Year 1933 Fun Facts, Trivia, and History Events

This quick read presents a collection of fun facts, trivia, and history events from the year 1933. Discover the year’s top news stories, most influential people, sports facts, historic firsts, entertainment news, and much more.

Take a journey through history in just minutes.

1. In 1933, President Roosevelt, King Kong, and Nazi Germany were all on center stage. Cucumber sandwiches and carrot cake were crowd-pleasers, and Robert and Betty were two of the most popular baby names.
2. A Philco model 14L radio cost $85.00, a banana split was 15 cents, and Westinghouse light bulbs were 18 cents apiece.
3. The United States was still in the early stages of the Great Depression (1929-39). Unemployment was a staggering 25.2 percent, inflation was -5.11 percent, and GDP growth was at its lowest point in history up to that point. Over 15,000,000 Americans were seeking employment and could not find a job.
4. U.S. companies and brands established during 1933 included the Crown Publishing Group, the E&J Gallo Winery, Fairway Markets, Ryder Systems, Twentieth Century Pictures, Warner Bros. Cartoons, and Waldenbooks.
5. Consumer products launched during the year were Dreft laundry detergent, Lestoil, the Model 60 stacking stool, Saran plastic wrap, Spic and Span, the swizzle stick, V8 vegetable juice, and Windex.
6. January 5: Construction began on the 1.7-mile Golden Gate Bridge in the San Francisco Bay. The Golden Gate connects the City and County of San Francisco with Marin County to the north.
7. January 23: The Twentieth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified, which changed Inauguration Day from March 4 to January 20. However, if January 20 falls on a Sunday, Inauguration Day is automatically moved to January 21. (Just so you know, the inauguration ceremonies take place at the Capitol Building in Washington, DC.)
8. January 30: Adolf Hitler was appointed as Germany's chancellor, "following a series of electoral victories by the Nazi Party." Once in power, Hitler established an "absolute dictatorship" in Germany and intended to conquer all of Europe. (On September 1, 1939, German troops invaded Poland, thus triggering World War II in Europe.)
9. March 4: Franklin Delano Roosevelt was inaugurated as the 32nd president of the United States. Broadcast nationwide on several radio networks, the inauguration was heard by tens of millions of Americans who were living through the anguish of the Great Depression.
10. March 4: Frances Perkins became the fourth U.S. Secretary of Labor, a position that she held until 1945. She was also the first woman to serve in a presidential cabinet post.
11. March 9: The U.S. Congress began "the first 100 days" of enacting President Roosevelt's New Deal legislation. History.com tells us that the New Deal was "a series of programs and projects instituted during the Great Depression by President Franklin D. Roosevelt that aimed to restore prosperity to Americans. When Roosevelt took office in 1933, he acted swiftly to stabilize the economy and provide jobs and relief to those who were suffering.”
12. March 12: President Roosevelt addressed the nation for the first time through his "fireside chats." This series of 31 evening radio addresses made Americans feel as if the president was talking directly to them.
13. May 12: President Roosevelt signed the Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) into law. The AAA's purpose was "to reduce overproduction of agricultural products by paying farmers subsidies not to plant on part of their land, thereby raising the value of crops."
14. May 18: Congress created the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) "to provide flood control and economic development for the Tennessee Valley."
15. May 27: The U.S. Congress passed the Securities Act of 1933, which was the first federal law designed to regulate the stock market.
16. On June 6, Richard Hollingshead opened the world's first drive-in movie theater on a 10-acre site in Pennsauken, New Jersey. It had nine rows of parking for 400 cars and even allowed patrons to have unobstructed views of the screen. Admission was 25 cents per car and 25 cents per person, with no group ever paying more than $1.00.
