Year 1934 Fun Facts, Trivia, and History Events

This quick read presents a collection of fun facts, trivia, and history events from the year 1934. 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 1934, President Roosevelt, the Great Depression, and King Edward VIII of England were all on center stage. Stovetop baked beans and whacky cake were crowd-pleasers, and Paul and Patricia were two of the most popular baby names.
2. Franklin D. Roosevelt (D-New York) was the 32nd U.S. president, and John Nance Garner (D-Texas) was the nation’s vice president.
3. The 73rd U.S. Congress was in session.
4. In 1934, the United States was in the middle of the Great Depression (1929-39). Unemployment was a staggering 21.7 percent, and about 15 million Americans were seeking employment and could not find a job. The four states with the highest number of jobless people were New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and South Dakota. Conversely, California, Illinois, Nevada, and Rhode Island had the lowest unemployment rates.
5. Consumer products launched during 1934 included the Betsy Wetsy doll, Hawaiian Punch, Muzak background music, Ritz crackers, Skoal smokeless tobacco, and wild cherry-flavored Life Savers.
6. Throughout 1934, many famous American outlaws were either killed or captured by FBI agents. The list includes Herbert Youngblood, Eddie Green, "Red" Hamilton, Bonnie & Clyde, John Dillinger, Homer Van Meter, Charles Makley, "Pretty Boy" Floyd, "Baby Face" Nelson, and Tommy Carroll. In addition, FBI agents Samuel Cowley and Herman Hollis were mortally wounded during a shootout with bank robber "Baby Face" Nelson in Wilmette, Illinois.
7. January 1: Alcatraz, a rocky island in the San Francisco Bay, became a federal prison. According to History.com, “Alcatraz was fortified into a high-security federal penitentiary designed to hold the most dangerous prisoners in the U.S. penal system, especially those with a penchant for escape attempts.”
8. January 7: Alex Raymond's comic strip, Flash Gordon, premiered as a Sunday strip to compete with the established Buck Rogers adventure strip.
9. January 15: Babe Ruth, who was nearing the end of his "illustrious" baseball career, signed a $35,000 contract with the New York Yankees, which included a $17,000 reduction in salary. (Just so you know, $35,000 in 1934 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $800,000 today.)
10. January 30: Congress passed the Gold Reserve Act of 1934, which "allowed the government to raise the price of gold, control the value of a dollar, and put more money into circulation." As a result, President Roosevelt increased the "statutory" price of gold from $32.32 to $35.00.
11. On March 16, at the 6th Academy Awards, the epic movie Cavalcade won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Art Direction. Charles Laughton (The Private Life of Henry VIII) won an Oscar for Best Actor, and Katharine Hepburn (Morning Glory) won an Oscar for Best Actress.
12. In April, Congress passed the Jones-Connally Act, which provided “benefit payments, crop adjustments, funds for controlling livestock diseases, and moderation of planting restrictions” to struggling U.S. farmers. News.PrairiePublic.org adds that “The bill also provided for the purchase of starving cattle.”
13. On April 18, John F. Cantrell opened America's first laundromat in Fort Worth, Texas. His "washateria" had four electric washing machines that were rented out to customers on an hourly basis.
14. May 9 to July 31: The West Coast Longshoremen's Strike affected every West Coast shipping port, including the ports of Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Seattle. An estimated 12,000 longshoremen went out on strike to demand union recognition, higher wages, reduced hours, and the elimination of unfair hiring practices. As a result of the 83-day walkout, every West Coast shipping port became unionized.
15. May 11 to 12: A massive two-day dust storm removed millions of tons of topsoil from the parched Great Plains. The dust clouds blew to Chicago and deposited over 10 million pounds of dust throughout the Chicago metropolitan area. (Just so you know, the five states hardest hit by the 1930s Dust Bowl were Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.)
16. May 28: The Dionne Quintuplets were born to Oliva Edouard (father) and Elzire (mother) in Ontario, Canada. They were the first known quintuplets to survive past infancy.
17. June 6: President Roosevelt signed the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, establishing the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The SEC protects investors by regulating "the offer and sale of all securities, including those offered and sold by private companies."
18. July 14: The temperature reached 116 degrees Fahrenheit in Orogrande, New Mexico.
19. July 20: The temperature reached 118 degrees Fahrenheit in Keokuk, Iowa, setting a state record.
20. July 21: The temperature reached 113 degrees Fahrenheit in Gallipolis, Ohio, setting a state record.
