
Historical Context: March, 1938
The Grand Theatre in Bremerton, Washington would end the month of March, 1938, with a classic: You Can’t Take It with You. Historically, On the morning of March 12, 1938, the 8th Army of the German Wehrmacht crossed the border into Austria. The troops were greeted by cheering Austrians with Nazi salutes, Nazi flags, and flowers. The “invasion” without shots fired was therefore dubbed the Blumenkrieg (“Flower War”). Hitler’s actions would be seen by European leaders as the final warning, ultimately leading to World War II.
In December of 1938, nuclear fission is discovered at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Chemistry. Two German scientists “split the atom” by bombarding uranium with neutrons. This knowledge will ultimately lead to a nuclear arms race at the end of World War II.
