Achievements Of The 1930s Essay

The achievements of the 1930s are often overshadowed by the loss and despair felt during the Great Depression and beginning of World War 2. It was a decade mired in loss, hopelessness, and destitution, but not all areas of life suffered from the temporary relapse the economy had fallen into. These ten momentous years were also a time of innovation and prosperity for the world of entertainment, and their influence can still be seen today. Where poverty and boredom were found, creativity and ingenuity followed as the people of the 30s tried to escape the reality of their lives and distract themselves from the beginnings of yet another war. During the Great Depression, over thirteen million Americans were jobless, and an innumerable amount of
Baseball, football, dancing, boxing matches, and even rodeos consumed hours of the day and were fairly reliable ways to make money. Easily accessible games including cards, dominoes, and puzzles became popular, and Scrabble and Monopoly made their first appearances (“Having Fun”). The first superhero was published by what would eventually become DC Comics. Shirley Temple was adored by families all over the nation (“The 1930s”). In addition, hundreds of singers, comedians, and sports broadcasters became famous through the radio (“Having Fun”). These classics are still remembered for their timeless quality, originality, and nostalgia, but some are recalled for their more humorous debuts such as H.G. Well’s War of the Worlds -- the catalyst of a particularly amusing event that is etched into our country’s history. Near the end of the decade, a broadcast in 1938 sent the nation into chaos. A reading of War of the Worlds, transmitted on the radio, sent everyone into a panic when they thought that the plot of the story was actually a live news report. The entire country thought New Jersey was under attack by extraterrestrial visitors from space. Fortunately, aliens had not visited Earth that day, but its inhabitants had the shock of their