21. July 28: The temperature reached 118 degrees Fahrenheit in Orofino, Idaho, setting a state record.
22. August 19: Adolf Hitler became Germany's Führer (leader), combining the powers of chancellor and president.
23. September 8: The SS Morro Castle, an American ocean liner, caught on fire and ran aground along the New Jersey coast while en route from Havana, Cuba, to New York City. An estimated 137 passengers and crew members were killed out of the 549 people on board. According to APHistoricalSociety.org, "The still-burning ship eventually beached near the Convention Hall in Asbury Park and became a major tourist attraction until it was towed away for scrap several months later."
24. In November, the Apollo Theater in Harlem held its first amateur night, and Ella Fitzgerald became the first female performer to win the contest. Following her performance at the Apollo, drummer and bandleader Chick Webb hired Fitzgerald to sing in his orchestra.
25. November 27: FBI special agents Samuel Cowley and Herman Hollis were both mortally wounded during a shootout with bank robber "Baby Face" Nelson in Wilmette, Illinois.
26. December 11: Cleveland's Municipal Stadium, the home of the Cleveland Indians baseball team, was chosen to host the 1935 MLB All-Star Game.
27. In 1934, King Edward VIII of England “shocked the world” when he relinquished his throne to marry Wallis Simpson, a notorious American woman who had already been divorced two times.
28. Pepsi-Cola introduced the 12-ounce bottle to compete with rival Coca-Cola. At first, the 12-ounce bottle sold for 10 cents, which was twice the price of the six-ounce size. Eventually, Pepsi-Cola began to market the new 12-ounce bottle for five cents instead of a dime. Over the next two years, the company sold over 500 million 12-ounce bottles of Pepsi to millions of Depression-weary and budget-conscious American consumers.
29. In 1934, the 31,893.5 carat Pearl of Lao Tzu, which weighed 14.2 pounds, was discovered by a Filipino diver off the coast of Palawan in the Philippines. For decades, this $35 million gem was believed to be the world's largest pearl, until the discovery of the 75-pound Pearl of Puerto Princess during the 1990s. At any rate, the Pearl of Lao Tzu is now on display in New York City at the Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum.
30. There were nearly 600 radio stations across the United States, and 60 percent of American households owned a radio. One and a half million cars were also equipped with radios.
31. Surprisingly, the movie industry did not suffer financially during the Great Depression. In 1934, a movie ticket cost about 35 cents, and there were nearly 20,000 movie theaters across the United States.
32. In 1934, the Mutual Broadcasting System, a commercial radio network that operated until 1999, was founded in New York City. By 1940, Mutual had 160 affiliates nationwide, which comprised about 20 percent of the U.S. radio market.
33. The Eddie Cantor Show was the most popular radio program, It Happened One Night was the most popular film, and Benny Goodman's Moon Glow was the most popular song.
34. Top celebrities in 1934 included Fred Astaire, Lionel Barrymore, Joan Blondell, James Cagney, Claudette Colbert, Clark Gable, Greta Garbo, Cary Grant, Jean Harlow, Hedy Lamarr, Ginger Rogers, Shirley Temple, John Wayne, and Mae West.
35. Famous people born during 1934 were Brigitte Bardot, Florence Henderson, Giorgio Armani, Gloria Steinem, Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente, Rue McClanahan, Shirley Jones, Shirley MacLaine, and Sophia Loren.
36. Here are some sports facts from 1934: The New York Giants were the NFL champs, the Chicago Black Hawks clinched the Stanley Cup, and the St. Louis Cardinals won the World Series. In addition, Babe Ruth hit his 700th career home run and also played his last game with the New York Yankees.
37. In 1934 as well, the words "18-wheeler," "burrito," "chef's salad," "cocktail lounge," "egg roll," "ESP," "hair stylist," "mobile home," "newscast," "red carpet," "shopping cart," "uptight," and "urban sprawl" all appeared in print for the first time.

References:

1. https://www.merriam-webster.com/time-traveler/1934
2. https://www.infoplease.com/year/1934
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1934_in_the_United_States
4. https://www.eatthis.com/depression-era-foods/
5. https://www.tasteofhome.com/collection/depression-era-recipes/
6. http://www.jimramsburg.com/the-1934-35-season.html
7. https://hotpopsongs.com/number-one-hits-1934/
8. https://www.ultimatemovierankings.com/1934-top-box-office-movies/
9. https://www.foodreference.com/html/html/food-history-1930.html
10. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/died-1934.php
11. https://www.onthisday.com/events/date/1934
12. https://www.historic-newspapers.com/blogs/article/1934-historical-events#:~:text=The%20most%20major%20events%20in,for%20their%20efforts%20in%20space.

© 2026 Gregory DeVictor