Civil War Food was perhaps one of the most important things for both sides during the Civil War. Without adequate food an army cannot exist.

My grandmother kept a stack of thin cookbooks, oftentimes product tie-ins, but the best were the ones that were dusty with history.

One of many leaflets and booklets issued by the UK Government in World War Two to help promote good health and the wise use of food during the years of rationing and shortages that existed. Tips on using food carefully - and making use of less usual ingredients - were seen as vital and there is some evidence that, in fact, the British have never been healthier than when they ate rationed, low fat diets. Here we have happy hubby sitting and waiting - despite the war - for the dutiful wife to arrive with a cooked breakfast. I wonder how many people, during the Blitz, had time to "get up early" and "enjoy breakfast without hurry" - just up from the shelter..

World War II Homeschool History Free Unit Study and Lapbook

His heroic efforts remained unknown after the war. But in 1988, his wife Grete found the scrapbook that contained the list of the children’s names...

The influence of World War II on fashion was huge. Shortages and rationing limited the use of fabric and other materials used in fashion design. Hemlines were up, and hair was long, creating an iconic style

The award had been made posthumously to Tania’s mother Violette Szabo, one of the most courageous British agents to have operated behind enemy lines during World War II.

WWII Ration Cake: This recipe from World War II was made when rationing was a big issue. It was made to not use eggs and dairy.Right now, I don't have pictures. Sorry. I will try to upload some soon.

Uncle Sam, half-length portrait, pointing at viewer as part of the United States government effort to recruit soldiers during World War I, with the famous legend "I want you for the U.S. Army," ca. 1917. The nation has been personified as Uncle Sam for so long, the origins of the connection are hazy. Some trace the linkage back to Samuel Wilson, a Revolutionary War-era supplies inspector the longshoremen referred to as “Uncle Sam”. The character first appeared in print in a comic published in the weekly New York Lantern in 1852. The iconic Uncle Sam, however, responsible for recruiting generations of soldiers, has a direct connection to the Hoosier State. Artist James Montgomery Flagg referred to his own mirror image for the portrait of “Uncle Sam” he created for the cover of the July 6, 1916 issue of Leslie’s Weekly. The figure in the long-tailed coat, stove pipe hat and sideburns was captioned “What Are You Doing for Preparedness?” When asked to update the highly effective image for use in World War 2, Flagg hired a Hoosier-born veteran who’d posed for Norman Rockwell. According to his widow’s memoir, Walter Botts was chosen over other models for Flagg’s Army poster “because he had the longest arms, the longest nose, and the bushiest eyebrows.” Walter Botts posing as Uncle Sam in front of the iconic poster, ca. 1970. Botts reportedly suggested the pointing gesture when the artist asked “Walt, what are you going to do with your long arms, sitting there?” James Montgomery Flagg, 1915, photographed by Arnold Genthe The sometime model was a professional jazz musician in New York at the time Flagg painted his portrait. Born in 1900 in Jackson Township in Sullivan County, Indiana, Botts acknowledged English, German and “half-Crow Indian” ancestry. Equally adept at sports and music as a child, Botts’ youthful exploits included walking from Shelburn to Terre Haute to purchase his first cornet at the age of six, and breaking his famously long nose in a basketball game—and resetting it himself. Soon after enrolling at Purdue University, Botts enlisted in the war effort. When his plan to fly planes was curtailed by his father, Botts tried for a job as a wireless operator in France, although the Armistice came while he was waiting to ship out from Hoboken, New Jersey. With an honorable discharge, Botts resumed his studies, ultimately leaving Purdue to tour with Doc Ross’s Jazz Bandits as singer and saxophonist. Performing around the country, Botts enjoyed extended stints in Texas and California, where he hobnobbed with movie stars and took a screen test (although his Hollywood hopes were dashed by the once-broken nose). The band, which came to include Bob McCracken, Harry James and Jack Teagarden, had regular gigs at New York’s toniest watering holes from The Stork Club to the Waldorf Astoria. Botts was presented with a commendation for service by President Johnson in 1969, and his memory honored posthumously by President Nixon. (via Indiana Public Media)

Packed with personal anecdotes and details you won't find anywhere else, this is the secret history of World War II. \"A fast-moving overview stuffed with interesting factoids and historical tidbits . . . Casual readers will find themselves carried along, and hardened military buffs will learn much that is new.\"--Library Journal \"It's almost guaranteed to make you so interested in the subject you'll want to learn . . . By including hundreds of interesting anecdotes and facts, [Mike] Wright not only piques our interest repeatedly, he also gives areal feel for the war era.\"--Manchester Journal Inquirer \"An excellent overview . . . [with] interesting chapters on spies, POWs, censorships, and the building of the atomic bomb . . . Wright's style is accessible.\"--The Post and Courier

Here is a selection of Civil War recipes for your enjoyment.

1. There are over 200 flavors of Kit-Kat in Japan.

These are the World War II Ration Stamp Books of young William Walton Smith Jr., a teenager from Hazlehurst, Georgia. I do not know anything else about this young man, or what became of him.

