Month: June 2026

447: Don’t You Know There’s a War On?

Mark Podcast
One of the most familiar images of American working women during the war, although this particular image did not become widespread until decades after the war ended.

Entry into the war brought wartime rationing to the United States. Americans were accustomed to ready availability of their favorite foods and consumer goods, so rationing came as a shock, but at least it kept prices low.

Millions of Americans moved to other parts of the country in pursuit of war production jobs. Millions of American women entered the work force, but finding child care was a problem.

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Transcript.

Playlist:

Fanfare

Opening War Theme

“Yes! We Have No Bananas”
Composed in 1923 by Frank Silver and Irving Cohn. Public domain.

Closing War Theme

Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.