Switzerland Acts as Postman for Prisoners of War
The International Red Cross in Geneva coordinates relief for prisoners of war and families across 64 nations. The Central Information Bureau, now expanding from 1200 to 4800 workers, handles daily mail surges and multilingual inquiries while Switzerland maintains neutrality and hosts war relief efforts.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Switzerland
Max Huber
Permanent Court of Arbitration For International Disputes
the Hague
International Committee of the Red Cross
Geneva
France
Central Information Bureau
International Red Cross Committee
Musee Rath
Palais du Conseil General
Volun
Central Information Bureau For
Red Cross
German arrogance blamed for prewar mindset
The excerpt argues that Germans fail to grasp why those they invaded resist their rule. It asserts the German, despite 1918, remains convinced of superiority and is destined for another downfall.
Hobson’s Choice Origin From Stable Hiring Custom
Tobias Hobson kept horses for hire and required customers to take the horse next to the door, creating a “Hob son’s choice” meaning a forced single option. The phrase persists as a landmark expression for a one sided selection.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Tobias Hobson
Hobson's
Reminder about a knot and pickled onions
A playful fragment recalls a looping string knot on Bill’s finger as a mnemonic. It links Forget-me-not, Sower, flour, bread, cheese, and a reminder to buy pickled onions.
Pectin From Fruit Tested as Blood Transfusion Substitute
Detroit scientists report pectin from lemons oranges and grapefruits can substitute for blood transfusions or plasma in shock treatment. It is rapidly absorbed, not liver-damaging, and usable day after day with wide supply from waste fruit.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Detroit
F. W. Hartman
Henry N. Harkins
B. Brush
Annals of Surgery
Man
Edison Fire of 1914 Shows Calamities and Courage
Meet Calamattes says the 1914 West Orange plant fire stood out for how Thomas Edison faced the catastrophe. He described the blaze as a glorious sight and noted his father urged rebuilding, directing fire crews and planning anew while debris was cleared.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mr. Edison
West Orange
Edison
Crow rights gain support from New York group
The Emergency Conservation Committee of New York cites added proof that crows aid farmers by eating insects and grubs. The U S Biological Survey finds duck eggs not a major crow target and notes lead shot in water harms ducks. Public policy favors leaving crow control to authorities.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
The
Christian Science Monitor
Emergency Conservation Committee of
New York
United States Biological Survey
Army nicknames mix with World War II leaders in press note
The Toronto Star-Wavell notes many British soldiers acquire nicknames such as the Desert Fox Archie Jumbo and Auk. It highlights General Wil son and Sir Claude Auchinleck who swap roles with Wavell in the East and are known by their epithets.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Toronto Star
Wavell
Desert Fox
Archie
Wilson
Jumbo
Claude Auchinneck
the Auk
Inventor Creates Liftable Pan Cover In California
A California man has designed a detachable hinged cover for frying pans that rises on a knurled knob along the pan handle to prevent hot grease splatter during cooking. The device folds back when not in use.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
California
Cleanup squads unearth unexploded bombs in Chungking
In Chungking cleanup squads routinely dig up unexploded bombs from raids. The largest unearthed bomb weighed 1,800 pounds and penetrated 30 feet of earth before removal. Ordnance officers extract charges for sale or reuse, while daily operations continue with crowds watching and traffic unaffected.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London
Chungking
Air Express
National Library
Wandering Carpenter Fakes Identity to Land Airport Job
A suspected unemployed carpenter from Toronto used the alias Bill Churchill to apply to a construction supervisor at a nearby airport. He boasted he would furnish the tools if given the job and, with a grin, secured the position.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Toronto
Bill Churchill
P.S
Mose and Eph Explain the Skunk’s Fur Value
In a rural exchange Mose and Eph discuss which animal has the thickest fur. Mose answers the skunk, claiming the more fur you keep away from it the better it is for you.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mose
Eph
Navy librarians report sea stories popular with new recruits
The US Navy says enlisted personnel read about 2,000,000 books yearly across fields from law to westerns and detective tales. Isabel Dubois notes half the demand is for westerns and that most ships maintain libraries, with subs starting at 150 volumes. Sea fiction not widely popular overall.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Navy
US Navy
Isabel Dubois
Bureau of Navigation
Unusual Harvest Gathers in England by Scouts and Guides
