Women working on the
Douglas Aircraft in WW2 wearing typical Rosie the
Riveter style of clothes
|
Rosie the Riveter Facts: Fast Fact Sheet
Fast, fun facts and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)
about Rosie the
Riveter.
Who was Rosie the Riveter? Rosie the
Riveter was a fictional character used by
the US government and the War Manpower
Commission and in posters and war propaganda
to encourage women to help in the war
effort.
What did Rosie the Riveter represent?
Rosie the Riveter represented the American
women who worked in factories, munitions
plants and shipyards during WW2. Who
created Rosie the Riveter?
An artist at the Westinghouse
Corporation named J. Howard Miller created
the famous "We Can Do It!" poster although
it initially had no connection with someone
named Rosie. The theme was continued by
Norman Rockwell who designed a picture to
appear on the cover of the Saturday Evening
Post, a popular weekly magazine on May 29,
1943. Norman Rockwell, possibly having heard
the Rosie the Riveter song, featured his
character leaning on a lunch box with the
name "Rosie" on it.
Rosie the Riveter song: The term
"Rosie the Riveter" was first used in 1942
in a song written by Redd Evans and John
Jacob Loeb. The song tells the story of
"Rosie the Riveter" who worked on the
riveting machine in an aircraft assembly
line. Rosie the
Riveter History
The history of Rosie the Riveter began when the US
government called upon manufacturers to produce greater
amounts of war goods. The Graphic artist J. Howard
Miller was hired by Westinghouse's internal War
Production Coordinating Committee to create a series of
posters to display to the company's workers to raise
morale and boost production and not seen much outside
the company. The Norman Rockwell version was loaned by
the Saturday Evening Post to the US Treasury Department
for use in posters and campaigns promoting war bonds.
What does Rosie the Riveter symbolize?
In later years, "Rosie the Riveter" also became an
iconic American image symbolizing the fight to for
women’s civil rights.
Rosie the Riveter
Facts for kids
The following fact
sheet contains interesting facts and information on Rosie the Riveter
for kids.
Facts
about the Rosie the Riveter for kids
Rosie the Riveter Fact 1:
A Hollywood movie
called "Rosie the Riveter" was made in 1944 reflecting
the fame and popularity of the icon. The movie
wasB-grade romantic wartime comedy made by Republic
studios starring Jane Frazee as Rosie Warren, a young
woman who worked in an airplane factory.
Rosie the Riveter Fact
2: Women who worked
in the factories and shipyards were referred to as "Rosies".
One of the most famous “Rosies” during the WW2 years was
none other than a girl called Norma Jeane Mortenson -
before she became the Hollywood movie star known as
Marilyn Monroe.
Rosie the Riveter Fact 3:
Thousands of American women, of all
ages and backgrounds, rolled up their sleeves and went to work
to help the war effort.
Rosie the Riveter Fact 4:
Patterns of
employment in the United States shifted as married women joined the
single girls in the workforce. By 1945 nearly one out of
every four married women worked outside the home.
Rosie the Riveter Fact 5:
In 1941 there were 14.6 million working
women but as WW2 gained in intensity the number of
working women soared. Between 1940 and 1945, the female
percentage of the United States workforce increased from 27% to
nearly 37%. By 1944 there were nearly 20
million working women, although most of them earned 50% less than men in
wages
Rosie the Riveter Fact 6:
At first the jobs
for women were in sewing or on line assembly but
eventually women were trained and moved into work
traditionally done by men. The type of work
suitable for women like 'Rosie the Riveter'.
Rosie the Riveter Fact 7:
Women's fashion
radically changed during WW2. Skirts and dresses were
simply not practical for women like "Rosie the Riveter"
who needed different, tougher and hard wearing clothes
for work. At first they adapted men's clothes but
practical women's clothing soon became available.
Rosie the Riveter Fact 8:
Women began to
wear trousers made from hard wearing materials such as
denim or cotton twill. The women would wear the pants
with a short-sleeved button down blouse that was tucked
in at the waist
Rosie the Riveter Fact
9: Trousers or pants
as a regular item of women's clothing were not readily
accepted until WW2 in either Britain or the U.S. They
were a statement of independence and equality to that of
men.
