The WWII Industry in Chicago

Chicago History

Bell Ringer Bell Ringer Review this graph

The red dotted line is normal unemployment rate.

In what year is the unemployment rate the highest?

In what year is the unemployment rate the lowest?

Using this graph as evidence, did the New Deal end the depression? Explain your answer.

What ends the Great Depression?

Ending the Depression?

The WPA and PWA The programs helped, but

didn’t end the depression. What happens after Pearl

Harbor? The government needed to

outfit the armed forces. The government needed

specialized war materials. Chicago businesses sold

these to the government and began to make money again.

Chicago Factories During the War Stewart-Warner Corporation

Automobile parts to fuses, ammunition boxes, bombs, and instrument panels.

Pressed Steel Car Company and the Pullman-Standard Car Company Cars to tanks

Elgin National Watch Watches to detonation fuses.

Western Electric Radar systems

Creation of the Dodge-Chicago Plant Where Ford City Mall is now

How much money did these war supply contracts give Chicago? 9 Billion Dollars!!!

From Orchard Park… In the 1930s with the rise of

airplane travel, Chicago leaders wanted to another airport to support Municipal Airport (now Midway Airport).

Shortly after Pearl Harbor, the Army began to locate potential sites for airfields and test sites for their airplanes.

The Army settled on Orchard Field, a few miles outside Bensenville. They chose Chicago, because

it was far from both coasts, so sabotage could be easier to detect.

…to Douglas Field…

Now that the site for aircraft production and testing was determined, the contract needed to be sold to a company.

A local Chicago company, Douglas Aircraft received the contract and built 655 C-54 transport planes during the war. The factory covered about

43 acres. It became one of the largest

aircraft manufacturing factories in the country.

…to finally O’Hare International Airport

After the war ended, the city of Chicago bought the field to finally construct the second airport needed for the city’s growth. Midway Airport’s runways were

too small to accommodate larger aircrafts.

Orchard Park/Douglas Airport was renamed O’Hare International Airport in 1949. It was renamed for Lt. Col.

Edward O’Hare, who was the US Navy’s first flying ace and who had won a Purple Heart and the Medal of Honor during the WWII.

“ORD” is still the airport code for O’Hare Airport, because of its ORcharD Park roots.

WWII and Girls Baseball WWII also brought new

entertainment to the city and the change of the woman’s role: the AAGPBL

Many major league baseball players enlisted or were drafted to serve in the armed forces. Professional teams were

forced to rely on players that were not in the war.

This also meant there would be a chance that major league baseball would not survive the war.

Philip K. Wrigley and the AAGPBL Philip K. Wrigley

Owner of the Chicago Cubs Attempted to keep interest in

baseball alive by creating the AAGPBL.

All-American Girls Professional Baseball League The league opened to small

Chicago-area towns like Kenosha, Racine,

Rockford, and South Bend Expanded to

Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Muskegon, Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, Fort Wayne, Peoria, Battle Creek, and Springfield.

The first tryouts for the league were held in Wrigley Field in 1943

Exit Question: Compare the

pictures of Annabelle Lee (1945) and Jennie Finch (2009): How are the two

women different? How are they

similar? How do you think

the AAGPBL helped women’s sports to what it is today?