Decades Timeline
1930s:
Hindenburg. On May 3, 1937, the fabled LZ 129 passenger airship Hindenburg took off from Frankfurt, Germany destined for the US. On May 6 it caught fire while attempting to dock at Naval Station Lakehurst in NJ. Of the ninety seven people on board, there were thirty five fatalities consisting of thirteen passengers and twenty two crewmen, with an additional fatality on the ground.
Great Depression. Beginning with the stock market crash in Oct. 1929 and lasting a decade, the Great Depression is billed as “the worst economic turndown in the history of the industrialized world.”
Shirley Temple. Beloved child actress Shirley Temple debuted in her first movie, Carolina, at the age of three in 1931. She’d became Hollywood’s number one box office draw from 1934-1938.
The New Deal. Enacted by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt between 1933 and 1939, The New Deal was a series of programs, public works projects, financial reforms, and regulations. Federal programs and agencies included the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), Civil Works Administration (CWA), the Farm Security Act (FSA), the National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933 (NIRA), and the Social Security Administration (SSA). Among others, they were designed to support farmers, unemployed, youth, and elderly.
Dust Bowl. In the 1930s, the Southern Plains region of the US, from Texas to Nebraska, suffered severe dust storms, where people and livestock were killed and crops failed. This amplified the unfathomable economic impacts of the Great Depression, driving many desperate farming families west in search of work and better lives.
Hoover Dam. Beginning July 7, 1930, a total of 21,000 men would work nonstop, some losing their lives, to produce the largest dam of its time—one of the largest manmade structure in the world.
1940s:
WWII. The Second World War lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved one hundred million people from thirty countries, and all the world’s major powers divided into two camps: Axis and Allies.
Nuremberg Trials. Under international law and the laws of war, the 1946 Nuremberg Trials prosecuted members of Nazi Germany’s political, military, judicial, and economic leadership who participated in the Holocaust and other war crimes.
Widespread Use of Antibiotics. Though penicillin was accidentally discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928, antibiotics first became accessible to the general public in the mid- to late 1940s.
Declaration of the State of Israel. On May 14, 1948, David Ben-Gurion, Executive Head of the World Zionist Organization, Chairman of the Jewish Agency for Palestine, and who would become Israel’s first prime minister, declared the establishment of a Jewish state: Eretz-Israel. The idea of a Jewish homeland in Palestine had been a goal of Zionist organizations since 1917.
Attack on Pearl Harbor. On December 7, 1941, the world awoke to news of the US Naval Base at Honolulu’s Pearl Harbor having come under attack by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air service just before 8 a.m. Neutral at the time, the attack precipitated the US’s formal entry into WWII the next day.
Jackie Robinson. The first African American to play baseball for the major leagues, Jackie Robinson becomes part of the Dodgers.
1950s:
Frozen Dinners. Though invented earlier for use on military and civilian airplanes, by the 1950s, with Americans looking to streamline their lives, frozen dinners became a staple of the American diet.
Rock ‘n Roll. Though its roots run deep in the gospel, jazz, boogie, rhythm and blues and country riffs of the 1920s and 1930s, Rock ‘n Roll hit its stride in the late 1940s and especially the 1950s when, in 1954, DJ Alan Freed gave it its iconic name.
Polio Vaccine. The Polio or Salk Vaccine, invented in 1953, was in widespread use by 1954. Used to inoculate thousands of US school children, it eventually all but eradicated a disease that had paralyzed approximately 15,000 individuals in the early 1950s alone.
Rosa Parks and Montgomery Bus Boycott. On Dec. 1, 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white man. Four days later, the civil rights protest in which African Americans refused to patronize city buses in Montgomery, Alabama ensued, regarded as the first major US demonstration against segregation and a precursor to the Civil Rights Movement.
Korean War. Fought between North and South Korea, the Korean War began when the north invaded the south on June 25 1950, lasting until July 27, 1953.
Sputnik Launch. On October 4, 1957, the USSR launched Sputnik, the first artificial satellite to orbit the earth. With the Cold War going full throttle, this put them in the lead for the space race.
