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The world’s Fair was held in Chicago Illinois from May 23rd 1933-1934. This was a year that was focused on technological innovation. Its motto was "Science Finds, Industry Applies, Man Conforms" It was held on a 427 acre piece of land in Burnham Park adjacent to the shore of Lake Michigan. The architecture of the fair mimicked the Art Deco theme; the buildings were painted many colors giving the fair the “Rainbow City” effect.
Many events occurred at the fair. They had Americas new “dream cars” on display. Among those included Cadillac’s V-16 limousine. Lincoln attended with their “concept car” that had the engine in the rear, 1934 Pontiac Series 603 4-door sedan, and 1934 Pontiac Series 603 2-door touring sedan. The best of show went to Packard. There was also an exhibit for the “homes of tomorrow” it was here that new home products and building materials were introduced to the public.
To a saddened crowd the presence of the German airship Graf Zeppelin brought mixed emotions. The ship reminded people of Adolf Hitler’s power earlier that year. The 776 foot ship circled Lake Michigan for two hours then left again in 25 minutes for Ohio.
For the first time in history the World Fair had paid for it self. It brought in more than $800,000, which was a huge turn over considering the Great Depression. In order for the fair to not be subsidized by the government, they financed it through price of admission and memberships, with an astonishing 48,769,227 visitors.
The 1-year-old son of aviator Charles Lindbergh was kidnapped from his home in New Jersey on March 1, 1932. Charles Lindbergh, Jr. was taken from his nursery that evening and his parents were notified at 10:00 p.m. A rickety, poorly built ladder was found outside the window of the second floor room, as well as a ransom note demanding $50,000. In the month of March alone, 13 notes were exchanged using intermediaries, like a taxi driver, to try to arrange an exchange of money. Unfortunately, the child's body was discovered in May that year, 4 miles from the Lindbergh home. It was determined that the child had been dead since March.
After a two-year investigation, the FBI arrested a German carpenter named Bruno Hauptmann. He was found guilty of extortion and murder in the Lindbergh case. Hauptmann's handwriting matched the ransom note and the wood used to make the ladder was the same wood used for the floor in his attic.
Hauptmann was sentenced to death and was electrocuted in April of 1936.
The Lindbergh Act was passed in 1932, making kidnapping a federal crime. Leora Herrick
On December 22, 1933 Paramount released Alice in Wonderland (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0023753/ ). The film was overloaded with stars such as Carey Grant, WC Fields, Gary Cooper, and many others who are now less well-known (http://www.alice-in-wonderland.fsnet.co.uk/film_tv_1933.htm). This version of Alice in Wonderland combined Lewis Carrol’s tales of “Alice in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking Glass” which gave the studio no shortage of storyline for the tale or characters.
Special effects were very limited in 1933, but the imaginative world Lewis Carrol created required some special filming techniques and suspending actors on wires. For the scene when Alice falls down the rabbit hole, Charlotte Henry who plays Alice was suspended from a wire. A clip of that scene is shown below. Other special effects used were rear-screen projections so that when Alice ate the cookies to make her shrink or grow, her surroundings appeared to change in size (http://www.alice-in-wonderland.fsnet.co.uk/film_tv_1933.htm).
It took Paramount only 56 days to produce Alice in Wonderland. The studio wanted to have the film ready for audiences by Christmas time, especially for the children to have something to enjoy during such troubling times (http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,746621-3,00.html). -Kelly Littell
AirFranceis founded (1933)
On October 7, 1933, at Le Bourget Airport in Paris, Air Minister Cot announced that France’s five commercial airlines had merged into one company, known as Air France [1]. The five companies were Air Orient, Air Union, Compagnie Générale Aéropostale, Compagnie Internationale de Navigation Aérienne (CIDNA) and Société Générale de Transport Aérien (SGTA) [2]. Guests at the announcement/banquet included “the air attachés of the Unites States and all other embassies and legations in Paris” [1].
Air France moved its operations to Casablanca, Marocco during World War II, but moved back to France in 1945 when all French air transport companies were nationalized [2]. A year later, the company officially inaugurated its first route from Paris to New York [3].
In the 1950s, Air France moved its main hub from Le Bourget to Paris Orly Airport [2] where they stayed until 1974 when they moved to Paris-Charles de Gaulle. CDG had since functioned as the main hub and corporate headquarters [3].
Air France introduced Concorde on January 21, 1976 with its Paris-Dakar-Rio de Janeiro Route [3] and was, together with British Airways, one of the two major airlines using the airplane. Both Air France and BA decided to ground their Concorde fleet permanently in 2003. [4]
In 2000 Air France, together with Delta, Aeromexico and Korean Air, created SkyTeam, a global airline alliance [3]. SkyTeam is the second largest alliance in the world, only beaten by Star Alliance [5].
In 2003/2004 Air France and Dutch airline KLM merged into Air France-KLM [3]. It is the largest airline company in the world in terms of international passenger traffic [6] and operating income [3].
[1] “5 FRENCH AIR LINES FORMALLY UNITED”
Wireless to THE NEW YORK TIMES
New York Times (1857-Current file); 8 Oct. 1933. ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times (1851 - 2005). pg. N3
On October 12, 1933 The United States Department of Justice acquired the U.S. disciplinary barracks on Alcatraz Island from the U.S. military. Alcatraz island is located in the San Francisco Bay 1 1/4-1 3/4 miles from the California coast, depending on your route to the city shore, made it an ideal isolated location. The barracks on the island had been used as early as 1861 to house POW’s from the Civil War. The facility that lays on the 22 acre island was in use as a federal prison from 1934 until 1963 when it was shut down by a decision made by attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. The penitentiary proved to be far too expensive to operate and maintain relative to more traditional, land-based correctional facilities. Alcatraz was acquired in an attempt to send a message to the rising crime of the post-prohibition/post-Depression era.
“The Rock” as it is commonly referred to, is situated over a mile from the city of San Francisco, and combined with the frigid waters of the bay made it nearly impossible to escape. However, this is not to say that there were not attempts. During the 29 years in which Alcatraz was a federal prison there were 14 separate escape attempts that involved 36 individuals, two of whom dared to venture off the island on multiple occasions. Most who attempted escape were caught at the shoreline and those who ventured into the water were shot or turned back after a brief stint in the harsh elements. Officially no man has successfully escaped Alcatraz, nevertheless there are 5 men who fled without being caught and are considered “missing and presumed dead”. The prison hosted famous criminals of its time, most notably infamous gangster and bootlegger, Al Capone. After its closure their were a short periods of occupation by Native Americans. In 1964 five Sioux Indians occupied the island for 4 hours. Again, in 1969 Alcatraz was occupied in a symbolic claiming of the land that turned into nearly two years of occupation, which played a large role in the “red power movement” of the late 60’s. Today Alcatraz is operated by national park service and serves as a historic site for tourism.
