Thelma and Lowell's Diary: March 19, 1943

They sit on the porch swing; Army buys tires, tubes, and 750,000 pairs of dice

You know how it is when the company finally departs. As much as you enjoyed them, you give a sigh of relief and relish having your home back to yourself. Such was the case with Thelma and Lowell today after bidding good-bye to her parents the night before. “I cleaned the house good,” she wrote. “We had early supper then went for a walk and later sat on the porch swing. Then came up and listened to the radio.” The official beginning of spring was a few days away, but the high in New Orleans was 90 degrees that day!

Bits of news in Louisiana newspapers give a hint of the astonishing purchasing power of the U.S. military. To read on, you’ll need to be a paid subscriber. It costs just 16 cents a day to get the full, richer context of life in war-time America, plus you’ll be able to read the penetrating economic insights of Dr. Adam C. Smith.