Rosie the Riveter Fact
10: Other women,
especially those working the munitions factories,
started to wear coveralls or overalls. The overalls were
usually made of blue denim or heavyweight cotton canvas
in brown or blue and worn with a cotton blouse
underneath that was softer to the skin than the rough
materials the overalls were made from.
Continued...
Facts
about the Rosie the Riveter for kids
Facts
about the Rosie the Riveter for kids
The following fact
sheet continues with facts about Rosie the Riveter for kids.
Facts
about the Rosie the Riveter for kids
Rosie the Riveter Fact
11: The coveralls were
loose fitting and buttoned down the middle. They were
often long-sleeved to offer protection that fitted
tightly around the wrists and ankles to avoid loose ends
getting caught in machines.
Rosie the Riveter Fact 12:
Metals that were traditionally used in women's
clothing such as fasteners, boning for corsets and zippers were all
abandoned as metals were allocated to be used for the military.
Buttons were used to fasten clothing.
Rosie the Riveter Fact 13:
For heavy work women wore
boots to protect their feet. Women who worked in airplane factories
wore slip on loafers. The soft soles of the loafers would not dent
the airplane and the slip on style, without ties or straps could not
get caught in machinery
Rosie the Riveter Fact
14: The typical types
of jobs undertaken by the "Rosies" were often dirty and
greasy and with soap being rationed women had a
difficult time keeping hair clean. Many women stared to
adopt shorter hair style but those who preferred to keep
their hair long wore scarves, turbans or bandanas around
their head to prevent their hair being caught in
machinery.
Rosie the Riveter Fact 15:
A Headscarf or bandana (a
large, printed kerchief) was used to create the Rosie the Riveter
style headwear. Bright colors detract from the drab colors of the
clothes - red with white spots was the favored color and pattern
used by 'Rosies'. Red socks complemented the red bandana.
Rosie the Riveter Fact
16: How to tie a bandana like Rosie the
Riveter:
● Fold a bandana or scarf into
a triangle and place on the head so the long side
fits around the back of the head
● The middle tip of the bandana
should fall down the forehead towards the nose
● Tie the outer tips into a
knot on the top middle of the head
● Tuck the middle tip of the
bandana under the knot
● This is the easiest way to
tie a bandana like Rosie the Riveter
Rosie the Riveter Fact 17:
The hairstyle worn in the
posters featured a short curled fringe set high on the forehead
peeping out of the bandana
Rosie the Riveter Fact
18: The "Rosie the
Riveter" song was recorded by numerous artists including
the Four Vagabonds and the big band leader James "Kay"
Kyser
Rosie the Riveter Fact 19:
The famous Hollywood actor
Walter Pidgeon, working for the government War Bond effort, made a
short movie promoting the war effort in which he featured a real
“Rosie the Riveter” worker named Rose Will Monroe. He met Rose Will
Monroe while touring Henry Ford Motor’s Willow Run aircraft factory.
Rosie the Riveter Fact
20: Goldie Hawn’s 1984 Hollywood movie
'Swing Shift' told of the lives of the 'Rosies' of WW2.
Rosie the Riveter Fact
21: The end of WW2 brought about
the end the factory careers of the majority of the 'Rosies' who
returned to their lives as housewives with lasting memories of their
participation and support of the war effort.
Rosie the Riveter Fact
22: The number of women in the
workplace began to increase in the 1960's and the fight for Women's
Rights in the workplace triggered the ideals of feminists and
Second
Wave Feminism.
Facts
about the Rosie the Riveter for kids
Rosie the Riveter for kids - President Franklin Roosevelt Video
The article on the Rosie the Riveter provides detailed facts and a summary of one of the important events during his presidential term in office. The following
Franklin Roosevelt video will
give you additional important facts and dates about the political events experienced by the 32nd American President whose presidency spanned from March 4, 1933 to April 12, 1945.
Rosie the Riveter
●
Interesting Facts about Rosie the Riveter for kids and schools
●
Summary of the Rosie the Riveter in US history
●
Rosie the Riveter of important, key
events
●
Franklin Roosevelt
Presidency from March 4, 1933 to April 12, 1945
●
Fast, fun facts about the Rosie the Riveter
●
Foreign & Domestic
policies of President Franklin Roosevelt
●
Franklin Roosevelt Presidency and
Rosie the Riveter for schools,
homework, kids and children |