First drive in theater opens in Camden New Jersey (1933)
A patent was issued in the spring of 1933 for the first drive in theater. A man named Richard Hollingshead had and idea to have an outside open aired theater. He started a very low-tech drive-in in his own driveway, allowing his neighbors to come and see the show. Hollingshead mounted a projector to the roof of his car and placed a radio projecting the sound behind the screen he made of sheets. After receiving his patent, Hollingshead quickly found investors, and within months, the first drive in theater opened. After the opening, the drive in theater rapidly began to increase in popularity, especially with families. The drive in was an experience for the whole family; parents could bring noisy children unlike in a regular theater. The drive in theater caught on quick, and by 1936 you could find one in almost every state across the United States.
OnMarch 5, 1933, theGermanRepublicappointed Adolf HitlerGermany’s Dictator. This date marked the beginning of Hitler’s rise to power. The year of 1933 was filled with events that led to the Holocaust, the greatest tragedy in all of human history [1, 2]. Once elected into office, the Nazis began a “systematic takeover of the state governments throughoutGermany, ending a century’s old tradition of local political independence” [1]. Armed SA and SS thugs barged into local government offices and used the state of emergency decree as a pretext to throw out legitimate office holders and replace them with Nazi Reich commissioners [1]. This was only the beginning though.
OnMarch 23, 1933, the Enabling Act was passed byGermany’s Reichstag. This act granted the Cabinet the authority to enact laws without the participation of the Reichstag for four years [3]. The formal name of the Enabling Act was Gesetz zur Behebung der Not von Volk und Reich, which means "Law to Remedy the Distress of the People and the Nation" [4].
OnApril 1, 1933, “for the first time as dictator, Adolf Hitler turned his attention to the driving force which had propelled him into politics in the first place, his hatred of the Jews” [1]. It began with a simple boycott of Jewish-owned businesses, which was the first countrywide action against German Jewry after the Nazi takeover, legitimized anti-Jewish activity. “The boycott expressed the inception of a policy, which would gather momentum, of ousting Jews from economic and business affairs and undermining the economic basis of German Jewish existence” [5].
“Hitler ended Democracy, and brought down the German Democratic Republic legally. The Nazi Gleichschaltung began a massive coordination of all aspects of life under the swastika and the absolute leadership of Hitler. Under Hitler, the State, not the individual, was supreme. From the moment of birth, one existed to serve the State and obey the dictates of the Führer. Those who disagreed were disposed of” [1].
Opening in March 1933, the Dachau concentration camp was the first regular concentration camp established by the National Socialist (Nazi) government. Heinrich Himmler, in his capacity as police president of Munich, officially described the camp as "the first concentration camp for political prisoners." It was located on the grounds of an abandoned munitions factory near the northeastern part of the town of Dachau, about 10 miles northwest of Munich in southern Germany. (http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10005214)
Dachau served as a prototype and model for other Nazi concentration camps that followed. Its basic organization, camp layout as well as the plan for the buildings were developed by Kommandant Theodor Eicke and were applied to all later camps. (http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/dachau.html)
Close to the end of 1933, 4,821 registered prisoners had arrived in Dachau. By 1945, 206,206 prisoners had been registered.(http://www.holocaust-history.org/dachau-gas-chambers/) Initially the internees consisted primarily of German Communists, Social Democrats, trade unionists, and other political opponents of the Nazi regime. Over time, other groups were also interned at Dachau, such as Jehovah's Witnesses, Roma (Gypsies), homosexuals, as well as "asocials" and repeat criminal offenders. During the early years relatively few Jews were interned at Dachau primarily becuase they belonged to one of the above groups or had completed prison sentences after being convicted for violating the Nuremburg Laws of 1935. (http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10005214)
Appointed by Franklin Delano Roosevelt to the post of US Secretary of Labor, 1933-1945.
Perkins came from an upper middle class family in Massachusetts. Her parents supported her in her scholarly pursuits. She attended Mount Holyoke College where she graduated with a degree in economics. It was her experience in visiting factories that sparked her interest workers’ rights. She went on to Columbia University to get an M.A. in social economics. During her time at Columbia she witnessed the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. This was one of the biggest tragedies of the Industrial Revolution up to that point; 146 employees were killed in the fire. At the time the trial took place Perkins was the executive secretary of the New York Safety Committee, and she helped move the investigation forward. While on the Safety Committee she helped to get 36 labor-safety laws passed, including limited workweeks and worker’s comp.
From this point Perkin’s rose through the ranks of government. She was promoted to the state industrial commission and was later named as the head of the committee by FDR. When he moved on to the White House so did she, and thus she became the first female cabinet member in 1933. As the Roosevelt administration fought the Great Depression Perkin’s made great contributions to the New Deal legislation. But even more important than her contributions to the New Deal were her contributions to worker’s rights.
While serving as Secretary of Labor child labor was abolished, minimum wage was established, maximum hour laws were enacted and the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 enabled workers to utilize collective bargaining. And Perkins was one of the initiators and key backers of what would become Social Security.
Her revolutionary ideas shaped the country forever. They helped to bring the US out of its industrial haze and focused on bettering people’s lives, not only by providing jobs but by ensuring that the workplace would be safe and fair, and that retirement could be supplemented by social security.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the Great Depression, and the New Deal
In January 1931, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a democrat, became the 32nd President of the United States (www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/fr32.html). Immediately following his inauguration, he set into motion a series of acts that was unprecedented at the time and since has been compared to, the Hundred Days.
Roosevelt had foregone the traditional balls that marked a president’s inauguration (though he did participate in the parade), and went straight to work. By the afternoon of his inauguration, his cabinet was sworn in and his administration had begun (http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ma02/volpe/newdeal/hundred_days.html). The policies the Roosevelt Administration set during this time was called the “New Deal.” Much of his initial moves was to shore up a failing banking industry (for greater detail, please read http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/fdr-fireside/).
