1933 History Events: What Happened in 1933

While 1933 was firmly rooted in one of America’s darkest decades, The Great Depression, it was far from a doom-and-gloom year. It featured breakthroughs in board games, worker’s rights, and Shirley Temple’s first film performances. On the other hand, because it occurred only six years before World War II, 1933 served as a portent of what was to come. While Calvin Coolidge passed away this year, it also saw the birth of several greats, including Corazon Aquino, Yoko Ono, Joan Rivers, Yasser Arafat, and Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen. Lost Horizon and Company K were two of the most popular books. This year also witnessed the debut of The Lone Ranger and the first issue of Newsweek, in addition to the birth of silver-screen behemoth King Kong.

Anyone who enjoys kicking back with a beer should thank their lucky stars for 1933, as the Blaine Act repealed prohibition. The administration did a lot more than just welcome liquor back into the country. The Public Works Administration was established after Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s inauguration, the 20th Amendment was ratified, the people elected the first female speaker, the President selected the first woman to the cabinet, and the US congress set the first minimum wage at 33 cents.

With the creation of Monopoly, a new source of family drama arose. Dillinger robbed his first bank in Ohio at the same time, intending to make some serious money. Following President Hindenburg’s appointment of Adolf Hitler as Reich Chancellor of Germany, the German Gestapo was founded. Albert Einstein landed in the United States after being blown adrift by the approaching Nazi storm. While World War II and the Great Depression were often overshadowed, 1933 had its moments of light; when they didn’t help hold things together, folks could finally return to the neighbourhood bar.

Continue reading to discover more about the events of 1933.

Event
(January 05, 1933) On this day in 1933, work on the Golden Gate Bridge began in San Francisco, a suspension bridge that previously had the world's longest main span and has been praised for the beauty of its location. photo source: wikimedia.org
Advertisements (January 30, 1933) Adolf Hitler was named Chancellor of Germany by President Paul von Hindenburg.
(March 04, 1933) Frances Perkins, a government official, was sworn in as the United States Secretary of Labor during President Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration; she was the first woman to be appointed to a cabinet position.
(March 04, 1933) Franklin D. Roosevelt was inaugurated as the 32nd president of the United States on this day in 1933, in the midst of the Great Depression, and later led the country out of the Depression and to victory in World War II.
(May 18, 1933) The Tennessee Valley Authority was founded by the United States government to regulate floods and generate electricity along the Tennessee River and its tributaries.
Advertisements (June 06, 1933) In Camden, New Jersey, the first drive-in theatre opens.
(July 08, 1933) The first rugby union test match between Australia's Wallabies and South Africa's Springboks takes place at Newlands Stadium in Cape Town.
(July 22, 1933) Wiley Post arrives to Floyd Bennett Field in New York City after completing the world's first solo flight in seven days, eighteen hours, and forty-nine minutes.
(August 14, 1933) In the Coast Range of Oregon, loggers ignite the first forest fire of the Tillamook Burn, which destroys 240,000 acres (970 km2) of land.