# What was popular in 1944? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 21, 2004, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-popular-in-1944/275918 "2004-11-21T05:07:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sockmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@Sockmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sockmonkey)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2004, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-popular-in-1944/275918/1 "2004-11-21T05:07:53Z")
I’m trying to put together a birthday present for my Father In Law’s 60th birthday, and we’re getting together some “Time Capsule” like stuff. So far I’ve got: Life Magazine from the week he was born Sears Catalog Coin set DVD of Oscar Best Picture I’m trying to get a broad assortment of things, right now it seems a little media heavy. Anyone have any insight into popular fads, candy, toys, ect. of that year? His birthday is in a few weeks, but we won’t see him 'till Christmas, so I have a few weeks to round up everything, and thanks to the internet, tracking items down is a lot easier. Thanks in advance! ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2004, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-popular-in-1944/275918/2 "2004-11-21T05:36:28Z")
Do you mind giving us a birthday? Maybe we can be even more specific. ---
**Author:** ![Sockmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@Sockmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sockmonkey)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2004, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-popular-in-1944/275918/3 "2004-11-21T05:37:51Z")
> [@Zoe](#): > > Do you mind giving us a birthday? Maybe we can be even more specific. Sure thing, December 5 ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2004, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-popular-in-1944/275918/4 "2004-11-21T05:41:50Z")
Killing Japs was pretty popular back then. I don’t know how you would make a gift of that. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2004, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-popular-in-1944/275918/5 "2004-11-21T06:57:39Z")
I’ll see if I can find anything particular to December 5. In the meantime, [http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/1944](http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/1944)]this[/url site has a lot of information about 1944, including the following: Events: August 7, 1944 – IBM dedicates the first program controlled calculator known as the Harvard Mark I August 9, 1944 – Smokey the Bear featured on a poster for the first time October 8, 1944 – The radio show _The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet_ debuts January 5, 1944 – The first transoceanic newspaper created: The Daily Mail May 30, 1944 – Princess Charlotte of Monaco resigns in favor of her son, Prince Rainier III The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to the International Committee of the Red Cross The Met in New York City hosted a jazz concert for the first time. Performers included Louis Armstrong, Lionel Hampton, Artie Shaw and Benny Goodman. Births January 6 - Bonnie Franklin, actress January 9 - Led Zeppelin guitarist January 12 - Joe Frazier, boxing champion January 23 - Rutger Hauer, actor January 24 - Neil Diamond, singer January 26 - Angela Davis, feminist and activist February 9 - Alice Walker, writer February 14 - Carl Bernstein, journalist February 14 - Alan Parker, director, writer February 22 - Jonathan Demme, director February 23 - Johnny Winter, musician March 1 - Roger Daltrey, musician (“The Who”) March 6 - Kiri Te Kanawa, opera singer March 15 - Sly Stone, singer March 17 - John Sebastian, singer-songwriter, also a member of the Lovin’ Spoonful March 26 - Diana Ross, singer April 3 - Tony Orlando, musician April 7 - Gerhard Schröder, German Bundeskanzler (chancellor) since 1998 April 30 - Jill Clayburgh, actress May 5 - John Rhys-Davies, actor May 9 - Richie Furay, musician (“Poco”, “Buffalo Springfield”) May 14 - George Lucas, film director and producer May 20 - Joe Cocker, British singer May 20 - Boudewijn de Groot, Dutch singer May 21 - Mary Robinson, first female President of Ireland May 25 - Frank Oz, puppeteer, director May 28 - Rudy Giuliani, mayor of New York City, 1993-2001 May 28 - Gladys Knight singer July 13 - Ernő Rubik, inventor of Rubik’s Cube July 21 - Tony Scott, film director July 21 - Paul Wellstone, U.S. Senator: a Democrat from Minnesota (d. 2002) August 4 - Richard Belzer, actor, comedian (, ) August 11 - Ian McDiarmid, actor August 21 - Peter Weir, film director October 9 - John Entwistle, bassist, The Who (d. 2002) October 15 - David Trimble, Ulster Unionist and Nobel Prize winner October 28 - Dennis Franz, actor November 12 - Al Michaels, sportscaster November 17 - Danny DeVito, actor November 17 - Rem Koolhaas, Dutch architect November 17 - Lorne Michaels, producer November 17 - Tom Seaver, Baseball Hall of Fame player December 7 - Daniel Chorzempa, organist December 17 - Jack L. Chalker science fiction novelist December 22 - Steve Carlton, Baseball Hall of Famer \*\*December 23 - Wesley Clark, US General and former NATO Supreme Allied Commander \*\* ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2004, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-popular-in-1944/275918/6 "2004-11-21T06:59:39Z")
