•  Humble ISD History

    1930s Major Events of the Decade 

    1930

    • A popular cartoon character "Betty Boop" makes her debut on "Dizzy Dishes.
    • Great Depression begins.
    • US suffers worst ever drought causing hardship in farming community and leading to the dust bowl years.
    • US 1930 Unemployment figures show 8.7% of the population are unemployed.

    1931

    • US suffers worst ever drought causing hardship in farming community and leading to the dust bowl years.
    • Francis Scott Key's "Star Spangled Banner" is officially named the United States' national anthem.
    • Empire State Building is completed.

    1932

    • The Great Depression influences economies worldwide. More than 24.5% of the population are unemployed in the United States. Over 20% of the workforce are unemployed in the United Kingdom. The Canadian unemployment reached 27%. The German unemployment reached nearly 30%.
    • Amelia Earhart becomes the first female aviator to successfully fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
    • Notorious gangster Al Capone is convicted of Income Tax Evasion.
    • Franklin D. Roosevelt is elected the President of the United States.

    1933

    • Strong winds strip the topsoil from the drought affected farms of the Midwest.
    • The first successful solo around-the-world flight is completed by Wiley Post.
    • Unemployment in the United States reaches its highest level in the winter of 1932 / 1933 with nearly 1 in 3 people unemployed.
    • The fabled "Loch Ness Monster" is spotted in Scotland for the first time.
    • The 21st Amendment is passed repealing the 18th Amendment ending prohibition of alcohol.

    1934

    • Disney introduces the character of "Donald Duck" in the animated short "The Little Wise Hen."
    • Due to poverty around the world, political extremism including Fascism, Nazism, and extreme Communism gains followers.
    • Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow die after a shoot out with FBI. Slum Clearance begins in New York and other major US cities.
    • The Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary, known as "The Rock," opens near San Francisco and is used to hold some of the more dangerous and well-known U.S. criminals.

    1935

    • The Boulder (Hoover) Dam is completed.
    • Emergency Relief Appropriation Act creates the WPA or Works Progress Administration to provide millions of jobs.
    • The United States Social Security Act is signed into law.
    • Legendary player Babe Ruth retires from the sport of baseball after hitting his 714th home-run..

    1936

    • Margaret Mitchell's epic Civil War novel "Gone with the Wind" is published.
    • Jesse Owens wins 4 Gold medals at the Berlin Olympics.
    • The first public television broadcasts begin in London.

    1937

    • Amelia Mary Earhart disappeared over the Pacific Ocean during a circumnavigation flight attempt.
    • The German airship Hindenburg bursts into flames while attempting to moor at Lakehurst, New Jersey.
    • The Memorial Day Massacre takes place in Chicago.

    1938

    • Seabiscuit beats War Admiral in the "Race of the Century."
    • Orson Welles' radio adaptation of The War of the Worlds is broadcast.
    • Aviator Howard Hughes flies around the world in 3 days and 19 hours, setting a new record.
    • The Fair Labor Standards Act (Wages and Hours Bill) passes.
    • Germany begins its persecution of Jews.
    • The very first "Superman" comic is issued by Action Comics.

    1939

    • Lou Gehrig retires from Major League Baseball after being diagnosed with ALS.
    • Physicist Albert Einstein and Leo Szilard send a letter to President Roosevelt urging the United States to invest time and money into the secret development of nuclear weapons before Germany developed the technology first.
    • The beloved film starring Judy Garland "The Wizard of Oz" premieres.