Historical+Information

media type="youtube" key="69W1mpBQPJE" width="425" height="350" a popular song from 1949.

__One: Historical Information__ You are responsible for finding all the information you can about life in 1949. Here are some things to think about: It wasn't until the late 1940s that kids were called "teenagers." Zoot suits (like the one in the movie "Mask" with Jim Carey), bobby-soxers, soda shops (young men working behind the counters were called, "soda jerks.") There were "sock hops" and the dancing style was "Jitter Bug" similar to the Jive dances of the 1950s. It was also the big band era and the likes of Benny Goodman would get the teenagers up and jitter bugging. Teenagers also learned to ballroom dance! Those teenagers that were lucky enough to have a __[|car] __ had a "jalopy" which was basically a beat-up old car that they learned how to work on and brought back to life. To this day in antique car shows you can still see some of these magnificent jalopies. Read more: [] 1940s EDUCATION: If you stepped into a 1940s classroom you'd see girls making dresses, hats, learning to do laundry in the correct way and beauty culture and boys trained hard in physical education (football as well) which really kept the boys in shape for war. Educators knew that young people and their parents would choose school over work only if it served a practical purpose. In response, schools offered vocational and commercial courses from dress-making to bookkeeping. Growing numbers of young people soon filled technical schools. Schools taught lessons in family life, hygiene and health. If a student wasn't gaining anything from a college-prep __[|curriculum] __ they were given "life adjustment eduction." In 1940, 8 out 10 boys who graduated from school went to war and more than half of the population of the U.S. had completed no more than 8th grade. In 1945 50% of 17 year olds were high school graduates. Today, more than 13 million teenagers report to public high school classes across the U.S. Read more: [] NO SEX, JUST MARRIAGE: In the 40s girls seldom could date until they were 16 and had to be home early. The parents actually met the young man and he'd better have good manners and bring their daughter home at the time agreed upon and in good shape! Teenagers never lived with their boyfriends, but dated and yes, there were "lover's lanes" and this is where the term "submarine races" was dubbed. The code between the kids was, "We're going submarine watching."Read more: []
 * What was it like being a teenager in 1949?

http://www.severing.nu/music/1949.html You can include recordings of popular songs, pictures, videos, links, etc, as long as it's connected to life in the 1940s.
 * Holden's use of language is very distinct--is this the way most teenagers spoke at the time?
 * How did people dress?
 * What was popular music?
 * What was the median income?
 * What was the median income for people like Holden's parents?

the median income for people like Holdens patents is about 30,000 dollars a year. the median income in 1949 was about 20 -23,000 dollars a year.