Right before Thanksgiving in 1959 the United States was hit with a different kind of Red Scare. Primed for panic and paranoia by Senator Joseph McCarthy’s red baiting taunts, Americans reacted anxiously when told that the cranberries they expected to serve with their Thanksgiving turkeys might be contaminated by a chemical weed killer known to cause cancer in animals. What … [Read more...] about The Cranberry Scare of 1959
Thanksgiving
Everyone Loves a Parade: A Cold War Tradition
Everyone loves a parade, especially a holiday parade! That’s why nothing -- not even the Cold War -- could dampen the excitement surrounding New York City’s famous Thanksgiving Day Parade. Sponsored by Macy’s Department Store, it’s been a major New York City event for almost 100 years! A Brief History The Macy’s Christmas Parade kicked off in 1924, covering a six mile route … [Read more...] about Everyone Loves a Parade: A Cold War Tradition
The Meaning of Thanksgiving
Ike and Mamie? Norman Rockwell? The Happy Days? What do you think of when you picture an old fashioned Thanksgiving? What kind of entertainment comes to mind? If you’re of a certain age, you’ll probably be thinking of a movie or newsreel. Did you know that at the very beginning of the Cold War, in 1946, movies gobbled up 90% of Americans’ total spending on entertainment? … [Read more...] about The Meaning of Thanksgiving
The Pilgrims: A Cold War Take
I am a Cold War baby, born into a contentious and argumentative Irish-American family. Holidays and Sundays always found someone storming away from the dinner table. But there were certain things we didn’t fight about -- like Santa Claus and the Pilgrims. I thought they were sacred. But I learned something today when I came across a multitude of articles arguing about the … [Read more...] about The Pilgrims: A Cold War Take
