Oklahoma Journeys
Week of August 14, 2008
Victory in Japan Day – August 14, 1945
World War Two was one of the greatest conflicts to ever involve the United States. It has also been called “the last of the good wars.” There was a clearly defined enemy, and patriotism ran rampant throughout the land. With the surrender of Japan in August of 1945 celebrations broke out all over the state. That’s the topic of this week’s Oklahoma Journeys from the Oklahoma History Center.
From the Oklahoma History Center, this is Oklahoma Journeys. I’m Michael Dean.
World War Two officially began for the United States with the declaration of war following the bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec 7, 1941. It was in this week of 1945, almost five years after it began, that World War Two was officially over. On Tuesday August 14, 1945, residents of towns all over Oklahoma as well as the rest of the world listened intently as President Truman read the news that Japan had surrendered, and the war was over. This was it; the long awaited Victory in Japan Day, or VJ Day, had arrived. A statewide holiday was declared for Wednesday, and the celebration began in earnest.
In Stillwater, impromptu parades sprang up all over the city as residents mobbed the streets to cheer. Long lines of cars motored through Edmond with horns blaring while children marched along banging on pots and pans. Oddly enough, in a number of towns, people it seems simultaneously emerged from their houses banging on all kinds of kitchen implements to create dozens of small victory parades. Almost every town shut down for one or two days with businesses quickly putting up “Closed all day for VJ Day” signs; other placards seen around the state read “It’s all over now” and “Legal Holiday, Japs give up.”
In a move that was called unprecedented by the local papers, all of Enid’s theaters were closed for business for most of Wednesday and Thursday. Both OU and Oklahoma A&M closed their schools for two days and, in what was probably a wise move, state officials ordered all beer taverns to be closed for at least 48 hours. The ban on beer worked as planned apparently as few officials reported anyone being sent to jail for “over celebrating.” While most cities deemed their celebrations to be safe but sane, some could not. In Barnsdall, Oklahoma an overzealous resident lost his right hand during an attempt to make a “celebration bomb” and while in both Tulsa and Oklahoma City people staying in downtown hotels destroyed hundreds of feather pillows in their spontaneous attempts to create ticker-tape parades.
Joyous celebrations, thoughts of loved ones coming home, and a hopeful return to some sort of normal life crowded the minds of state’s residents in this week of August 1945. The newspaper collection of the research library at the Oklahoma History Center holds these and countless more interesting stories of Oklahoma’s past. The research library is open to the public six days a week. The Oklahoma History Center is located on NE 23rd Street just east of the State capitol in Oklahoma City. Oklahoma Journeys is a production of the Oklahoma History Center, dedicated to the collection, preservation and sharing of our state’s past. I’m Michael Dean.