I’ve chosen to feature 1934 as a subject this week and somewhere along this trip I’ll explain why.
So many things happened in that period that I really became fascinated with that era and hope you will as well.
In January the first State liquor stores opened in Pennsylvania. Comedienne Tallulah Bankhead makes her debut on Rudy Vallee’s show on NBC in February.
The 1st Masters Golf Championship began in Augusta, Georgia in March.
In April the Loch Ness monster was allegedly caught on tape, it is revealed to be a hoax 50 years later.
In May Walter Carothers manufactures the first nylon.
June brought out the first Donald Duck cartoon, The Wise Little Hen.
July, the 1st x-ray of the full body was performed in Rochester NY.
In August the LA police department claimed many movie stars contribute to the Communist Party.
September brought a colossal fire to the luxury liner Morro Castle leaving 130 dead.
In October Charles Pretty Boy Floyd is shot and killed by federal agents on farm in Ohio.
November had this news piece George baby face Nelson is found dead in a roadside ditch outside of Chicago.
In 1934 World News: The United States pulls out of Haiti, Austrian Nazis assassinate Chancellor Dollfuss.
General Lázaro Cárdenas is elected President of Mexico.
The USSR joins the League of Nations.
Riots threaten order in Paris.
Adolph Hitler is elected President of Germany following the death of Paul Von Hindenburg.
Puerto Rico requests Statehood.
The launching of the Queen Mary takes place in Scotland.
In 1934 national news: The National Archives are established.
Numerous strikes sweep the nation during the summer, including the first general strike.
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is established.
John Dillinger is shot and killed outside a Chicago theater.
Shirley Temple shoots to stardom when she appears in the film Bright Eyes.
The Export-Import bank organizes in Washington DC.
Bruno Hauptmann is arrested for kidnapping Charles Lindbergh’s child.
Bonnie and Clyde are killed in a police ambush in Louisiana.
The 1934 Sports News:
Baseball World Series St Louis Cardinals.
US OPEN Golf winner Olin Dutra.
Pro Football Champs NY Giants.
Stanley Cup Winners, Chicago Black Hawks.
NCAA Hoop champs, Wyoming.
College Football champs Minnesota.
Kentucky Derby Winner M. Garner on Cavalcade.
Canadian Grey Cup Champs, Sarnia Imperials.
The great woman athlete Babe Didrikson pitches a scoreless inning for the Philadelphia Athletics in an exhibition game against the then Brooklyn Dodgers.
Franklin Roosevelt was the President of the United States; his Vice President was John Gamer.
The Pulitzer Prize Winner was Lamb in His Bossom by Caroline Williams.
The Nobel Prize Winner was Arthur Henderson.
The Miss America Pageant was not held in 1934.
In 1934 life expectancy was 59.7 years.
Living was pretty cheap in 1934 but of course wages were pretty low. A new home would cost you 5,972.00. The average income was 1,601 bucks a year. A new car would set you back 625.00 bucks.
The average rent was 20 dollars per month.
Tuition to Harvard was 410.00 per year.
Gasoline was going for 10 cents a gallon.
Food was pretty inexpensive in those days as well. How about granulated sugar 59 cents for 10 pounds, vitamin D milk 45 cents a gallon, ground coffee 35 cents a pound, bacon 25 cents a pound, eggs 17 per dozen, freshly ground hamburger 12 cents per pound, fresh baked bread Scents per loaf.
Some notables birth in 1934: Hank Aaron February 5th; Florence Henderson, Valentine’s Day the 14th; Norman Schwarzkopf, August 22nd; Sam Donaldson, March 11th; Shirley MacLaine, April 24th; Pat Boone, June 1st ; Harry Blackstone, June 30th; Jamie Farr, July 1st
The music off the year 1934 was as follows:
Cocktails for Two by Art Johnson and Sam Coslow; June in January by Leo Rubin; Moonglow by BennyGoodman; All I Do is Dream of You by Al Bowly; The Beat O My Heart by Ben Pollock, Carioca by Enric Madriguera; Everything I Have is Yours by Rudy Vallee; I Only Have Eyes For You by Ben Selvin; I Saw Stars by Freddie Martin; and Let’s Fall In Love by Eddy Duchin.
Movies of the day:
It Happened One Night, Academy Award winner. The Gay Divorcee, Here Comes the Navy, The House of Rothschild, The Thin Man, and White Parade.
Now for my main reason for choosing to research and feature 1934 was as follows so here goes:
This beautiful young Irish girl gave birth on the 9th of October in 1934 although the father took off she took care of her newborn and for a tiny young woman she packed a wicked right-hand and a temper to match which kept that boy on the straight and narrow. I know this story to be true and by heart because she named that newborn son Francis; now add the last name of Benjamin and you are in on it.
She’s gone now but I still thank her for her strictness and rules that seemed so unfair at times. I remember telling my kids when she was aging how she still thought she could beat me up, and her saying, “Damn right!”