Perhaps the most famous acts Roosevelt did in these hundred days was institute at least seven pieces of legislation. Ranging from the Emergency Banking Relief Act, the Civilian Conservation Corps, Federal Emergency Relief Administration, Agricultural Adjustment Administration, Tennessee Valley Authority, National Industry Recovery Act, and the Public Works Administration, were all put into place by this president. Many of the acts (i.e. Federal Emergency Relief, Agricultural Adjustment) could be considered as bailouts for states or relief for farmers. Most of these acts (Conservation Corp, Tennessee Valley) were enacted to give the American public jobs such building roads, dams, and providing electricity to parts of Tennessee (Out of Many, Vol. 1, Brief 4th Edition)
It wasn’t until 1935, his second term, did Roosevelt enact yet another series of acts to help the American economy and its people. Some of the more well known acts came from this, including Social Security and the Fair Labor Standards act of 1938, which instituted a federal minimum wage and maximum hours (Out of Many, Vol. 1, Brief 4th Edition).
Todd Green
Hitler is Sworn in as German Chancellor
"I will employ my strength for the welfare of the German people, protect the Constitution and laws of the German people, conscientiously discharge the duties imposed on me, and conduct my affairs of office impartially and with justice to everyone." These were the lines spoken by Adolf Hitler when he was sworn is as the German Chancellor in January of 1933. Not having believed in the idea of a republic himself and at times attempting to destroy it, he was cheered by Nazi supporters who agreed with his stance on the republic. Applause and cheers flooded the celebrations with "Heil! Sieg Heil!," (Hail! Hail Victory!) being chanted by those who believed the hour of deliverance had come in the form of this man now gazing down at them. http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/riseofhitler/named.htm
Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel wrote about Hitler “At the same time that he terrorized his adversaries, he knew how to please, impress and charm the very interlocutors from whom he wanted support. Diplomats and journalists insist as much on his charm as they do on his temper tantrums. The savior admired by his own as he dragged them into his madness, the Satan and exterminating angel feared and hated by all others, Hitler led his people to a shameful defeat without precedent.” http://www.time.com/time/time100/leaders/profile/hitler.html
The reign of Hitler will never be forgotten and it was in this year that the people of Germany’s lives truly changed forever. Erin Boyle
The Gestapo Established (1933)
When Hitler became Chancellor he appointed Hermann Göring as the Interior Minister of Prussia.This position gave Göring control over the largest police force in Germany and in April of 1933 the Gestapo, short for “secret police” in German, would become the most ruthless and destructive section of the Nazi regime.Early on Göring suggested that Hitler extend the Gestapo throughout Germany.A year after Göring established the Gestapo; he gave full power to Heinrich Himmler.Because of the way the Nazi’s set up their government, the Gestapo was able to investigate anything thing that might hurt the Nazi regime.The carte blanche, a law passed in 1936, allowed the Gestapo to go about their duties without the interference of the court system.From treason, to espionage, the Gestapo was able to look into anything that appeared criminal. Another law that soon came into effect gave the Gestapo the job of opening up and running concentration camps.
The Gestapo was organized into five different departments, Department A (Enemies), Department B (Sects and Churches), Department C (Administration and Party Affairs), Department D (Occupied Territories), and Department E (Counterintelligence). One mostly associates the Gestapo with hunting down people in hiding, sending them to concentration camps and or killing them; especially focusing on Jews.The Gestapo was the primary source for the persecution of the Jews.As well as Jew; Catholics, Protestants, and Gays fell under Department B.The Gestapo was known for their long black coats, which later became band because the Nazi regime wanted to keep their identity a secret.The Gestapo was made up of volunteers and had about 40,000-50,000 people during its peak.The Gestapo is responsible for millions of deaths and will be unwillingly remembered for their devastating work during the Nazi regime. Alyssa Cain
King Kong Released, 1st film to play at Radio City Music Hall
-Jamelia Haughton
Tillamook Burn
One August afternoon in 1933 a forest fire was started on the northern coast range of Oregon in Tillamook. One of the worst fires ever in Oregon history; it destroyed 270,000 acres of forest, claimed the life of one member of the Civilian Conservation Corps, who had come out to help fight the fire, and resulted in a loss of over $200 million to the Oregon economy during the time of the depression. This was the first and most destructive fire in the "Tillamook burn." The Tillamok burn also encompasses the three subsequent fires happening every six years from 1933 until 1951.
The 1933 fire was started accidently by timber workers and although they tried to contain the fire it got out of hand quickly. To battle the fire the state got together 3000 men including help from the Civilian Conservation Corps. The fire also affected the surrounding areas including raising the temperature to 120° a quarter of a mile away. According to a news article, "Charred needles from the burning trees fell in the streets of Tillamook 20 miles to the west." The fire was finally put out in September with the help of the rain.
The fire had many consequences for the environment and the economy. By 1951, the Oregon Department of Forestry reports the total of 355,000 acres had been destroyed by the Tillamook burn. In 1949 the restoration project began before the last small fire of 1951 to help bring back and forest and prevent future forest fires. "Helicopters were used for the first time for large-scale aerial seeding," and workers, school children and prisoners helped to plant 72 million seedlings to restore the burned area. However they only planted douglas fir seeds not restoring the forest to its natural state. The fire had a huge economic impact on the timber industry. In fact many companies who had lost the business couldn't afford the land any more. The government took over the land and in 1973 Governor Tom McCall renamed it the Tillamook State Forest. Now the scared tree trunks are still among the many evergreen trees attesting to the history of the forest.
In 1933, the Depression was at its most intense, though oddly enough it didn't hit the Walt Disney Studios very hard. Disney Animation in fact was thriving during the Depression because their shorts were popular escapist entertainment for people who were suffering from troubles of the economy. The most popular short at this time was one called The Three Little Pigs. Released on May 27, 1933, this Disney short was distributed through United Artists. The short was filmed in Technicolor (which was a brand new process at the time) and was one of the first couple shorts to be made in this process. Included in the voice cast were stalwart character voice actors like Pinto Colvig (Goofy) as the Practical Pig and Billy Bletcher (WB Looney Tunes' Papa Bear) as the Big Bad Wolf. The short was so popular upon its initial release that it even took top billing over some of the feature films that it was presented with. It is believed by some that the short became so popular because many believed that the short was an allegory for the Depression. The allegory implied is that the Big Bad Wolf
represents the Depression that was blowing at people's door every day. If people built their houses on sticks and straw and like to play all day, they
would likely have their house blown down. But if they acted like the hard working Practical Pig who built a house out of bricks, they would keep the Wolf at bay.The short's theme song, "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf,"written by Frank Churchill, was just as popular as the
short itself. The song became an unofficialanthem for Depression era workers who would not let that wolf called the Depression blow them down. The short is still seen today as a fine piece of
animation as well as an important product of the period it was created in.
