Even though I have a sense my readers in general have a good understanding of the world and its history, I want to remind you of something that happened in the middle of the last century. The world was at war, and the two epicenters included Europe and East Asia. In the Netherlands, the German occupation was omnipresent. The scars are still shown by remaining buildings of the time, hiding places, museums and all other forms to remember the terrible things that happened in those days. The years 1940-1945 (occupation in the Netherlands) are marked in everyone’s head.

According to Wikipedia, the groundwork for the Gateway Arch was also laid in 1942.

One of the things I noticed when visiting Missouri, was that the US has a different viewpoint. It’s not the involvement in the war, the commitment or the awareness, but it’s the continuing of normal life. Around 1942, all everyday life stopped being normal. Football matches weren’t played, no elections were held and I could go on for quite a while. In Missouri, while the war was playing its role, the Saint Louis Cardinals won the world series in 1942 and 1944. I was shocked the first time I saw this. Those years are so wired in my brain to be linked with war, that I had to convince myself those years were real. They are, and for some reason, I still notice those years every single time I see them printed in a non-war context.

Do you have any years wired in your brain?

Have you seen my Facebook page? If you like it now, you’ll be well in time to see all the behind the scenes come August.