Mr. Chris Johnson lived in New York City all his life.
What event had a the largest, or one of the largest impacts on your life?
As a kid growing up in the late 30s and through the 40s, obviously the big thing that shaped my life was World War Two. Now, I was too young to be drafted at all, but I was old enough to hear things and to understand what was happening. It was really interesting to see how many people shared the same opinions. What I mean by that is that the country seemed to be very united in our feelings. Before Pearl Harbor, people seemed to be...almost resentful towards the fighting in Europe. Many times you would hear people criticizing the Europeans and saying that they are always fighting. Now of course, it did not take long for people to realize that Hitler was a terrible persona and that the Nazis were crazy, but just a few year before, Hitler was basically being praised for having transformed Germany. Another thing of note is that people seemed to pay attention to the fighting in Europe more than the violence of Japan, at least in the early 40s. That was probably because a lot of our families had closer ties to Europe. Also, in New York, we saw the many immigrants that had come from Europe. That being said, Pearl Harbor was really a shock to all of us. Suddenly the whole country wanted to go out and fight everyone. My brother was pulled into the Navy and served in the Pacific. Anyways, I think it's pretty easy to understand how the war and post war would have easily shaped my life.
What were the trends you remember?
Well there were a lot of new things that were developing throughout the 40s. I think one item that seemed to become strangely popular was the Slinky. Now, when it was starting to become really popular in the late 40s I thought of myself as too old to play with it, but it was still entertaining nonetheless. The toy was a sensation; it was cheap, it was shiny, and it was entertaining. Little gadgets like that seemed to become more and more common.
What was the biggest technological advancement (in your opinion) of the 1940s?
I think a lot of people will say that the atom bomb was the biggest thing of that decade. To me, one of the most marvelous advancements was in airplanes. When I was very young, only the military had planes. And those planes were all tiny, and a lot of them were little biplanes. By the end of the war, Germany had already been flying jet fighters, and American factories were throwing out new giant bombers by the hour. It wasn't long until there were big, reliable planes that could be used for civilians! And I must point out, that just a few decades before, people did not even think that sustained flight would ever be possible.
What was it like being a teenager at that time?
Well obviously during the 40s, a lot of young people were looking at what was happening in the war. Millions of kids that were just a few years older than me got sent off to go fight on some Pacific island or on some place in Europe. Now, some people were excited to get drafted, others were scared. Like I said before, I was never drafted for World War Two.
When I was a teenager, I felt this strange pressure to need to make money and to want to buy things. I now realize that this was the beginning of mass advertisement techniques, and that a lot of products were targeted towards younger people. I think that this was also the time where young people started to be come more socially relaxed or...active. For example, there were always new dances and new music. Swing was one of my friends and my favorite things.
What did your parents do for a living?
My mom spent a lot of time working in different factories. During World War 2 she worked on a few different assembly lines, helping to produce things from bullets to airplanes. My dad worked for a few different car manufacturers during his time. As the automobile industry expanded more and more, my dad became busier and busier.
What event had a the largest, or one of the largest impacts on your life?
As a kid growing up in the late 30s and through the 40s, obviously the big thing that shaped my life was World War Two. Now, I was too young to be drafted at all, but I was old enough to hear things and to understand what was happening. It was really interesting to see how many people shared the same opinions. What I mean by that is that the country seemed to be very united in our feelings. Before Pearl Harbor, people seemed to be...almost resentful towards the fighting in Europe. Many times you would hear people criticizing the Europeans and saying that they are always fighting. Now of course, it did not take long for people to realize that Hitler was a terrible persona and that the Nazis were crazy, but just a few year before, Hitler was basically being praised for having transformed Germany. Another thing of note is that people seemed to pay attention to the fighting in Europe more than the violence of Japan, at least in the early 40s. That was probably because a lot of our families had closer ties to Europe. Also, in New York, we saw the many immigrants that had come from Europe. That being said, Pearl Harbor was really a shock to all of us. Suddenly the whole country wanted to go out and fight everyone. My brother was pulled into the Navy and served in the Pacific. Anyways, I think it's pretty easy to understand how the war and post war would have easily shaped my life.
What were the trends you remember?
Well there were a lot of new things that were developing throughout the 40s. I think one item that seemed to become strangely popular was the Slinky. Now, when it was starting to become really popular in the late 40s I thought of myself as too old to play with it, but it was still entertaining nonetheless. The toy was a sensation; it was cheap, it was shiny, and it was entertaining. Little gadgets like that seemed to become more and more common.
What was the biggest technological advancement (in your opinion) of the 1940s?
I think a lot of people will say that the atom bomb was the biggest thing of that decade. To me, one of the most marvelous advancements was in airplanes. When I was very young, only the military had planes. And those planes were all tiny, and a lot of them were little biplanes. By the end of the war, Germany had already been flying jet fighters, and American factories were throwing out new giant bombers by the hour. It wasn't long until there were big, reliable planes that could be used for civilians! And I must point out, that just a few decades before, people did not even think that sustained flight would ever be possible.
What was it like being a teenager at that time?
Well obviously during the 40s, a lot of young people were looking at what was happening in the war. Millions of kids that were just a few years older than me got sent off to go fight on some Pacific island or on some place in Europe. Now, some people were excited to get drafted, others were scared. Like I said before, I was never drafted for World War Two.
When I was a teenager, I felt this strange pressure to need to make money and to want to buy things. I now realize that this was the beginning of mass advertisement techniques, and that a lot of products were targeted towards younger people. I think that this was also the time where young people started to be come more socially relaxed or...active. For example, there were always new dances and new music. Swing was one of my friends and my favorite things.
What did your parents do for a living?
My mom spent a lot of time working in different factories. During World War 2 she worked on a few different assembly lines, helping to produce things from bullets to airplanes. My dad worked for a few different car manufacturers during his time. As the automobile industry expanded more and more, my dad became busier and busier.