Switzerland Still Acts as Postman for Prisoners of War
The Red Cross in Geneva coordinates with 64 nations under the Geneva Convention. Switzerland, shielded by a large militia and constant defense training, hosts a vast relief effort for prisoners of war and their families. In 1940 Allied soldiers fled into Switzerland, were disarmed, fed, and interned, with many returning from French nationality. The Central Information Bureau in Geneva has expanded since 1914 18 and now employs about 4 800 workers, mostly volunteers, handling up to 60 000 letters daily in late 1940 as inquiries and communications flow for prisoners and civilians.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Seihzerland
Georges Wagniere
International Committee of the Red Cross
Geneva
Switzerland
Red Cross
Max Huber
Promnent Court of Arbitration For International Disputes
The
Hague
International Red Cross Committee
Musee Rath
Palais du Conseil General
Musee Bath
Central Information Bureau For
Pectin from citrus eyed as blood substitute by Detroit doctors
Three Detroit scientists Hartman Harkins and Brush report in the Annals of Surgery that citrus pectin refined from lemons oranges and grapefruit can replace blood or plasma in treating shock. It absorbs quickly, requires no liver damage, and can be transfused daily with an almost unlimited supply, using waste fruit as a source.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Detroit
F. W. Hartman
Henry N. Harkins
B. Brush
Annals of Surgery
Man
German Attitude Questioned Amid New Order Critique
The piece mocks German arrogance and mentality, noting that representatives fail to grasp why occupied peoples reject the new order. It references 1918 humiliation and predicts another failure for Germany as it seeks dominance in invaded lands.
Hobson’s Choice Origin Story in English Stable Trade
Tobias Hobson kept horses to hire and required customers to take the horse next to the door. This custom gave rise to the expression Hobson’s choice meaning a nonselective option.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Tobias Hobson
Suat A Reminder Knot and Bread Quips
A quirky exchange about a finger knot and a forgotten reminder. The dialogue threads culinary motifs with playful lines from Suat and Bill, noting forgetfulness and a wish to buy pickled quiens. The excerpt blends humor and mundane tasks in a light conversational tone.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Bill
Gower
Edison Fire of 1914 Showed Calamity Handling
Calamattes son recalls Thomas Edison facing the West Orange plant fire on December 9 1914 with remarkable composure and foresight. Edison directed firefighters urged his wife to invite friends and then began rebuilding plans as a wrecking engine cleared debris.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mr. Edison
West Orange
Edison
Crow right to live praised as farmer ally
The Christian Science Monitor notes the Emergency Conservation Committee of New York published evidence that crows help farmers by eating insects and grubs. It cites a US Geological Survey finding that crows do not significantly raid wild duck eggs and warns gunshot lead in mud harms ducks, urging public authorities to handle crow control rather than private measures.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
The
Christian Science Monitor
Emergency Conservation Committee of
New York
United States Biological Survey
Desertex name nicknames for top British generals named
The Toronto Star-Wavell notes many British army officers carry nicknames. Desert Fox refers to Rommel but the piece focuses on Archibald Archie Wilson called Jumbo and Sir Claude Auchinleck known as The Auk, with Wavell swapped positions in the East.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Toronto Star
Wavell
the Desert Fox
Archie General Wilson
Jumbo
Claude Auchinleck
the Auk
California man invents hinging pan cover to stop grease
A California man has invented a detachable pan cover that rises on hinges and is operated by sliding a knurled knob along the handle. The device aims to prevent hot grease spattering during frying and offers a simple, practical improvement for home cooks.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
California
Cleanup squads hunt unexploded bombs in Chungking streets
In Chungking cleanup squads probe duds after air raids with a high rate of finds. A 1800 pound bomb was unearthed last year on the main road, later discharged and sold for scrap. Traffic continued as crews worked through the night.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
London
Chungking
Crass
Air Express
National Library
The Churchill Touch
A wandering unemployed carpenter claiming Toronto as home sought a job from a construction superintendent at a nearby airport. He stated his name as Bill Churchill and grinned I will furnish the tools if you give me the job. He did get the job.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Toronto
Bill Churchill
P.S
Mose and Eph Delve Into Famous Smell of Skunk
In a humorous exchange Eph asks what animal is most noted for its fur. Mose answers the skunk, insisting the more you get away from it the better it is for you.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Mose
Eph
Sea Stories Dominate Naval Library Demand
