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Contents 0.1 References ...................................... 52 1 Contributors 53 List of Figures 55 2 Licenses 59 2.1 GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE ....................... 59 2.2 GNU Free Documentation License ......................... 60 2.3 GNU Lesser General Public License ........................ 61 Figure 1 Charles M. Schulz, creator of Peanuts . Since 2004, Fantagraphics Books has been republishing the complete run of the comic strip Peanuts1 in hardcover form, starting from the origin of the strip in October 1950. 1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peanuts 1 Contents Charles M. Schulz2 made frequent topical references within the strip to the events and popular culture of the time, which would have required no explanation for a contemporary reader. Some of these references are now rather obscure, and might not be understood by someone not versed in the popular culture of the period. These annotations aim to provide background for such references, and explain their significance. Each chapter corresponds with a separate volume from the Fantagraphics series, corre- sponding to two years of the published strips. The original publication dates of the strips are given in addition to the page numbers of the collection, so this reference work can also be used by people with access to the original archives. ==1950−1952== Annotations to The Complete Peanuts: 1950 to 1952 by Charles M. Schulz (Fantagraphics Books, 2004. ISBN 156097589X) • p. 9 (October 31, 1950). One of the games of marbles3 involves shooting one marble out of a ring with another. • p. 11 (November 17, 1950). Although Peanuts is famous for its complete absence of adults, they were occasionally seen and heard in the earliest years of the strip (see June 3, 19524). • p. 24 (December 21, 1950). First appearance of Charlie Brown’s famous zig-zag striped shirt. (See p. 278, December 8 1952, for the ”negative” of this shirt.) • p. 25 (December 25, 1950). ”Through the woods to grandmother’s house” is from Lydia Maria Child’s 1844 song ”Over the River and Through the Woods5”, which the children also sing at the end of the 1973 television special A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving6 . • p. 30 (January 11, 1951). A filibuster7 is an attempt to delay the proceedings of a legislature. Shermy is stalling for time to get his homework done. • p. 38 (February 9, 1951). George Washington8, Thomas Jefferson9, and Abraham Lin- coln10 were three of America’s greatest presidents. (Along with Theodore Roosevelt11, they are the faces on Mount Rushmore12.) • p. 46 (March 8, 1951). Patty is using a typewriter13. • p. 49 (March 21, 1951). ”Mad dog” refers to a dog with rabies14. Rabid dogs are usually killed by local authorities (c.f. To Kill a Mockingbird15 ). 2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles%20M.%20Schulz 3 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/marbles 4 Chapter on page 2 5 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Over%20the%20River%20and%20Through%20the%20Woods 6 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A%20Charlie%20Brown%20Thanksgiving 7 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/filibuster 8 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George%20Washington 9 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas%20Jefferson 10 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham%20Lincoln 11 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theodore%20Roosevelt 12 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount%20Rushmore 13 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/typewriter 14 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/rabies 15 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To%20Kill%20a%20Mockingbird 2 Contents • p. 67 (May 23, 1951). ”Second childhood” refers to mental impairment as a result of old age. It was a euphemism16 for such things as what we now know to be Alzheimer’s disease17. • p. 71 (June 4, 1951). In the early 20th century, people unhappy with the squalor and crime of big cities went ”back to the soil” and became farmers. It was an attempt to re-connect with nature and enjoy ”the simple life.” What Charlie Brown was referring to was playing in his sandbox. • p. 79 (July 4, 1951). It is generally thought that the convention of a man walking nearest the curb is so that he and not the lady would be splashed by passing carriages or by someone above emptying a chamber pot18. • p. 84 (July 21, 1951). In the early part of the 20th century, when a young lady went out on a date, she didn’t need to bring any money since the man would pay for everything. But it was recommended that she carry some ”mad money”, in case the man did something that angered her (made her mad), so she could end the date and have her own money to take a street car19 or taxi20 home. • p. 91 (August 13, 1951). ”Comic magazine” and ”comic book21” are used interchangeably throughout the early days of the strip, with the former eventually dropping out of use. (See p. 17, November 29, 1950 for the first use of ”comic book”.) • p. 93 (August 21, 1951). Neptune22 is the ancient Roman god of the seas. • p. 103 (September 26, 1951). Charlie Brown misunderstood; it’s the New York Phil harmonic23, one of America’s finest symphony orchestra24s. • p. 105 (October 2, 1951). Schroeder is playing the slow movement (Grave) from Beethoven’s25 Piano Sonata No. 8 op. 13, ”Pathetique.” • p. 108 (October 13, 1951). In a less politically sensitive time (white) children would play ”Cowboys and Indians,” a game in which they would chase and pretend to shoot each other, with either imaginary guns—a child’s index finger being the gun’s barrel and the thumb the hammer (See Volume 2’s August 7 1954, p. 250, for Lucy’s clever take on this ”hand gun”) -- or using toy weapons. (See p. 148, February 10 1952, for a full-scale production of the game.) • p. 114 (November 1, 1951). Children in the United States used to ask for money or candy on Halloween26. In the 21st century, it’s become almost exclusively candy. 16 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/euphemism 17 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alzheimer%27s%20disease 18 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/chamber%20pot 19 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/tram 20 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/taxicab 21 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/comic%20book 22 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neptune%20%28mythology%29 23 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New%20York%20Philharmonic 24 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/orchestra 25 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig%20van%20Beethoven 26 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halloween 3 Contents • p. 124 (December 6, 1951). The proper technique for ice fishing27 is to cut a hole in the ice—which is what Charlie Brown does six days later in the December 13, 1951 strip, p. 126. • p. 125 (December 10, 1951). Someone else has drawn a picture of Charlie Brown on the sidewalk. He adds the legend ”Don’t Tread on Me” so that people won’t scuff up his picture (scuffing him in effigy). The phrase ”Don’t Tread on Me” along with the image of a rattlesnake became popular during the American Revolution28 and is seen on the Gadsden flag29. It remains a symbol of defiance against oppression. • p. 135 (January 12, 1952). Charlie Brown is ”driving” a soapbox car30, a car made of wooden boxes, with no motor, that only goes downhill due to gravity. • p. 136 (January 13, 1952). Alexander Graham Bell31 is generally credited with the invention of the telephone. • p. 137 (January 15, 1952). The expression ”Born on the wrong side of the (railroad) tracks” means to be poor, but Charlie Brown is using it here to mean unlucky. The snow man was unlucky enough to be born where it’s sunny (because it’s melted him). • p. 137 (January 16, 1952). Prelude in C major from Johann Sebastian Bach32’s Well- Tempered Clavier33 (Book 1), BWV84634.