1960s:
Civil Rights Movement. Led by Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, John Lewis, Rosa Parks, and many hundreds of others, the Civil Rights Movement against racial segregation and discrimination began in the 1950s. It culminated in the 1960s, marked by the signing into law of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
Kennedy Assassination. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on Nov. 22, 1963, in a motorcade from Dallas, Texas’s Love Field, where Airforce One had landed, through Dealey Plaza near the Texas School Book Depository.
Moon Walk. On July 20, 1969, astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon, something JFK had promised by the end of the decade, while their teammate Michael Collins stayed behind to pilot the craft. What many people do not realize is that a mistake was made in relaying Armstrong’s words, as they were repeated “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” In fact, the “a” was omitted. The correct statement was, “One small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind,” which makes more sense!
Cuban Missile Crisis. The October, 1962, Cuban Missile Crisis was a significant confrontation between the US and Soviet Union during the Cold War, when nuclear war seemed imminent.
Woodstock. Held from Aug. 15-18, 1969, on Max Yasgur’s farm in Bethel, NY, Woodstock was a seminal festival that attracted an audience of more than 400,000 and featured many of the era’s most explosive musical acts.
US Troops Enter the Vietnam War. On March 8, 1965, 3,500 US Marines came ashore at Da Nang—the first wave of combat troops into South Vietnam, adding to 25,000 US military advisers already in place. Two months later, the 173rd Airborne became the first US Army ground unit dedicated to the war.
1970s:
Watergate Scandal. Early on the morning of June 17, 1972, burglars were arrested having broken into the office of the Democratic National Committee inside the Watergate. These burglars, caught wiretapping and stealing documents, were no ordinary criminals, instead connected to President Richard Nixon’s reelection campaign.
“The ‘Me’ Decade.” Coined by author Tom Wolfe, “The ‘Me’ Decade” signaled a departure from communitarianism toward individualism.
Fall of Saigon. In 1975, the Fall of Saigon, also known as the Liberation of Saigon, marked the end of the Vietnam War. Saigon was captured by the Viet Cong and the People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN).
Break-up of the Beatles. On September 20, 1969, John Lennon had informally let it be known that he was leaving the Beatles, though it was unclear just how official or permanent the news was. This was followed by an April 10, 1970 press release by Payl McCartney stating he was no longer with the band. Tension and legal disputes ensued, with the breakup formalized in December 29, 1974.
Star Wars. The maiden Star Wars movie debuted on May 25, 1977. The blockbuster success of the first movie earned $461 million in US ticket sales and grossed nearly $800 million worldwide, with subsequent films launching an empire unto itself for the brand.
Margaret Thatcher. In 1979, Margaret Thatcher became the first female prime minister. The leader of the Conservative party from 1975-1990, her term of office would last until 1990.
1980s:
Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster. On January 28, 1986, the Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into flight, killing all seven crew members aboard. These included Christa McAuliffe, the NH school teacher and first American civilian to go into space.
CNN’s First Broadcast. Ted Turner’s vision to own and operate a 24-hour cable news network became reality at 6 p.m. on June 1, 1980. It went on to change the complexion of news reporting.
Ronald Reagan. President Ronald Reagan was inaugurated on Jan. 20, 1981 and would remain in office until the same date in 1989.
Sandra Day O’Connor. The first woman to be appointed to the Supreme Court, Sandra Day O’Connor served from 1981-2006.
Exxon Valdez Oil Spill. On March 24, 1989, the oil tanker Exxon Valdez spilled 11 million gallons of crude oil in Alaska’s Prince William Sound. Until 2010, when the fallout from the Deepwater Horizon spill eclipsed it, it was the worst oil spill in US history killing hundreds of thousands of seals, otters, whales, and seabirds.
Iran-Contra Affair. Iran-Contra was a US political scandal that occurred during the second term of the Reagan administration. Senior administration officials were responsible for the sale of arms to the Khomeini government, the subject of an arms embargo.