I’ll try the coding on that source again. Try [this link](http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/1944). ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2004, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-popular-in-1944/275918/7 "2004-11-21T07:13:03Z")
Here is a link to a letter written from a World War II veteran the day before your father-in-law was born. Click on enlarge and then click on “enlarge to 1024.” It’s easy to read at that size. The letter is two pages long. The third page is the envelope itself which is postmarked **December 5, 1944**. This is part of a veteran’s history project. [http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cocoon/vhp-stories/loc.natlib.afc2001001.05440/pageturner?ID=pm0249001](http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cocoon/vhp-stories/loc.natlib.afc2001001.05440/pageturner?ID=pm0249001) ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2004, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-popular-in-1944/275918/8 "2004-11-21T07:27:08Z")
Popular songs of 1944 include The Andrew Sisters’ cover of Cole Porter’s _Don’t Fence Me In_, and _Dance With a Dolly (With A Hole In Her Stocking)_ – the latter os which is better known as _Buffalo Gals._ Dinah Shore sang _I’ll Walk Alone._ Frank Sinatra’s _I’ll Be Seeing You_ may have been the most popular song that year. Popular books include Margaret Landon’s _Anna And The King Of Siam_, W. Somerset Maugham’s _The Razor’s Edge_, Betty Smith’s\* A Tree Grows In Brooklyn\* and the scandalous \*Forever Amber \* by Kathleen Winsor. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2004, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-popular-in-1944/275918/9 "2004-11-21T07:46:56Z")
Finally, if he lived in the U.S. or in Canada and if he got his driver’s license on his 16th birthday, here are some of the songs he heard when he slipped behind the wheel and flipped on the radio to take off on his own for the first time _legally_: Wonderland By Night – Bert Kaempfert, Are You Lonesome Tonight? – Elvis Presley, North To Alaska – Johnny Horton, Last Date – Floyd Cramer, Save The Last Dance For Me – The Drifters, A Thousand Stars – Kathy Young, Exodus – Ferrante & Teicher, Perfidia – The Ventures, New Orleans – Gary U.S. Bonds, You Talk Too Much – Joe Jones, You’re Sixteen – Johnny Burnette, Am I Losing You? – Jim Reeves, Lets, Go, Let’s Go, Let’s Go – Hank Ballard & The Midnighters, Gee Whiz – The Innocents Happy birthday to your father-in-law from a “girl” in the class ahead of him. He’s very lucky to have such a caring daughter-in-law! ---
**Author:** ![SkeptiJess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SkeptiJess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkeptiJess)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2004, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-popular-in-1944/275918/10 "2004-11-21T07:55:10Z")
According to Panati’s Parade of Fads, Follies, and Manias by Charles Panati, the most popular song of 1944 was _I’ll Be Seeing You_, which appeared 24 times on the “Hit Parade,” 10 times as #1. Hildegarde and Frank Sinatra recorded it – you should be able to find a single of it. Panati doesn’t list the #1 bestselling book of 1944 (probably because it was some now-obscure novel), but Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith; and The Razor’s Edge by W. Somerset Maugham all came out in 1944 (they were #'s 4, 3 and 5, respectively). Candy and food fads for the year are harder – I couldn’t find anything fun that was invented in 1944. M&Ms were invented in 1941, and then no major new types of candy or snacks came out until after the war ended, that I could find. Keeping in mind that food was being rationed then – maybe you could find some ration books? I know my dad has some that his mom saved. Maybe somebody is selling some on eBay… yep, I just checked and there are a buttload of them – at least one from 1944. Pretty cheap, too. Another thought – an eBay search on “1944 cookbook” revealed several cheap pamphlet-style cookbooks, including [this](http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=585&item=2286015460&rd=1) one on ‘ration-wise’ cooking. Silly Putty was invented in 1944, but it wasn’t actually marketted as a toy until a number of years later. Seventeen Magazine was started in 1944. I found one [website](http://www.fun-facts.com/fact-153.html?sort=views&dir=) that stated that the Little Lulu doll and the Dick Tracy Detective Kit were the most popular Christmas toys of 1944, but I don’t know what they based that on. Don’t forget radio – there’s a lot of Vintage radio out there on CD. You could easily find something – maybe news coverage of the D-Day invasion. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2004, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-popular-in-1944/275918/11 "2004-11-21T07:56:59Z")