On June 6 the world’s first drive in movie theatre opened in Camden, New Jersey. Richard Hollingshead Jr. tested visual and sound techniques in his drive way by mounting a camera on the hood of his car and hanging a screen from the trees (http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2008/06/dayintech_0606). Hollingshead came up with the idea after his mother – a rather large woman – complained about not fitting comfortably in movie theatre seats. He figured that watching a movie in the comfort of your own car would be a wonderful alternative (http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/drive-in.html). He patented his idea in May and opened the drive-in just three weeks later. Hollingshead’s original slogan to get patrons to his theatre was, “The whole family is welcome, regardless of how noisy the children are” (http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2008/06/dayintech_0606). Reportedly, Hollingshead’s largest obstacle when developing the drive-in was ensuring that each car would have a good view of the screen, and after playing around with different techniques he developed ramps that raised some cars slightly higher than others.(http://www.nj.gov/hangout_nj/200403_driveins_p1.html).
The first showing at Hollingshead’s theatre was Wife Beware. It was shown three times throughout the night attracting more than 600 people. The cost to get into the drive-in was 25 cents per car and an additional 25 cents per person; however, no car would pay more than a dollar (http://www.nj.gov/hangout_nj/200403_driveins_p1.html).- Amy Wicks
KING KONG-1933
King Kong was influenced by the "Lost World" literary genre, particularly Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World (1912) and Edgar Rice Burroughs' The Land That Time Forgot (1918), which depicted remote and isolated jungles teeming with prehistoric life. Furthermore, a film adaptation of the Doyle novel made movie history in 1925, with special effects by Willis O'Brien and the Kong crew.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Kong_(1933_film)
In the early 20th century, few zoos had primate exhibits so there was popular demand to see them on film. William S. Campbell specialized in monkey-themed films with Monkey Stuff and Jazz Monkey in 1919, with Prohibition Monkey following in 1920. Kong producer Schoedsack had earlier monkey experience directing Chang in 1927 (also with Cooper) and Rango in 1931, both of which prominently featured monkeys in authentic jungle settings.
Although King Kong was not the first important Hollywood film to have a thematic music score (many silent films had multi-theme original scores written for them), it's generally considered to be the most ambitious early film to showcase an all-original score, courtesy of a promising young composer, Max Steiner.
It was also the first hit film to offer a life-like animated central character in any form. Much of what is done today with CGI animation has its conceptual roots in the stop motion animation that was pioneered in King Kong. Willis O'Brien, credited as "Chief Technician" on the film, has been lauded by later generations of film special effects artists as an outstanding genius of founder status. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024216/
Lexi Kendall
Prohibition Ends (1933)
On December 5, 1933, the 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified. This repealed the 18th Amendment and brought an end to the era of national prohibition of alcohol in America. In fact, one of the first acts of the Roosevelt Administration was the repeal of Prohibition. This was done in a two-step process. The first step was the "Beer Revenue Act," which legalized beer and wine with an alcohol content of up to 3.2%. The second step was the passage of the 21st Amendment to the Constitution, which legalized liquor once again.
During the 1920s people hoped that Prohibition would eliminate all corruptions in places; however, it was Prohibition itself that became a major source of corruption. According to the History Channel Web site, "Everyone from major politicians to even the police took bribes from bootleggers, moonshiners, crime bosses, owners of speakeasies, and even smugglers who were drunkards themselves." Thus, everyone needed to get their alcohol.
Many Americans could not fight their desire for a glass of whiskey or wine. In fact, if someone had been caught smuggling an alcoholic beverage in public, they would be charged with a huge fine. Moreover, if they were unable to pay the fee, they would be put in jail for six months or until they could pay the fine.
Ultimately, Prohibition failed because it tried to eliminate the supply of alcohol without reducing the demand for alcohol.
Sources:
"Prohibition ends." 2009. The History Channel website. 26 Jan 2009. <http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=7102>.
"The law provides that persons suffering from hereditary taints must be rendered sterile through compulsory surgical operations if the experience of medical science proves that their offspring would inherit bodily or mental defects" (New York Times,http://0-proquest.umi.com.janus.uoregon.edu/pqdweb?did=223726692&sid=2&Fmt=10&clientId=11238&RQT=309&VName=HNP). The Sterilization Law was introduced in 1933 but was enacted and took effect on January 1, 1934. The purpose of the law was for racial purity and hereditary hygiene. Dr. Joseph Paul Goebbels, Minister of Propaganda said, "Germany can be lifted to a higher cultural level only by race purity and the attainment of national puissance" (http://0-proquest.umi.com.janus.uoregon.edu/pqdweb?did=223726692&sid=2&Fmt=10&clientId=11238&RQT=309&VName=HNP). "The law is aimed at congential feeble-mindedness, hereditary insanity, epilepsy, St. Vitus dance, blindness, deafness, serious bodily deformities, and chronic alcoholism." Besides the Sterilization Law allowing surgical operations to sterilze "unfit" people. The law also allows the denial of marriage permits if both applicants are unable to "measure up to the eugenic standards of the Third Reich" (New York Times, Aug 6 1933).
However, eugenics and sterilization was not just limited to Nazi Germany. The US also had its fair share of sterilization. "Germany is by no means the first to enact laws to permit or compel sterilization of hereditary mental defectives. Some 15,000 unfortunates have thus far been...operated upon in the United States to prevent them from propagating their own kind" (New York Times, Aug 8, 1933,http://0-proquest.umi.com.janus.uoregon.edu/pqdweb?did=105797627&sid=2&Fmt=10&clientId=11238&RQT=309&VName=HNP). Jayson Choe
The Dust Bowl(1930-1939)
As if the 1930s weren’t hard enough, there was a severe drought throughout the Great Plains of America. The drought started in 1930 and hurt the once fertile farms, causing a layer of dust to form and blow over several states and in the skies (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/dustbowl/timeline/index.html). This phenomenon lead to the name the Dust Bowl and referred to the entire dust-covered area, which lasted nearly ten years (http://www.usd.edu/anth/epa/dust.html). “Technically, the driest region of the Plains – southeastern Colorado, southwest Kansas and the panhandles of Oklahoma and Texas – became known as the Dust Bowl, and many dust storms started there” (http://www.livinghistoryfarm.org/farminginthe30s/water_02.html). Sometimes the dust would blow as far as New York and land in the Atlantic Ocean.
In 1933 there were several immense dust storms, and on November 11 there was a very long one in South Dakota (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dust_Bowl). The droughts alongside the storms caused a mass migration of people west, mostly to California, since many people had been rendered homeless and without a job. John Steinbeck’s book the Grapes of Wrath (1939) deals with a family who has to leave Oklahoma to go to California in order to make a better life(First of all, I read it in high school, but I checked with http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~stephan/Steinbeck/grapes.html).