17. July 6: The first MLB All-Star game was played at Comiskey Park in Chicago, which was the home of the American League's Chicago White Sox. In this "Midsummer Classic" game, the American League defeated the National League, 4-2, in two hours and five minutes.
18. August 14 to September 5: Loggers caused a devastating fire in Oregon that burned nearly 250,000 acres.
19. November 11: On what later became known as Black Sunday, "a very strong dust storm stripped topsoil from desiccated South Dakota farmlands in one of a series of severe dust storms that year." PlanetForward.com tells us that two days later, dust from the storm had reached Albany, New York, which is 1,500 miles from where the storm had originated.
20. November 16: The United States and the Soviet Union established formal diplomatic relations.
21. December 5: The Twenty-First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified, thus ending Prohibition in the United States.
22. December 17: The 1933 NFL Championship Game between the Chicago Bears (10-2-1) and the New York Giants (11-3) was the first scheduled championship game of the National Football League since its founding in 1920. At Wrigley Field in Chicago, the Bears defeated the Giants, 23-21. Despite the seasonal weather in Chicago, attendance at the game was an estimated 25,000.
23. In 1933, Pennsylvania became the first state to authorize state-operated liquor stores.
24. Utah became the 36th state to ratify the 21st Amendment, which repealed the 18th Amendment. (Just so you know, the 21st Amendment ended Prohibition in the United States.)
25. Back in 1933, what did people do for fun? Well, there were baseball cards, jigsaw puzzles, and roller skating. There were poker games, ping-pong, and pedal cars. Baseball was the national pastime, and many Americans went to baseball games, followed baseball, and played baseball. People spent time stamp collecting, birdwatching, woodworking, and taking long walks. People also read books, listened to their favorite music, went to the movies, and gathered around the radio to listen to The Eddie Cantor Show, Maxwell House Show Boat, and Myrt & Marge.
26. Waldo Semon of Alabama created vinyl.
27. Max Wasserberg of Brooklyn designed the collapsible lawn and beach chair.
28. Guy Tinkham of Detroit invented the metal ice cube tray.
29. Anthony Adverse was a best-selling book, King Kong was a top-grossing film, and Stormy Weather was the most popular song.
30. Newsweek and the U.S. News and World Report (1933-2010) both began publishing.
31. You could also buy a Betty Crocker cookbook for the first time.
32. Famous people born in 1933 included Carol Burnett, Cissy Houston, Diane Feinstein, Jayne Mansfield, Joan Rivers, Johnny Unitas, Karl Lagerfeld, Larry King, Quincy Jones, Roman Polanski, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Tim Conway.
33. Here are some sports facts from 1933: The Chicago Bears were the NFL champions, the New York Rangers clinched the Stanley Cup, and the New York Giants won the World Series. In addition, Brokers Tip was the winning horse in the 59th Kentucky Derby.
34. In 1933 as well, the words "ascorbic acid," "B complex," "bird-dogging," "crunch time," "dumb down," "goose bumps," "jam session," "jet engine," "tune-up," "VIP," and "wax museum" all appeared in print for the first time.

References:

1. https://popculturemadness.com/1933-pop-culture-history-trivia-and-fun-facts/
2. https://www.merriam-webster.com/time-traveler/1933
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1933_in_the_United_States
4. https://www.history.com/articles/dust-bowl
5. https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/united-states-history-primary-source-timeline/great-depression-and-world-war-ii-1929-1945/dust-bowl/
6. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/died-1933.php
7. http://www.jimramsburg.com/the-1933-34-season.html
8. https://www.ultimatemovierankings.com/1933-top-box-office-movies/
9. https://www.musicvf.com/songs.php?page=year&year=1933&tab=artistchartstab&sort=pointsup&filter=all#gsc.tab=0
10. https://onetuberadio.com/2022/08/17/1933-grocery-prices/
11. httpshttps://www.historic-newspapers.com/blogs/article/1933-timeline#:~:text=Throughout%201933%2C%20many%20unforgettable%20events,a%20minimum%20of%20four%20years.
12. ://www.onthisday.com/events/date/1933
13. https://www.foodreference.com/html/html/food-history-1930.html
14. https://www.infoplease.com/year/1933
15. © 2026 Gregory DeVictor