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Pharmacy in World War II: The Drugstore

Wednesday, May 13, 2026 by Sarah Sundin

As a former pharmacist, I’ve found the history of pharmacy in World War II fascinating. So fascinating that I’ve written two novels featuring pharmacists. In On Distant Shores, pharmacist John Hutchinson serves in a pharmacy in an Army evacuation hospital in Italy, and in Anchor in the Storm, Lillian Avery works as a pharmacist in a drugstore in Boston during World War II. Much about my profession has chan... Read Article

Maj. Glenn Miller, US Army Air Forces (USAF photo)

Today in World War II History—December 15, 1939 & 1944

Sunday, December 15, 2024 by Sarah Sundin

85 Years Ago—Dec. 15, 1939: Movie premiere of Gone with the Wind, starring Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh, in Atlanta, GA; the Black actors are not allowed into the segregated theater. 80 Years Ago—Dec. 15, 1944: A UC-64 aircraft carrying bandleader Maj. Glenn Miller of the US Army Air Forces disappears over the English Channel in a presumed crash in bad weather. US 24th Infantry Division lands on Mindoro in the Ph... Read Article

Courage Under Fire – US Hospitals at Anzio

Monday, January 22, 2024 by Sarah Sundin

Courage under fire. When we hear that phrase, we picture a soldier in the trenches, a sailor manning his guns, or a pilot dodging enemy fighter planes. But how about nurses and physicians? In one of my novels, On Distant Shores, the hero serves as a pharmacist in the US 93rd Evacuation Hospital in World War II. On January 23, 1944, the 93rd Evac landed at Anzio, Italy, one day after American and British forces had la... Read Article

A Tribute to Rosie the Riveter

Tuesday, May 30, 2023 by Sarah Sundin

Rosie the Riveter has come to represent the women of World War II. We all love Rosie. She’s strong but cute. She has biceps, but she curls her hair and does her nails. And look at that chin—she won’t let anyone tell her what she can or can’t do. She is woman; hear her riveting gun. The 1940 census counted 132 million people in the USA. During the war, 11 million men and women served in the armed forces. Even ... Read Article

Lessons from the 1940s – No Complaints

Monday, November 7, 2022 by Sarah Sundin

They waded ashore in chest-deep water in Algeria and took shelter behind sand dunes. Snipers and strafing fighter planes aimed for them. They ate cold rations and dug slit trenches and dealt with fleas, mosquitoes, lice, and flies. And they were women. When I was researching nursing in the Mediterranean Theater (North Africa, Sicily, and Italy) in World War II, I was struck by the conditions these young women worked ... Read Article

Rep. Martin Dies Jr. (D-TX), chair of the House Committee to Investigate Un-American Activities, 3 April 1937 (Library of Congress: hec.22504)

Today in World War II History—July 24, 1942

Sunday, July 24, 2022 by Sarah Sundin

80 Years Ago—July 24, 1942: German Army Group A takes Rostov, Ukraine. The Dies Committee (House Committee to Investigate Un-American Activities) indicts 28 people from various American fascist & Nazi groups on charges of sedition—will end in a mistrial in November 1944.... Read Article

Make It Do – Metal Shortages in World War II

Wednesday, March 30, 2022 by Sarah Sundin

Imagine going to the store and not finding batteries, thumbtacks, alarm clocks, or paper clips on the shelves. During World War II, metals were needed for military purposes. Ships and planes and jeeps and guns and ration tins and helmets took precedence over civilian products. After the United States entered the war, factories quickly shifted from manufacturing civilian goods to military matériel. Preparation for Wa... Read Article

Make It Do – Clothing in World War II

Tuesday, March 8, 2022 by Sarah Sundin

During World War II, the United States didn’t ration clothing as the United Kingdom and many other nations did, but restrictions were applied, and fashions adapted to use less fabric. Why Clothing? Eleven million men and women served in the US military during the war, and they all needed uniforms. This strained the country’s supply of fabric, particularly wool, and the garment manufacturing system. Since Japan pr... Read Article

Gen. Sir Alan Brooke, Chief of General Staff, at his desk in the War Office in London, 1942 (Imperial War Museum: TR 151)

Today in World War II History—March 5, 1942

Saturday, March 5, 2022 by Sarah Sundin

80 Years Ago—Mar. 5, 1942: Gen. Sir Alan Brooke becomes chairman of British Chiefs of Staff, in addition to his position as Chief of Imperial General Staff. British expand conscription to men 41-45 and women 20-30. First Naval Construction Battalion is established and officially nicknamed “Seabees.” US Civil Air Patrol begins antisubmarine patrols on East Coast; base established at Rehoboth, DE. Dmitri Shostako... Read Article

Shadows of the White City by Jocelyn Green

Wednesday, February 24, 2021 by Sarah Sundin

Sylvie Townsend has a full and busy life, running the family bookstore in Chicago and raising her adopted daughter, Rose. When the World’s Fair comes to Chicago in 1893, Sylvie also takes on the role of tour guide. But seventeen-year-old Rose begins pushing Sylvie away and seeking answers about her background. Violinist Kristof Bartok boards in Sylvie’s building and barely manages to conceal his affection... Read Article

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Search Results for: hair