“And then the dispossessed were drawn west- from Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico; from Nevada and Arkansas, families, tribes, dusted out, tractored out. Car-loads, caravans, homeless and hungry; twenty thousand and fifty thousand and a hundred thousand and two hundred thousand. They streamed over the mountains, hungry and restless - restless as ants, scurrying to find work to do - to lift, to push, to pull, to pick, to cut - anything, any burden to bear, for food” – John Steinbeck (http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/depression/dustbowl.htm).
However like many people during the Great Depression, life did not improve much once they arrived. In fact, in October 1934 the largest agricultural strike to date occurred in a settlement much like the one from Steinbeck’s novel. Several people were injured and two people were killed, and the strike lasted for twenty-four days (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/dustbowl/timeline/index.html).
Charles Darrow invented Monopoly in 1933. His invention rose to quick success and fame. It was 1934, the height of the Great Depression, when Charles B. Darrow of Germantown, Pennsylvania, showed what he called the MONOPOLY game to the executives at Parker Brothers. They rejected the game due to "52 design errors"! Like many other Americans, he was unemployed at the time and the game's exciting promise of fame and fortune inspired him to produce the game on his own. With help from a friend who was a printer, Mr. Darrow sold 5,000 handmade sets of the MONOPOLY game to a Philadelphia department store. People loved the game! But as demand for the game grew, he couldn't keep up with all the orders and came back to talk to Parker Brothers again. The rest, as they say, is history! In its first year, 1935, the MONOPOLY game was the best-selling game in America. And over its 65-year history, an estimated 500 million people have played the game of MONOPOLY! (http://www.hasbro.com/games/kid-games/monopoly/default.cfm?page=History/history).
Even though Darrow was mostly credited for the creation of Monopoly, many sources have said that the game itself was already created and patented. According to history.com, “Monopoly is related very closely to a game called The Landlord's Game, which was created and patented in 1904 by Elizabeth (Lizzie) J. Magie, from Virginia. Magie developed the game, which, like Monopoly, had 40 spaces, four railroads, two utilities, 22 rental properties, and spaces for Jail, Go to Jail, Luxury Tax, and Parking, as a way to teach the single-tax theory. Magie, a Quaker, was a firm believer in the single-tax theory's basic tenet, that a person's taxes should be based on the amount of land that he owned, which was a popular idea around the turn of the century” (http://www.history.com/content/toys/toys-games/monopoly).
Monopoly is very popular worldwide and grosses millions of dollars per year. Today, Monopoly is sold in more than 80 countries and has been translated into 26 languages, including Braille. Most foreign editions use their own currency and property names; Boardwalk is Mayfair in England, Schlossallee in Germany, and Rue de la Paix in France. Tournament play is conducted local, national, and international levels, and the first Monopoly World Championship was held in 1973 (http://www.history.com/content/toys/toys-games/monopoly).
Below is a Youtube video that shows a snip-it of the Monopoly mega edition tournament
Jamelia Haughton
FDR's Fireside Chats
March 12, 1933
During the Great Depression, Franlkin Delano Roosevelt addresses the nation for the first time as the President in his first fireside chat. During his term of Presidency, Roosevelt gave a series of 33 evening radio speeches used to gain more repore with the American people.
Roosevelt first used “fireside chats” during his term as governor of New York in 1929. He used this time to appeal to the public in order to help pass his agenda.
During the Great Depression, Roosevelt used fireside chats to raise the morale of the public, greeting the public, “Good evening, friends,” and urging them to show faith in the banks and their ability to come out of the Depression. He also asked them to support his New Deal measures, “to give work relief to unemployed, to reform business practices, and aid the recovery of the economy” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Deal).
Because of the success of “fireside chats,” they attracted more listeners than the most popular radio shows. This time was known as the “Golden Age of Radio” and Roosevelt’s chats were partly responsible.
The chats continued until 1944, with topics ranging from the situation with currency, to economic conditions, and national security to war progress. It was one of the first times a President took the time to directly address the nation to inform them on the progress of national issues and events.
1933 Wiley Post: First solo Pilot to fly around the world
On July 15, 1933 Wiley left New York on his solo trip around the world. The previous record of flying around the world was held by a man that didn’t use a fixed-wing aircraft and it took him 22 days. Wiley was destined to break it with his plane, a Lockheed vega. His trip in 1933 was his second trip around the world because this time he was alone without a navigator and he beat his previous time in 7 days and 19 hours; beating his previous time by 21 hours. In 1934 he also developed the first pressurized suit to enable high altitude long distance flights. He was eventually able to reach heights of 50,000 ft which was a huge feet in the day. In 1935 Wiley was killed in a plane crash on his way back from Alaska. Wiley made great advances in airplane aviations, which changed the way that we fly today. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiley_Post Ashley McArthur
On January 5, 1933 the Golden Gate Bridge began construction but was not completed until four years later in 1937. At the time of its construction the Golden Gate was the longest suspension bridge in the world, but has since been passed by eight others, including Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in New York City. The Golden Gate runs where the San Francisco Bay meets the Pacific Ocean along Highway 101 and connects downtown San Francisco to Marin County in the North Bay Peninsula (http://www.inetours.com/Pages/SFNbrhds/Golden_Gate_Bridge.html). Prior to the construction of the bridge a ferry transported people from downtown to Marin County, but it was considered very dangerous because of the strong currents. The tough weather conditions one of the most difficult obstacles during the construction of the bridge (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/goldengate/). Over the past several decades the Golden Gate Bridge has become the symbol of San Francisco and has been voted one of the top five pieces of architecture in the United States. The bridge is also very expensive to maintain. Every vehicle that is going into the city has to pay a $5 toll, all of which goes directly to keeping the bridge in excellent condition (http://www.goldengate.org/). -WILL CRUMPACKER
The End of Prohibition
The 21st amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified on December 5, 1933 which repealed the 18th amendment and ended a 13-year period of nationwide prohibition, during which the manufacture, distribution, and sale of alcoholic beverages was illegal.
Article V of the Constitution describes the methods of ratifying. There are two ways to ratify an amendment into the United States Constitution either by“..the Legislatures of three fourths of the several States or by Conventions in three fourths.” Prior to 1933, the former had been the only one used, which does not require the people to vote. However, many state legislators were Pro-Prohibition and may have tried to defeat the amendment thus Congress stipulated that conventions of states should vote on the amendment.
