You have just been transported to the grand opening year of the University of North Carolina Wilmington! You’ve got a long day ahead of you, of both chores and activities. First, I’d recommend you join your temporary time travel parents at the breakfast table downstairs, they’ve got some news for you.

“Your father has enrolled at the brand-new Wilmington College center!” your mother proudly exclaims. “After the war, he decided he wanted to strengthen his knowledge in academics.” That’s wonderful news! Little did you know that you or someone you love would be attending that very same place. “Now hurry along and eat your breakfast, I’ve made plenty.”

On the table before you sat a plate of chipped beef on toast, which might sound quite atrocious, but was a staple for soldiers during the war. A quick morning dish made of paper-thin dried beef slices covered in a white sauce and placed on top of crispy bread. Since the war only ended two years ago, your veteran father likes to keep this meal in circulation on the household menu in memory of his service.

“I’ll turn the radio on while we eat,” your mother says, approaching an old model decorated in different shades of warm brown. “Time after Time” by Frank Sinatra begins to hum from the radio. One of the top 50 hits in 1947, this sentimental song covered by a few artists before him premiered in the motion picture, “It Happened in Brooklyn.”

“A faster tempo would do,” she said, switching to another station. “Ballerina” by Vaughn Monroe, a quick pace song about a heartbroken ballerina who dances despite her sorrow, took hold of the reins as the third most popular tune of the year sang in the background.

“Wilmington College’s students are going to be primarily veterans returning from the war, did you know?” Maybe you did or didn’t know, but now you do. “There’s only about 250 of them attending this opening year.” It’s astonishing to think that 78 years in the future there will be 19,000 students!

“I need you to go grocery shopping for me and read a book, and I’ll allow you to watch one film before bed.”

If those are the tasks to be done, those will be the tasks you do. After receiving a grocery list, the first stop was the local supermarket. Grab a cart and get shopping. First is milk, which costs 52 cents. Strolling along, you discover that the eggs and bread are 33 and 20 cents, respectively. To get a better understanding of how much the cost of groceries has changed, 20 dollars’ worth of shopping in 1947 is now equal to 236.48 dollars in 2024, which is quite the leap!

After returning with the groceries, you can pick from two famous books published in 1947. One is a beloved picture book that children all over the world still read today, “Goodnight Moon” by Margaret Wise Brown, or you can explore a memoir discussed in countless History and English Literature classes, “Diary of a Young Girl” by Anne Frank. Both sit comfortably on your nightstand, so pick whichever one you’d like, they aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Once you finish reading, head to the family room! The television is airing “Miracle on 34th Street,” a Christmas classic that was released in June 1947. Enjoy this heartwarming story between a Macy’s Santa Claus and a young girl who was raised to not believe in him and experience the emotions of what Christmas magic was all about during our youth.

Now it’s time for bed, tomorrow you’ll be back in the present. While the ’40s were amazingly cheaper, the 2020’s are the perfect time to attend the University of North Carolina Wilmington. With over 280 programs, the campus has progressed tremendously in the past 78 years. If you are still curious about the original Wilmington College feel, you can always hit play on a ’40s classic while sitting down and diving into a literature masterpiece from our cherished era of 1947 — the year it all began.