Month: June 2019

Pubs are a British mainstay, analogous to American bars. What Americans might call their neighborhood bar is known in the UK as the “local.” The term “public house” was first used in the 17th century; the landlord or manager was dubbed a publican. Pubs are licensed to serve “beer, wine, and spirits” and serve classic food, such as fish and chips, pickled eggs, pork scratchings (pork rind), and ploughboy’s lunch (a sandwich of buttered bread, cheese, ham, pickle, and onion. Read more about old London in A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (see NOVELS).

The first New York City neighborhood settled by large numbers of Italian immigrants, most of them from Southern Italy and Sicily, was in East Harlem, which became known as Little Italy. Its population peaked in 1930. Italians also settled in or moved to the outer boroughs. In the early 1900s, Bensonhurst, considered the Little Italy of Brooklyn, was equally divided between Jews and Italians. Read more about a young Italian immigrant who first lived in Brooklyn 100 years ago in Tazia and Gemma (see NOVELS).

(Posted on the 75th anniversary of D-Day) Those not serving in the Armed Forces during WWII supported the war on the home front. Most workers bought War Bonds using automatic payroll deductions. They were encouraged to invest at least 10% of their earnings. Factories were given a “Minuteman” flag if 100% of the workers joined the “Ten Percent Club.” Hollywood celebrities also appeared at War Bond drives, urging civilians to do their share. Read more about WWII and life on the home front in A Brain. A Heart. The Nerve. (see NOVELS).

(Posted on the 75th anniversary of D-Day) During WWII, the San Diego Naval Base converted, overhauled, maintained, and repaired more than 5,117 battle-damaged U.S. ships. Central to this work was the construction of 155 floating dry docks — some weighing as much as 3,000 tons — to deploy onsite or deliver to other bases. Read more San Diego and Navy history in Tazia and Gemma (see NOVELS).

The U.S. Congress passed the 19th Amendment recognizing women’s right to vote 100 years ago today, June 4, 1919. At 56-25, it barely reached the two-thirds majority necessary. The Amendment was ratified on August 19, 1920. The battle for women’s suffrage actually began nearly a century earlier, when women played a prominent role in other reform groups including the abolitionist movement and temperance leagues. However, it was not until the Seneca Falls (New York) Convention of 1848 that women began to organize for the vote. The push for women’s suffrage took a back seat during the Civil War, and split when leading advocates for women’s rights opposed granting those same rights to blacks in the 15th Amendment. But the movement revived in the early 1900s, beginning at the state level and eventually gaining national momentum, aided by the role women played in WWI. Read more about the fight for women’s suffrage in On the Shore (see NOVELS).