Section 2. The transportation or importation into any State, Territory, or possession of the United States for delivery or use therein of intoxicating liquors, in violation of the laws thereof, is hereby prohibited.
Section 3.This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by conventions in the several States, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the States by the Congress. Melissa Stout
Radio Astronomy - 1. Studies celestial objects at radio frequencies (wikipedia).
2. Astronomy dealing with radio waves received from outside the Earth's atmosphere (Merriam
Webster)
Radio Astronomy was born when Karl Jansky, an engineer discovered radio waves coming from space. Jansky was hired by Bell Telephone Laboratories to study static. Bell was concerned that the static would interfere with radio signals and calls. Jansky set up an antenna that would rotate in order to collect the signals. Jansky found a signal that was unknown that came once a day (every 23 hours and 56 minutes). The signal peaked from a direction that wasn't coming from the sun. Jansky found that the signal was in fact coming from the exact center of the Milky Way galaxy (specifically, the Sagittarius constellation).
Jansky wanted to follow up his discovery and learn more about the radio waves, but Bell Laboratories said no. They had found out that the radio waves were not interfering with radio signals, so his job was done. After this, Jansky never took part in Radio Astronomy again.
When the waves were discovered, NY Times reported on it. They said that there was no evidence that these radio waves are the result of some kind of alien communication trying to break through the Earth's atmosphere.
This video has a short section in which they talk about Karl Jansky. It also shows what a modern Radio Telescope looks like. Radio telescopes are now extremely beneficial to science because they do not need light to study space matter. The section that talks about Jansky is from about :57 to 1:35 ish.
NEW RADIO WAVES TRACED TO CENTRE OF THE MILKY WAY :Mysterious Static, Reported by K.G. Jansky, Held to Differ From Cosmic Ray. DIRECTION IS UNCHANGING Recorded and Tested for More Than Year to Identify It as From Earth's Galaxy. ITS INTENSITY IS LOW Only Delicate Receiver Is Able to Register -- No Evidence of Interstellar Signaling.. (1933, May 5). New York Times (1857-Current file),1. Retrieved January 27, 2009, from ProQuest Historical Newspapers The New York Times (1851 - 2005) database. (Document ID: 99306652).
On April 4th, 1933 the largest Unites States airship “Akron”, crashed into the sea outside New Jersey, killing all but three of its 76 men on board. Although this airship had embarked on a few successful trips before this day, the pilots were unable to prepare for the storm that would claim the lives of its crew. Despite, the area experiencing violent weather that day, and helium ships susceptibility to experiencing difficulties during storms, the Akron was not told to land. While trying to exchange information from the vessel to the ground, confusion took over and the Akron was flown directly into a storm over the Atlantic Ocean, instead of around it. The severe wind in the area sent the ship plummeting nearly 1,000 feet in only a few quick seconds. After the loss of control, the Akron plunged directly into the ocean, causing devastation to nearly everyone on board. While trying to rescue the survivors from the crash, airship J-3 also crashed in the storm, killing two of its seven members. Unfortunately, the wreckage of these two ships was the worst airship crash since 1925, when 14 people died on September 3rd upon the crash of airship “Shenandoah”.
-Joseph Sullivan
Loch Ness Monster Sighting (1933)
This photo turned out to be a fake.
The modern legend of Loch Ness Monster dates from 1933, when a new road was completed along the shore, offering the first clear views of the loch from the northern side. One April afternoon, a local couple was driving home along this road when they spotted "an enormous animal rolling and plunging on the surface." Their account was written up by a correspondent for the Inverness Courier, whose editor used the word "monster" to describe the animal. The Loch Ness Monster has been a media phenomenon ever since.
Most of the witnesses described a large creature with one or more humps protruding above the surface like the hull of an upturned boat. Others reported seeing a long neck or flippers. What was most remarkable, however, was that many of the eyewitnesses were sober, level-headed people.-http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/lochness/legend.html
If you try to search for the Loch Ness Monster on Youtube, you have a very high chance of being Rick Rolled. However, it could be that “Nessie” may to have an American counterpart.
Alanna Steeves
Alice In Wonderland (1933)
On December 22, 1933 Paramount released Alice in Wonderland (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0023753/ ). The film was overloaded with stars such as Carey Grant, WC Fields, Gary Cooper, and many others who are now less well-known (http://www.alice-in-wonderland.fsnet.co.uk/film_tv_1933.htm). This version of Alice in Wonderland combined Lewis Carrol’s tales of “Alice in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking Glass” which gave the studio no shortage of storyline for the tale or characters.
Special effects were very limited in 1933, but the imaginative world Lewis Carrol created required some special filming techniques and suspending actors on wires. For the scene when Alice falls down the rabbit hole, Charlotte Henry who plays Alice was suspended from a wire. A clip of that scene is shown below. Other special effects used were rear-screen projections so that when Alice ate the cookies to make her shrink or grow, her surroundings appeared to change in size (http://www.alice-in-wonderland.fsnet.co.uk/film_tv_1933.htm).
Chicago World’s Fair: A Century of Progress (1933-34)
A Century of Progress International Exposition was held to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the incorporation of the City of Chicago. The Chicago World’s Fair included replicated village settings from around the world (complete with costumed actors). Countries like Japan, China, Italy and France had their own pavilions and exhibits. The fair had a carnival atmosphere as well; it was located on the waterfront, and it had fantasy themed castles, roller coaster rides and children’s entertainment.
Despite any international pavilions or carnival rides, the main purpose of the fair was to serve as an exposition of science, entertainment, and industry and its relation to the people, the state, and the world at large. Likewise, the fair was largely funded by American industries and institutions that created vast exhibits to show off their progress, power and innovations. These exhibits and attractions featured here included such topics as “Firestone Tires, Chrysler, Air Travel, Kraft Mayonnaise, Prehistoric Animals” and the “Hall of Science.” Despite this enlightened atmosphere the fair also included exhibits that would be shocking if not illegal today. This included “offensive portrayals of African-Americans, and a “Midget City” complete with “sixty Lilliputians,” and an exhibition of incubators containing real babies.”
Admission to the fair was 50 cents for adults and 25 cents for children. It lasted from May 27, 1933 and closed November 12 of that year. Although originally planned for the 1933, season only, it was extended for another year, reopening on May 26, 1934, and closing on October 31, 1934. This extension was due in part to the fair's popularity, but mainly as an effort to earn sufficient income to pay off its debts.
