29 November 1945: "Cheer Up! Bacon Long Dreamed of Is Coming Soon"

On this day in 1945, the Athens Banner-Herald announced that "the supply of pork has overtaken the demand," so bacon, and other pork products such as lard, would finally become more available in the near future. According to the story, "cold weather has brought on a heevy [sic] hog slaughter on southeastern farms, but...most of the meat and fats would be used replenish home shortages." Thus, the paper's encouraging headline to "Cheer up!"


During World War II, many items were rationed by the United States government, including meat, rubber, sugar, shoes, metal, dairy products, and gasoline. An Office of Price Administration was established in 1941 to place ceilings on prices for some goods to keep prices within the reach of most Americans, and to ration the items that were most needed by the troops during the conflict. Though meat rationing ended in November, 1945, labor shortages meant lower crop yields in the months following the end of the war. 




Learn More:

• Athens Banner-Herald, August - December 1945 on Microfilm in the Heritage collection.
• World War II on the Home Front: Rationing web page from the University of North Carolina School of Education.
• The Home Front War: World War II and American Society by Kenneth Paul O'Brien in the general collection.
• The War by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick in the DVD collection.
• The Second World War: A Complete History by Martin Gilbert in the general collection.
• Pork & Sons by Stephane Reynaud in the general collection.
• The Useful Pig by Roberta Wolfe Smoler in the general collection.
• Living With Pigs: Everything You Need to Know to Raise Your Own Porkers by Chuck Wooster in the general collection.
• Storey's Guide to Raising Pigs by Kelly Klober in the general collection.
• Don't Forget the Bacon! by Pat Hutchins in the children's picture book collection.