on local history by local historian David Reamer. Have a question about Anchorage history or an idea for a future article? Go to the form at the bottom of this story.
From a safe distance, history can become romanticized. For example, there is a persistent misunderstanding of the World War II American home front. Many believe that Americans willingly submitted to wartime necessities, like price controls, rationing and blackouts. The truth is far less generous.
Blackout announcement published on the front page of the Anchorage Daily Times Dec. 9, 1941.
Consumer demand, not need, frequently surpassed ration limits during the war. Once rationing was instituted, black markets instantly emerged in every corner of America. Gasoline, meat and nylon stockings were some of the most common goods criminally traded. One journalist documented his drive across America on a single gas ration stamp. Every time his tank ran low, he was able to fill up, albeit illegally. The Department of Agriculture estimated that 20 percent of meat sold during the war came from the black market. Demand for nylons led to several near riots. On July 12, 1946, as manufacturers struggled with peacetime conversions, a barely controlled crowd of 30,000-40,000 women gathered in rainy Pittsburgh just for the chance to buy stockings.