Initially, the United States’ prohibition of alcohol was enacted to end violence and corruption, reduce poverty, and improve health (http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=1017). Judging by the results of prohibition, the “noble experiment” was an outright failure. Corruption and alcohol consumption ironically increased dramatically, organized crime became rampant, and government tax spending greatly increased (http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=1017). Drinking became a household habit, whereas before prohibition drinking was a social pastime activity that was only seen in bars, clubs, or restaurants (http://www.mcwilliams.com/books/aint/402.htm). Citizens committed more illegal crimes than ever before with prohibition, such as the purchasing of alcohol in speakeasies or producing their own alcohol inside their private homes (http://www.mcwilliams.com/books/aint/402.htm). Industrial use only alcohol, grain alcohol, could be easily changed into drinkable gin with an easy recipe mixed in the home bathtub: hence the term “bathtub gin” (http://www.mcwilliams.com/books/aint/402.htm). Likewise, the government funded the California grape growers’ production of Vine-Glo, which was the non-alcoholic replacement to wine. However, with a few alterations Vine-Glo coud be made into wine in sixty days (http://www.mcwilliams.com/books/aint/402.htm).
President Hoover, who increased prohibition funding, seemed to be the only supporter of national prohibition by 1931; however, the next president in 1932, Franklin D. Roosevelt, raised the approved alcohol content in beer and eventually ratified the 21st amendment in 1933 (http://library.thinkquest.org/04oct/00492/End_of_Prohibition.htm).
-Maggie Harris
42nd Street (1933)
“Categorized a ‘backstage musical’ because it supposedly gives the audience an insider’s view of the doing of the cast, [42nd Street] helped create the myth of the gutsy chorus girl. In the plot, Ruby Keeler…takes over at the last minute for the ailing star” (American Popular Culture Through History). “42nd Street introduced a new element-song and dance numbers created by Busby Berkeley especially for movies, bursting far beyond the bounds of what could be done on stage” (Showstoppers).
“Musicals were not much in favor at the box office until 1933...in that year an almost bankrupt Warner Brothers released 42nd Street” (American Popular Culture Through History). Jack Warner originally did not want to revive the musical, but “Darryl F. Zanuck, then executive production chief for Warner’s, persuaded the company to produce [the] musical” (The Busby Berkeley Book). Zanuck predicted that42nd Streetwould be successful because it “would have a strong story and a superior cast, together with a fresh score and well-photographed production numbers” (The Busby Berkeley Book). The company set the budget at four hundred thousand dollars, and like Zanuck predicted, the movie musical was a huge sensation and very profitable. “The film reignited the musical comedy flame that MGM had lit with Broadway Melody almost exactly four years before” (Lullabies of Hollywood). “42nd Street became a landmark film. It turned the tide for movie musicals, and helped Warner’s to grow into a major studio introducing new, great talent” (The Busby Berkeley Book). “Knowing a good thing when they saw it, Warners not only repeated the formula immediately, but kept the same cast and crew at it” (A History of Movie Musicals).Perry Fox
Fehr, Richard, and Frederick G. Vogel. Lullabies of Hollywood. Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Inc., 1993.
Kobal, John. A History of Movie Musicals. New York: Exeter Books, 1983.
Kreuger, Miles, ed. The Movie Musical. New York: Dover Publications, INC., 1975.
Rubin, Martin. Showstoppers. New York: Columbia UP, 1993.
Thomas, Tony, Jim Terry, and Busby Berkeley. The Busby Berkeley Book. Greenwich: New York Graphic Society, Ltd., 1973.
Mt. Rushmore is dedicated
March 3rd, 1933 saw the official dedication of the famous mountain carvings done in the Black Hills of South Dakota. This is only one of several dedication dates for this monument; after each face was carved out there would be an official dedication for that president. March 3rd more represents the date in which the National Park Service took over jurisdiction of the land (Carving History). Doane Robinson came up with the original idea in 1923 and had hired Gutzon Borglum to contract the project. Borglum came in to test the site to see how the site would stand the carving (Carving History). The idea was to honor the past 150 years of our nation and its great leaders. However, once activity began in 1925, many events impeded the completion of the monument such as weather (S.D. has very extreme winter and summer seasons) and the biggest hurdle of them all, funding (PBS), the project was estimated at around $900,000. The monument took 14 years to reach its current state and when once Borglum had died, all work ceased and nothing has been done since, nor is scheduled (Mt. Rushmore.net). The name of Mt. Rushmore came about from a wealthy N.Y. gentleman named Charles E. Rushmore, who was heavily invested in the Black Hills area-mining scene. Pat Rosborough
In May of 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt enacted the Securities Act (also known as “1933 Act”, "Truth in Securities Act", or "Federal Securities Act") as part of the New Deal. The Securities Act was in response of the Stock crash in 1929. Some people blamed lack of regulation of the stock market was responsible for the crash, which later led into the Great Depression.
The Act had two main objectives, which were to require that investors get significant information concerning securities being offered for public sale and to prohibit fraud in the sales to the public.
The Securities Act of 1933 along with the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 led to the formation of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The Act required that companies be registered through the SEC and include business information, names of the managers of the company, financial statements, and the percent of the company that the stockowner held. The SEC’s aim was to protect investor from indiscretions that could come from fraudulent companies or dishonest individuals dealing in the securities markets. The SEC uses four major departments to regulate the stock markets including The Division of Corporate Finance, Division of Market Regulation, Division of Investment Management, and the Division of Enforcement. The SEC has now being running for about 75 years and, until recently, successfully regulated the stock market. The SEC has been working with the Department of the Treasury, the Federal Reserve, and other regulators to protect the investors and the markets, however, the SEC in current times has been criticized for failing to do what it was created for and has taken some blame in the Stock Market Crash of 2008. The 28th SEC chairman, Christopher Cox, recently stepped down from his post early due to criticism that the investment banks that the SEC was supposed to be supervising collapsed, that the SEC interfered with free markets, and that the organization failed to spot an alleged 50 billion dollar securities fraud. In January 2009, Mary Schapiro was sworn in to replace Christopher Cox as the new SEC Chairman.
Vol. I , No. 1 of News-Week (it would change to Newsweek in 1937) contained seven phtographs on the cover and consisted of only32 pages. It could be purchased on news stands for only a dime or a yearly subscription for just $4. In contrast to Time, the pre-existing news weekly magazine (which started in 1923), News-Week wanted to cover the important news from each day of the week (seven photos, each from a different day) compared to Time, which examined a few issues in depth.