Beyond the numbers, what was life like during the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918-1919? A social historian explains, including the long-term effects on families and society.

Quarter Plate Tintype Portrait of George Chapman, Co. C, 122d New York Vol. Inf., Enjoying a Meal. M1861 .58 caliber rifled musket with bayonet fixed on the ground at his side. Wears shell jacket, …

A Puffin Book - stories that last a lifetime. Puffin Modern Classics are relaunched under a new logo: A Puffin Book, all with exciting new covers and endnotes with author profile, interesting facts around the story and archive material. In Back Home, Michelle Magorian, author of Goodnight Mister Tom, tells the story of Rusty, returning to England after being evacuated to America for five years in the Second World War. After five happy years in America, Rusty must return to England: the place she used to call home. But it doesn't fell like home. Rusty's mother is like a stranger, her little brother doesn't know her and why does the food taste so bad? Rusty just can't get used to the rigid rules and rationing and her strict new boarding school. Lonely and homesick, Rusty makes friends with Lance, another returned evacuee, and her indomitable spirit leads her into a dramatic and devastating rebellion. . . Guardian Children's Fiction award-winning Michelle Magorian is the author of the iconic war-time children's book, Goodnight Mister Tom. Michelle Magorian was born in Portsmouth and on leaving school studied at the Rose Bruford College of speech and Drama and Marcel Marceau's International School of Mime in Paris. Over the years she became interested in children's books and decided to write one herself. The result was Goodnight Mister Tom, which won the Guardian Children's Fiction Award, an International Reading Association Award and was also made into a superb film starring the late John Thaw. In 2012 Michelle was made a Fellow of Rose Bruford College. Also by Michelle Magorian:Goodnight Mister Tom; Back Home; Waiting for my Shorts to Dry; Who's Going to take Care of Me?; Orange Paw Marks; A Little Love Song; In Deep Water; Jump; A Cuckoo in the Nest; A Spoonful of Jam; Be Yourself; Just Henry

As I have mentioned in previous posts, one of my primary interests as a Civil War historian is to research the life and times of descendants of top Civil War commanders - particularly their namesakes. I find that in many cases, their careers and contributions to society were just as fascinating as that of their Civil War ancestors. Today, I highlight the great-grandson of Confederate Lt. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson - Col. Thomas J. Jackson Christian, Jr. - who performed heroic service as a U.S. Army Air Corps pilot during World War II. The highlighted photograph and biographical summary below are from the Texas State Cemetery website: "CHRISTIAN, JR., THOMAS JONATHAN JACKSON (1915~1944) Thomas Jonathan Jackson Christian, Jr., Colonel in the United States Army Air Force and great grandson of Confederate General Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson, was born on November 19, 1915, in San Francisco, California to Thomas Jonathan Jackson Christian, Sr. and Bertha Marguerite Cook. Christian attended the University of Chicago before entering the United States Military Academy at West Point on July 1, 1935. On June 12, 1939, he graduated 45th in a class of 456 and chose to enter the Field Artillery branch of the U. S. Army, his father's branch of service, where he was appointed a Second Lieutenant. Soon after making his branch decision, Christian changed his mind and joined the Army Air Corps. From 1939 to 1941, Christian was a student in Texas at the Air Corps Primary Flying School at Love Field in Dallas, the Air Corps Training Center at Randolph Field and the Air Corps Advanced Flying School at Kelly Field, both in San Antonio. After receiving training as a pilot, Christian was assigned to the Philippines, where, after the attacks on Pearl Harbor, he was reassigned to Bataan, Mindanao, Australia, and Guadalcanal. While there, he flew B-17s and was shot down and declared missing in action somewhere in the South Pacific. He was able to return to the base after living with natives in the jungle. With the 1st Air Group, Christian landed on Guadalcanal on August 15, 1942. While there, he flew more than 60 hours in combat missions and was awarded the Silver Star for gallantry. After being granted leave, Christian returned to the United States, where on January 2, 1943, he married Marjorie Lou Ashcroft, whom he met while in Dallas. Their permanent residence was Sulphur Springs. While in the U. S., he formed and trained the 361st Fighter Group. They were sent to England in November 1943. In Europe, Christian flew more than 70 combat missions and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross with Oak Leaf Clusters, the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters and the Purple Heart. In March 1944 he was promoted to full Colonel. While overseas, Christian became a father. His daughter, Lou Ellen, was born in January 1944, in Dallas. Having never met his daughter, Christian was killed in action on August 12, 1944, while flying a P-51 Mustang, which was named Lou IV, in honor of his daughter. Colonel Christian was shot down over Arras, France and his body was never recovered."

A hearty hot-pot made with non rationed black pudding and lots of vegetables. This nutritious casserole is good served with sliced cooked beetroot.

This downloadable creative, fun activity for World and American History classes has students reading short, one page stories of minority g...