Shan Stories Of Sea Navy enlisted personnel reads about two million books yearly across fields from international law to westerns and detectives. Isabel Dubois notes half the demand is for westerns and most ships maintain sizable libraries including submarines with at least 150 volumes. Sea stories appeal to some recruits but few appeal to the broader Navy.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Navy
U.S. Navy
Isabel Dubois
Bureau of Navigation
An Unusual Harvest by Scout and Guide Groups
An unusual wartime harvest sees Boy Scouts, Girl Guides, and women volunteers gathering nettles, dandelion roots, and meadow saffron for drugs. Gatherers can earn substantial sums clearing weeds, with the countryside divided into drying areas and labs. County schools offer one day courses on proper methods.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
England
Boy Scouts
Girl Guides
Canada motor vehicle taxes yield $85 million in 1940 revenue
The Dominion Bureau of Statistics reports across nine provinces and the Yukon Territory that motor vehicle related taxes including registrations licenses and gasoline tax brought in 85,479,893 in 1940. Gasoline tax alone contributed 56,179,173, comprising almost two thirds of the total.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Canada
Yukon Territory
Dominion Bureau of Statistics
Fiji boys learn to strike mothers to curb cowardice
In Fiji, some fathers teach sons to hit their mothers, a practice seen as training boys to avoid being cowards. The behavior is described as a cultural method aimed at building toughness, though it highlights troubling familial violence and gender norms.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Fiji
Doilies Make Elegant Table Accessories Pattern 6981
Crisp filet crochet patterns describe doilies for dining tables with a large centerpiece doily measuring 161 inches in No 50 cotton. Pattern 6981 offers instructions charts and stitch illustrations and lists materials, with 20 cents requested to obtain the pattern from Household Arts Winnipeg.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Household Arts
Winnipeg Newspaper Union
McDermot Avenue
Winnipeg
Man
Alice Brooks
Insects In Canada See as Enemies Affected by War
Canada faces an invasion of 3 000 native insect enemies out of more than 50 000 species. Entomologists at Ottawa study pests that cut crop values, with 4 000 insect drawers and vast collections aiding rapid ID and coordinated campaigns to reduce losses across the Dominion.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Confederation
Ottawa
Agriculture Department
Canada
Insect Museum
Western
Prairies
Moveable model railway grows from dining table to national treasure
Sir George Julius and his two sons built a tiny railway on a dining room table in Darling Point Sydney. It expanded into Australia’s largest toy, insured for £10,000 and needing seven men five weeks to assemble. It moved to a garden room then became a city model aiding war charities.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
George Julius
Commonwealth Research Council
Darling Point
Sydney
Australian Press Union
Australia
Sir George
Sea Lion Strolls Down Fifth Avenue in New York
A 450 pound seven foot sea lion named Peter escaped from a crate at Rockefeller Centre and wandered Fifth Avenue for about twenty minutes. Four keepers and three patrolmen armed with brooms failed to recapture him as he sniffed a cosmetic shop before slipping back into his crate to eat the bait fish.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
New York
Fifth Avenue
Peter
Rockefeller Centre
New Orleans Woman Collects 271 Pepper Shaker Sets
Mrs Don L Harwell amasses salt and pepper shakers with 271 sets in her New Orleans cupboard. She wonders why in figurine shakers the woman is the pepper pot and the man the salt. Composer Richard Strauss learned music before the alphabet.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Don L. Harwell
New Orleans
Mrs. Harwell
Tree diversity drives Canada’s commercial timber supply
More than 160 different tree species reach commercial sizes in Canada, highlighting broad forestry potential. The variety supports timber, pulp, and wood product industries across regions, with many species contributing to regional markets and ecological resilience.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Canada
Definition Of Morale According To Ulio
The US Army morale chief Brigadier General James A Ulio defines morale as a soldier believing his army is the best and that his unit is superior at every level from army to squad, including his own excellence.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
U.S. Army
James A. Ulio
Four Indian Provinces Aid RAF Spitfires Names
The RAF named four Spitfire squadrons after Indian provinces and states Punjab Baroda Bhopal and Mysore as they collectively sent £404 000 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 Descendants Send Oranges to New Zealand Red Cross
Descendants of the Mutiny of the Bounty on Pitcairn Island in the mid Pacific dispatch a large consignment of oranges to New Zealand for the British Red Cross relief effort amid ongoing gale conditions.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Pitcairn Island
Mid- Pacific
New Zealand
Gale
British
Red Cross
Also Mentioned on This Page
China
Shan
Bolvian
Nasin
Laetier
Bolivia
United States
South America
New York Times
Bureau of Investigation
Spason
Richard Strauss
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