We 1940s Models

A rare occurrence yesterday–I saw a car that is older than I am! And, like me, it was still truckin’ down the road. When I saw it approaching, my first thought was, Wow! What a beauty! Then, I pulled in behind it and found out it was a 1941 DeSoto. Does anybody remember the DeSotos? How did I know the make and model? Because the proud owner had hand-lettered it across the top of the trunk.

That car, that beautiful little DeSoto Coupe, spanned a lot of years and the town it drove through yesterday is a lot different from any town it drove through when it was new. It represented to me a much different America and I decided to find out what was going on 73 years ago. According to thepeoplehistory.com, Sir Winston Churchill was Prime Minister of England and Franklin Delano Roosevelt had just been inaugurated for his third term as President of the United States. Citizen Kane and Dumbo were the big movies. An average home cost $4,075 and wages were $1,750 annually. A gallon of gas, by the way was a whopping twelve cents. On December 7 of that year, 2,403 Americans were killed by the Japanese at a treacherous attack on Pearl Harbor while 1,178 more were wounded.

An interesting side note is that the calendar of 1941 was like 2014. June 4 was on Wednesday 73 years ago, just as it is today.

I love American history and am enamored with vintage cars! If I had the money and the room, I’d have a few. Old cars such as this DeSoto are reminders of a time when America was young, growing, enthusiastic, and facing a changing future with grit, faith, and optimism. That pretty 1941 DeSoto that graced the streets of NW Arkansas yesterday is a symbol to me of a young,  free nation that looked forward to the future with an emphasis on American entrepreneurism and confidence. All this represented by an unassuming little car. As I said, What a beauty!