> [@Sockmonkey](#): > > I’m trying to put together a birthday present for my Father In Law’s 60th birthday, and we’re getting together some “Time Capsule” like stuff. So far I’ve got: > Life Magazine from the week he was born > Sears Catalog > Coin set > DVD of Oscar Best Picture > I’m trying to get a broad assortment of things, right now it seems a little media heavy. Anyone have any insight into popular fads, candy, toys, ect. of that year? His birthday is in a few weeks, but we won’t see him 'till Christmas, so I have a few weeks to round up everything, and thanks to the internet, tracking items down is a lot easier. > Thanks in advance! The Christmas movie, “Meet Me in St. Louie” was made in 1944. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2004, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-popular-in-1944/275918/12 "2004-11-21T07:59:20Z")
The odd thing about this is — he was too young to remember any of these things first hand. He was _born_ in 1944. Wouldn’t things from the 1950s and 1960s be more likely to bring a nostalgic smile? ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2004, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-popular-in-1944/275918/13 "2004-11-21T08:01:47Z")
Heh. **Jess** and I used the same source. How many Panati books do you own, **Jess?** ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2004, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-popular-in-1944/275918/14 "2004-11-21T08:05:05Z")
**Walloon:** It typically intrigues and edifies more to see things from the exact year you are born, especially if presented in a time capsule format. Trust me, it’ll ring a bell. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2004, 9:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-popular-in-1944/275918/15 "2004-11-21T09:22:02Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > Killing Japs was pretty popular back then. I don’t know how you would make a gift of that. While flagrant racism was popular in some circles back then, it is not as popular now, and will not be tolerated _here_, understand? ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2004, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-popular-in-1944/275918/16 "2004-11-21T09:27:06Z")
Oh dear. It wasn’t intended as racist at all. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2004, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-popular-in-1944/275918/17 "2004-11-21T09:28:08Z")
Huh. I better put away this Popeye cartoon I was going to suggest… ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2004, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-popular-in-1944/275918/18 "2004-11-21T13:21:45Z")
[Spam](http://spam.com/) was universally loved in 1944. How about something featuring [Rosie the Riveter](http://www.mcphee.com/bigindex/current/11024.html)? - that site has loads more, just search for Rosie 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![SkeptiJess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@SkeptiJess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkeptiJess)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2004, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-popular-in-1944/275918/19 "2004-11-21T14:39:13Z")
> [@Askia](#): > > Heh. **Jess** and I used the same source. How many Panati books do you own, **Jess?** All of 'em. I guess Dopers just naturally love that kind of book. Hey wait! I just checked Amazon and I’m missing several of Panati’s books. I only have the one about Endings, the one about Fads and Manias, the one about Origins, and the Browsers Books of Beginnings. There’s also one about Breakthroughs in Medicine and Science, one about Words, one about Religon and one about Sex (woo woo!) – I want them all! ---
**Author:** ![Sockmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@Sockmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sockmonkey)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2004, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-popular-in-1944/275918/20 "2004-11-21T15:28:25Z")
Yay, I knew I could count on dopers, thanks all! Yes, we thought of maybe doing things from his childhood, but it’s nice to tie a milestone event to just one year. I had thought about the war and rationing changing things up a bit. I had hoped to find maybe a model car or something, but it’s all military jeeps that year. I’ll have to look for some cookbooks. Hmm, maybe some Dick Tracy comics too. Keep 'em coming! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-popular-in-1944/275918.md?page=2)