan. Weyburn, Saskatchewan to be precise.

For the next few years Tommy would enroll at the University of Brandon while simultaneously completing the requirements that would allow him to teach the gospel of the Baptist Church.  During this time he would also take his lifetime mate in matrimony, Irma, and together they would purchase a bungalow in Weyburn, which they never left.  So much for the wide belief that fat cat politicians all munch at the public trough. And it was during these early years that the folks of Weyburn discovered what sort of a neighbor they had in this friendly Scot.

Doing good to others

Tommy Douglas had asked himself a basic life question years earlier that he answered with a resounding “YES”.  Yes, he was his brother’s keeper. It was a creed he lived by and one that he had formed long ago.  Need a hand threshing wheat? Call Tommy. Need help fixing that leaky roof? Call Tommy. A family is desperate to put food on the table. Call Tommy for a loan and don’t worry when or whether you can pay it back.  If assistance of any sort was needed Tommy was there too.  It was simply in his nature to see hurt and to provide healing hands.

All of this time and much later Tommy Douglas had not the slightest intention or thoughts about running for political office. His sermons at Weyburn Baptist Church were drawing more and more worshippers and Tommy found not a minute to spare. And soon he was pressed to take on another project – one that would tax even the all-round abilities of a fiery and popular preacher. He was asked to cope with eight local mini burglars from the high school who were stealing from the local general store. He agreed to see what he could do and began meeting with them two evenings a week. He taught all sorts of things  - things that a multi-talented man can do. The favorite activity turned out to be boxing. Tommy had learned something of “The Sweet Science” during his own school days.  In fact, while attending the University of Brandon he fought and won the lightweight championship of Manitoba two years running. This would surprise those who later could not picture the peaceful and non-threatening Douglas as a pugilist. When this view was pressed on him Douglas would only say, ‘’Well, I was fast and could hit harder than they were expecting”. The 8 boys soon learned to respect the slim Scot and all 8 boys matured into good members of society – two of them became teachers and one a sergeant major in the military.

Politics

1935 was a federal election year. To his utter surprise a group of citizens from the local federal district came calling representing the left-wing Cooperative Commonwealth party (CCF).  To the outside world, “Tommy Who” won the seat and left the security of pastor of a Church where he was known and loved. Over time Tommy gradually morphed from a situation where he commanded a flock to one where he was but one more anonymous backbencher. But he listened and learned and his reputation in the House became that of an honest broker. 

Douglas was soon wooed by the top brass of the New Democratic Party to enter the provincial race as the party’s leader in Saskatchewan in 1944.  He accepted both the offer and the challenge. The New Democrats was merely the new name for the CCF. The difference being that the new party was now the party of labor interests as well as the farmers of Saskatchewan; Election Day was a rout. The New Democrats, led by Douglas, won 47 out of 52 seats in Saskatchewan.  And now all of Canada knew who Tommy Douglas was. This remarkable performance was due partly to his sunny personality and his honest ways – and he would go on to lead the province for 17 years. But Tommy had another gift too.

Orator

Tommy was a superb orator. The captive cadence of his rhetoric was magic, the way he punctured a hole in the sky with a pointed index finger – and his strong and commanding presence held you in thrall.  Opponents steered clear of taking him on, but he never took advantage of his superior language skills. In truth, Tommy could be considered a latter day Cicero. If you met him you soon learned why.

Ken Lee, a friend and prominent resident of British Columbia, remembers Douglas vividly:

“In 1965 I was Principle of Central Manitoulin High School. One evening I heard a knock on the door and was astonished to find Tommy Douglas there. I had never met Tommy before but with a twinkle in his eye and his charming Scottish way he explained that a 1965 Federal Election had been called and they were searching for the riding of Algoma East. He explained that the incumbent MP was Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson. I was deeply impressed that he had found the time to come to my door. This was a moment I will never forget. This incredibly erudite, courageous man, a lifetime inspirational role model had found the time and energy to visit my campaign and wish me well.”

For all his peaceful ways Tommy was adamant that he was no pacifist. Pushed to the extreme Tommy would defend what was his.  This attitude came to the fore in 1936 when he visited Germany. After witnessing a Nazi rally and a tantrum and diatribe from their leader, Tommy described Hitler as a lunatic.

Back home Tommy was building roads, pushing through legislation that guaranteed two weeks’ paid vacation for all Saskatchewan workers, and introducing family allowance and the old age pension. However, he is best remembered for universal Medicare.  It was a long hard battle, and the doctors felt threatened, as the government would take control of how they were paid. The doctors went on strike for nine days and one young boy’s life was lost before eventually Medicare came into being. Along with Medicare came dental care, eye care, and basic prescription coverage. 

His childhood injury never completely left him though, and was a constant reminder of the need for medical care.  On July 1, 1962 a total Medicare package came into being.  This was Tommy’s greatest achievement.

Sense of humor

And last, but not least, a tip of the cap to Tommy’s sense of humor.

Tommy Douglas and Joey Smallwood, by way of their Premierships, were invited to London to attend the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.  So Premier Douglas of Saskatchewan and Premier Joey Smallwood of Newfoundland soon found themselves, on the day, standing five and a half hours – consecutively – with no chance to heed the call of nature. When finally released they scooted out of the Abbey to a nearby building – desperate already, they find the line-up is 60 men deep. This facility carries an overhead sign that says – “Gentlemen”. There is another convenience marked “Peers”. There is no line-up at all.

In a flash Tommy runs over to this one – He hears Joey admonish him  - Tommy, you are not a lord. And you cannot go there.

Tommy hollers back, Wrong Joey - I may not be a Lord but I am definitely a Peer!

Tommy honored both the Saltire and the Maple Leaf.  So do we all.

What do you think of Tommy Douglas? Let us know below. 

Now you can read Douglas’ article on Thomas Paine, the man whose book may have led to the American Revolution, here, the American heroine Abigail Adams here, and one of the 20th century’s greatest writers, George Orwell, here.