A WW II era report describes Boy Scouts, Girl Guides and women volunteers collecting stinging nettles, dandelion roots, meadow saffron and other herbs as drug sources. Gatherers earn sums clearing fields once imported drugs, and nationwide areas for drying and lab prep have formed, with county schools offering a one day training.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
England
Boy Scouts
Girl Guides
Motor vehicle taxes yield large revenue across Canada in 1940
The Dominion bureau of statistics estimates 1940 revenue from motor vehicle registrations licenses gasoline tax and other motor vehicle taxes across nine provinces and Yukon Territory at 85 479 393. Almost two thirds come from gasoline tax totaling 56 179 173.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Canada
Yukon Territory
Dominion Bureau of Statistics
Fiji teaches boys violence by fathers to prevent cowardice
In Fiji, some boys are trained by their fathers to strike their mothers as a way to curb cowardice. The practice is described as a cultural norm believed to harden boys against fear and failure.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Fiji
Doilies Marketed By Pattern 6981 For Winnipeg Home Arts
Crisp filet crochet doilies brighten tables and serve as centerpieces. Pattern 6981 provides instructions charts and stitch details with 16 inch motif size in No 50 cotton. To obtain send 20 cents in coins to Household Arts Department Winnipeg Newspaper Union at 175 Mc Dermot Avenue E Winnipeg Man.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Household Arts
Winnipeg
Union
McDermot Avenue
Alice Brooks
Insects of Canada Declared A National Pest Threat
Ottawa officials review 3 000 native enemy species as crop losses mount. Entomologists note more than 50 000 insects are native, with 3 000 classified as pests, including the European corn borer and Hessian fly, as researchers bolster identification and control campaigns nationwide.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Canada
Confederation
Ottawa
Agriculture Department
Insect Museum
Western Canada
Prairies
Toy railway grows from dining room to national spectacle
Sir George Julius of Darling Point Sydney built a toy railway for his sons and expanded it into Australia’s largest and most valuable model, insured for £10,600. It moved from dining room to garden room, then was reassembled in 47 sections on movable platforms to aid war charities, with six men taking six months to complete the move.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
George Julius
Commonwealth Research Council
Darling Point
Sydney
Australian Press Union
Australia
George
Sir George
Sea Lion Strolls Fifth Avenue Defies Keepers
Peter a 450 pound seven foot sea lion escaped from a crate at Rockefeller Centre Prometheus Fountain sunken plaza and wandered Fifth Avenue for about twenty minutes. Four keepers and three armed patrolmen failed to recapture him as he nosed an entryway then entered a cosmetic shop door closed on him. He returned to his crate and ate the bait fish.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Fifth Avenue
Peter
Rockefeller Centre
Salt and pepper shaker hobbyist in New Orleans
Mrs. Don L. Harwell keeps 271 salt and pepper shaker sets in New Orleans and recalls a curious observation that women are typically pepper pots while men are salt. The item adds a note about Richard Strauss learning musical scales before the alphabet.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Don L. Harwell
New Orleans
Tree species count grows beyond 160 in Canada
A Canadian report notes that over 160 distinct tree species reach commercial size, highlighting diversity in forests. The study emphasizes implications for forestry practices,木 sustainable timber supply, and market opportunities across Canadian provinces.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Canada
Definition Of Morale From U S Army Morale Chief Ulio
Brigadier General James A. Ulio, the U S Army morale chief, defines morale as the belief that the army is the best in the world, the regiment top in the army, the company best in the regiment, the squad finest in the company, and that the individual soldier is the best damn man in the outfit.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
US Army
James A. Ulio
Four Spitfire Squadrons Receive Indian Province Names
Four new Royal Air Force Spitfire squadrons were named Punjab Baroda Bhopal and Mysore. These Indian provinces collectively sent £404000 to the Ministry of Aircraft Production to fund aircraft purchases.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Royal Air Force
Ministry of Aircraft Production
Punjab
Baroda
Bhopal
Mysore
Pitcairn Islanders Send Oranges to New Zealand for Red Cross
Descendants of the Bounty mutineers on Pitcairn Island deliver a large consignment of oranges to New Zealand for sale benefiting the British Red Cross. The shipment highlights ongoing ties between Pitcairn with New Zealand and wartime relief efforts.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mutiny of the Bounty
Pitcairn Island
Mid- Pacific
New Zealand
British Red Cross
Also Mentioned on This Page
Teers
Falison
China
Stories
Doilies
Bolivia
United States
South America
New York Times
Bureau of Investigation
Richard Strauss
U.S. Army