When Did Independence Day Become a Federal Holiday?

The other day, I went into our local bank and did some transactions.  They always have a question up on a board and I like to guess the answer.  The question was, "In what year did the 4th of July become a federal holiday?"

Answer possibilities:  1776, 1870, 1938, 1941

I thought and thought.

Hard question.

I thought perhaps 1870, but, maybe not   That was about the time we were getting into Decoration Day, now memorial Day.

I knew it wasn't 1776.

That left 1938 and 1941.  A real hard call.

In 1870, it became a federal highway, but unpaid.  In 1941 it became a federal holiday with federal emplyees being paid.

So, the answer was 1941, just before we went to war.

--GreGen

How Well Do You Know Your WW II Slang- Part 3: "See the Chaplain"

9.  When someone said, "See the Chaplain,"  what did they mean?

10.  A know-it-all about military regulation was called a what?

11.  Canned or tinned food was called what?

12.  Why didn't men like to get a Dear John letter, even if their name was John?


Answers:

9.  They didn't want to hear your problems.

10.  Barracks Lawyer  Also know as a Guardhouse Lawyer.

11.  C-Rats.  better than nothing, but didn't taste good  They were eventually put in a pouch and had goodies like a brownie added.

12.  It was a break-up letter from their women.

--GreGen

How Well Do You Know Your WW II Slang?-- Part 2: "GI Jesus"

Answers below.

5.  Who was a GI Jesus?

6.  When a person is "bucking for a Section 8" they were trying to get what?

7.  A person who gives his opinion on everything is a what?

8.  What do the letters "CB" mean?


Answers

5.  I guessed  it was a prayer.  That was wrong.  A "GI Jesus" was a chaplain.  Any military person, regardless of denomination, could confide with any chaplain.

6.    Discharged from the military.  They often would claim they were crazy or even shoot themselves in the foot.

7.  I guessed "Backseat driver" incorrectly.  It was an armchair general.  Whether informed on a subject or not, he gave his opinion.

8.  "CB" means confined to barracks.  There were usually two main reasons to get "CB."  The person was sick, but not sick enough for the infirmary or being disciplined.

How You Doing?  --GreGen

How Well Do You Know Your World War II Slang?-- Part 1: SNAFU

From Zoo. How Well Do You Know Your World War II Slang?

They give you options to choose.

1.  A letter from one's sweetheart (not a breaking up letter) was called?

2.  Becoming acclimated to the way a ship moved meant a sailor was getting his?

3.  What is a SNAFU?

4.  "Kilroy Was Here" was a type of ?

Answers:

1.  Sugar Report    I guessed correctly on this.  "Dear John" would have been too easy.

2.  Sea Legs

3.  "Situation Normal, All F'd Up   The "F" word was used a whole lot during the war.

4.  Graffiti  It is engraved on the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C..  Kilroy was a bald man, sometimes shown with a few hairs, with a big long nose who peeked over a wall with his fingers own each hand clutching to the wall.

I Got Them All Right So Far.  --GreGen

So You Think You Know World War II: Here's a Quiz

You can play it at www.zoo.com/world-war-ii-quiz.

It will take awhile to play it as you only get one question at a time.  There are 35 questions.  And, you can get a hint if you need it, but that will require you watching a short video from a sponsor and then they essentially give you the answer.  I used the hint twice

I ended up at getting 30 of 35 correct.  I missed the question about dictators, the Treaty of Alliance, the Bevin Boys and the British author who made broadcasts to America from Germany in 1941.

Some of the questions were relatively easy and others essentially impossible.  I did get a few correct on guesses.

They give you a short history behind each question after you've made your choice.

Can You Beat Me?  --GreGen