Compliments of the Valley Packing Company of Salem, Oregon, here's a guide to the 1944 presidential election. If you needed to know the qualifications for the presidency or the oath of office of the salaries of the president,vice-president and speaker of the house, it was all in here.
I wonder who it was who wanted to know all of this. It's without a doubt the driest little booklet I've ever tried to read. Did the customers of Valley Packing Company really care about the ancestry, religion and college of each president?
Or the maiden name and number of sons and daughters born to each first lady?
We're thoroughly spoiled with our internet access and the ability to look up any little scrap of information that we get curious about. I've got to think that this information was easily available somewhere in 1944, if anyone needed to know it. Or were people excited to have pamphlets like this? I remember when an issue of National Geographic came in the mail with a square record of whale songs inside. At the time, that was absolutely amazing.
Now, my kids can try to find platypus sounds on my smart phone while we're waiting in line at the gas station.
A fascinating bit of history. Good study for Trivial Pursuit? Oh, wait, who plays THAT anymore?
ReplyDeleteWish that were our choice today. LOL! A lot fewer ads in those days, too. I was going to say that in 1944 (I have this on good authority from my folks, a long time ago!) people were more interested in that sort of thing - there was less to entertain them, and remember there was still active fighting in the war. They were probably happy to have all that information, because they weren't already on overload a year in advance! What a great piece of history to have.
ReplyDelete