Tales from Vienna Woods was a waltz composed by Johann Strauss II. The song is referred to by Sgt. Dolin in this letter. It was originally composed in 1868, and made appearances in popular culture. In the year 1943, it made an appearance in a segment of a Warner Brothers Merrie Melodies short called A Corny Concerto. Many orchestras have done covers of this classic and are still doing so even today.
Citation: “Tales from the Vienna Woods - Wikipedia.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, April 6, 2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tales_from_the_Vienna_Woods.
The following object description information includes basic elements from the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI). An additional notes field is included to list dates from the actual letter, envelope postmark locations, and any other identifying details.
Notes – Typed letter dated August 6, 1943, two pages. Includes envelope, postmarked August 6, 1943, 3PM, from Camp Santa Anita, Arcadia, Calif.
This is an example of a music powder box that Sgt. Dolin refers to in his letter to Margaret. The box operates as any music box would with a winding key and it would play music, while also containing powder for women to set their makeup.
Citations:
“The History of Makeup – the 1940s.” Beauty Box, August 2, 2017. https://sabeautybox.wordpress.com/2017/08/02/the-history-of-makeup-the-1940s/.
“Vintage Ballerina Lady's Powder Compact ‘Tale of Vienna Woods’ Music Box.” eBay. Accessed March 27, 2023. https://www.ebay.com/itm/144546829836.
If you're going to visit a warm and dry environment like the Mojave desert in the American southwest or the Sahara desert on the African continent, most people would think to bring lots of sunscreen and water. However, most people do not think to bring anything that would keep them warm at night. When we think of deserts we think only of the hot and the dry and an endless sea of sand. We don't ever think of the freezing cold nights. Temperatures in the day time in the Sahara average about 100 degrees Fahrenheit (about 38 degrees Celsius) and at night will drop to 25 degrees Fahrenheit (negative 4 degrees Celsius).
Why does this happen? This happens because sand doesn't maintain heat very well. Light often times is heat, as it is from the sun, so when the sunlight hits the desert floor it is only the top layer of sand grains that absorb and release all that heat back into the air. This information comes from a 2008 report from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA. In the daytime, the sun's energy radiating from the sand is superheating the air and causing the temperatures to be as high and hot as they are. At night, since the sun isn't shining onto the sand and the sand isn't reflecting it back into the air, the sands are actually cooling rapidly. It happens because the desert air is extremely dry. There is no humidity, so there is no water to store any heat to combat the rapid cooling of the sands.
Citation: Čirjak, Antonia. “How Cold Do Deserts Get At Night?”. World Geography. June 16 2020. https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/how-cold-do-deserts-get-at-night.html