Monday's picture was Adolf Hitler before 15,000 people where he declared "the German nation must be built up from the ground anew." On Wednesday, Franklin Roosevelt's election was certified by Congress. This week and, in large part the year, was a perfect time to start a new publication like News-Week. FDR takes office while Hoover steps down, the economic situation is begining to rebound while in Europe the NAZIs kept growing in power. One of the first article's headlines was: "A Blank Check for Roosevelt: Congress Proposes, Weighs, Then Delays Grant of Extraordinary Powers to the Next President."
Obviously this time was a period of growing media and media influence in American culture. Newspapers where thriving, magazines and radio were becoming more popular than ever. The news that media reported on and spread to the masses began to build a destinct American identity that brought the culture of many Americans together more than ever. This gradual change in media culture influenced the period because now more Americans could become tuned in to national issues and consume more information that previous generations. And the news was griping and powerful. One thing the 1930's wasn't lacking was news.-MICHAEL CALCAGNO
In 1935 a woman from New Jersey named Dorothea Lange set out with her second husband, Paul Schuster Taylor to document the many displaced families during the Great Depression [2]. She and her huband were hired by the Farm Security Organization in order to investigate and document the living conditions of the migrants families working in Arizona and California. She took the photographs and he took down the information. Lange once said that she believed the camera could teach people "to see without a camera" [3], and that is obviously one of her aims in this, her first attempt at documentary photography. Her images became icons of an age and brought to public attention, the ignored and suffering masses. Her work there ended in 1939 [1].
After the Great Depression she went on to photograph and document the Japanese American internment camps during World War II and also covered the founding of the United Nations in San Francisco, California. On May 28th, 2008 Maria Schriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger announced her inductment into the California Museum for History, Women, and The Arts [2].
Students recite the national anthem at Weill School in San Francisco in 1942, just prior to the initiation of the internment camps (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorothea_Lange)
On May 7, 1933 Johnny Unitas was born. Even though he was one of the greatest quarterbacks to play the game of American football, he was more of an icon for 1950s Americana and was one of the cultural and athletic monoliths for what Tom Brokaw called the Greatest Generation. Oddly enough, Unitas was of Lithuanian descent but it didn't stop him from being the American idol for a quarterback as he wore a clean buzz cut in his early days and played for the iconic Baltimore Colts, racking up nearly every MVP, championship, and other award between 1957 and 1967. What was important about the Golden Arm was that he was a conservative in expression, belief, and appearance which allowed him to accede to any position of fan support as he was a man without flaws. The birth of such influential cultural icons of the 1950s and 1960s were happening during these early years of the Warner Brothers Studio and allows us to see what type of media was influencing the early childhood development of what can be arguably called the greatest generation and how that translated into the popular art forms of their time. Did all of those Mob movies culminate into a organized crime task forces and RICO laws? What can be easily discerned is the wholesome image that was projected as the zenith of human innovation on cinematic screens provided yet onther model/example/blueprint for the adolescent society of the time period. Johhny Unitas was more than an amazing quarterback, he was America's action figure that showed good things can come from compliance.
On March 4, 1933, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was sworn in as the 32nd President of the United States. Roosevelt, who had served as a senator and as the governor of New York, faced one of the toughest challenges a president has ever had to deal with, the Great Depression. In his inauguration speech, Roosevelt boldly addressed a nation concerned with the current economic state, delivering the famous words, “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
Roosevelt went to work on his “New Deal” very quickly after being inaugurated. The “New Deal” was based on the idea that the federal government’s help was needed in order to bring America out of the Great Depression. He passed banking reform laws and created the Social Security Act as well as various programs that gave aid to struggling Americans. The “New Deal” was successful, improving the lives of Americans who had suffered the devastating events of the depression, as well as setting a new standard for the government’s role in economic and social affairs. Danny Martin
During a speech on February 15, 1933 at 9:15 p.m., Giuseppe Zangara made an assassination attempt on President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt in Miami. At only 5 feet tall Zangara, had to stand on a chair to take aim at Roosevelt. Zangara fired 6 times. His aim was thrown off as he lost his footing and someone near him in the crowd struck his arm. He missed Roosevelt, but hit Chicago mayor Anton Cermak, and 4 bystanders. FDR was sworn into office 17 days after the incident, and Cermak died two days after the inauguration on March 6th. The other stricken bystanders eventually recovered.
Born in 1900, Giuseppe Zangara was an Italian immigrant who had just moved from New Jersey to Florida. He had previously been a bricklayer. Zangara had suffered from severe abdomen pain since his childhood. This pain is often used as an explanation for his mental delusions. Since the age of 17 Zangara had wanted to “kill kings and presidents” due to them being Socialist, Communist or Fascist. Zangara was angry with Roosevelt and Herbert Hoover over their treatment of the Great Depression.
32 days after the shooting, Zangara was executed on March 20 in a Florida electric chair called Old Sparky. He was very smart-mouthed with the judge who sentenced him, and his last words to the sheriff at the chair controls were “Pusha da button!"
Although Zangara was not successful in his assassination attempt of the President-elect, his actions were still deemed worthy enough to become a segment in John Weidman's 1990 musical "Assassins." The popular musical finally reached Broadway in 2004.
Hurwitt, Robert. From Booth to Oswald, each assassin gets a spotlight Creepy and catchy songs carry low-budget 'Assassins' San Francisco Chronicle (CA); 05/25/2004.
Picchi, Blaise. The Five Weeks of Giuseppe Zangara: The Man Who Would Assassinate FDR. Academy Chicago Publishers. 1998.
On October 12, 1933 The United States Department of Justice acquired the U.S. disciplinary barracks on Alcatraz Island from the U.S. military. Alcatraz island is located in the San Francisco Bay 1 1/4-1 3/4 miles from the California coast, depending on your route to the city shore, made it an ideal isolated location. The barracks on the island had been used as early as 1861 to house POW’s from the Civil War. The facility that lays on the 22 acre island was in use as a federal prison from 1934 until 1963 when it was shut down by a decision made by attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. The penitentiary proved to be far too expensive to operate and maintain relative to more traditional, land-based correctional facilities. Alcatraz was acquired in an attempt to send a message to the rising crime of the post-prohibition/post-Depression era.
Karl Jansky Showing Location of Radio Waves
Comments (3)
Todd Green said
at 11:09 am on Jan 26, 2009
Dachau is indeed a scary and emotional place, even visiting it about 50 years after its liberation and closure.
Jason Rosselet said
at 8:34 am on Jan 29, 2009
I posted, but can't see it unless I'm in edit? Is this just me?
Nichole Johnson said
at 9:54 am on Jan 29, 2009
No, me too :(
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