VE and V-J DAYs – Unknown Facts

This afternoon the Gabfest Club session (Window on America venter in Dnipro, Ukraine) was dedicated to the anniversary of the Victory in Europe Day. To warm up the group talked about the difference in the dates for celebration in different countries and tried to explain this difference.
The main topic for the conversation was the US input into Victory in Europe. The group was familiarized with the term “Lend-Lease”. The Lend-Lease policy, formally titled "An Act to Promote the Defense of the United States “ was a program under which the United States supplied Free France, the United Kingdom, the Republic of China, and later the Soviet Union and other Allied nations with food, oil, and materiel between 1941 and August 1945. This included warships and warplanes, along with other weaponry.  The topic was illustrated with documentary and educational videos. The WOA’s US volunteer Mr. Jason was present at the session and made his comments. The Club members shared with him their impressions about the page in history that was unknown to them previously.
The V-J Day is a popular holiday in the USA. The group’s attention was drawn to the iconic American photo – V-J Day in Times Square (also V-Day and The Kiss) by Alfred Eisenstaedt. It portrays a U.S. Navy sailor grabbing and kissing a stranger—a woman in a white dress—on Victory over Japan Day ("V-J Day") in New York City's Times Square on August 14, 1945. The topic was illustrated with a video about the people who were in this photo. We had a good laugh and enjoyed the touching story.
Number of participants – 24 persons.

Have a look at more pictures, please

 

VE Day – the 70th Anniversary

To commemorate the victory over the German Nazis in Europe  anniversary the Window on America center in Dnipropetrovsk presented a new book and image display “VE Day – the 70th Anniversary”. It  displays the books and videos from the WOA’s collection that deal with the events of World War II and the Cold War.
US soldiers took part in WW II, American historians researched the wars’ events  and published their findings in books, American libraries store the information and provide researchers with materials.
The films about the events of World War II include such movies as "Schindler's List" (director Steven Spielberg), "The Pianist" (Roman Polanski), "The boy in the striped pajamas " (Mark Herman), "Good German" (Steven Soderbergh).
 

 The displayed  films tell about the tragic events, ruined human lives, they urge  to honor the dead, to appreciate peace  and to do  everything possible to prevent  the horrors of war.
The display will  provide the WOA’s patrons with important information and will touch  their emotions.

Have a look at more pictures, please