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December 7, 1941 New York Giants vs. Brooklyn Dodgers Football "Pearl Harbor" Program and Ticket Stub
It was a Sunday afternoon, December 7, 1941, in New York City, and at the Polo Grounds, the home team New York Giants were hosting the rival Brooklyn Dodgers. This was in football, not baseball. As the spectators prepared to enjoy the game, in addition to the on-field contest was the anticipation of the celebration of Tuffy Leemans Day. Hall of Famer Leemans was a halfback and fullback with the Giants since 1936. As was standard in that era, he played both offense and defense. Each year from 1936-1942, he was either a First or Second Team All-Pro. During the game, WOR radio interrupted the broadcast of the game to announce that the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor. At the Polo Grounds an announcement was made over the public address system that William J. Donovan (who was the wartime head of the Office of Strategic Services) was to call Operator 18 in Washington, D.C. The football game continued, with many of the fans being unaware of the surprise attack. The twenty-page program, costing ten cents, has a photo of Leemans on the cover. During World War II, Leemans made a number of attempts to enlist in the U.S. Army and Navy, but he was not allowed to enlist for physical reasons. The Giants had already clinched the NFL East Division Championship before Dec. 7, and on Dec. 21, they played for the NFL Championship and lost to the Western Division Champs, the Chicago Bears. Of course, after Dec. 7th., the nation's attention became focused on World War II, and many of the players in the NFL joined the Armed Services. The program's cover is partially detached, and the program has several small stains, bent corners, and some winkles. Overall, especially considering the age of the program, it is in satisfactory condition. In addition to the program, this lot includes a ticket stub to the game. the torn stub was for a $2.20 ticket to the upper stand. The ticket has a corner missing, and some folds, stains, and rough edges, but it clearly shows the Dec. 7 date, one that, as President Franklin Delano Roosevelt said at the time, "...will live in infamy." The program and ticket stub becomes a form of snapshot into the world of America on the brink of war.
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