World Events in 1929
Wall Street Crash
On Black Tuesday, 29 October, the US stock market collapsed catastrophically. $14 billion was lost in a single day. The crash wiped out millions of investors and triggered the Great Depression, the worst economic downturn in modern history.
St Valentine's Day Massacre
On 14 February, seven members of Bugs Moran's gang were lined up against a garage wall in Chicago and machine-gunned by men posing as police officers, almost certainly on the orders of Al Capone. It became the most infamous gangland killing in American history.
First Academy Awards
On 16 May, the first Academy Awards ceremony was held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. Wings won Best Picture, and the entire event lasted just 15 minutes. Tickets cost $5.
Hebron Massacre
On 24 August, 67 Jewish residents of Hebron in the British Mandate of Palestine were killed by Arab rioters during a week of widespread violence. The events deepened the divisions that would shape the Middle East for a century.
Lateran Treaty
On 11 February, Mussolini's government and the Vatican signed the Lateran Treaty, establishing Vatican City as an independent sovereign state and ending decades of tension between the Italian state and the Catholic Church.
Graf Zeppelin Circumnavigates the Globe
The German airship Graf Zeppelin completed a round-the-world flight in 21 days, demonstrating that airship travel could be practical for long-distance passenger service. The age of the airship seemed to have arrived.
Music in 1929
"Tiptoe Through the Tulips"
Nick Lucas
Nick Lucas's gentle, charming recording was one of the biggest hits of 1929. It would enjoy a bizarre second life decades later when Tiny Tim revived it in the 1960s.
"Ain't Misbehavin'"
Fats Waller
Fats Waller's joyous jazz standard from the musical 'Hot Chocolates' became one of the defining songs of the late Jazz Age. Louis Armstrong's recording of the same song was equally celebrated.
#1 Film of 1929
The Broadway Melody
Box Office: $4.4 million
The first sound film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, and the first all-talking musical. It proved that musicals could be a box-office goldmine and launched a decade of lavish Hollywood song-and-dance spectacles.
Born in 1929
Martin Luther King Jr.
Civil rights leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate
Audrey Hepburn
Actress (Breakfast at Tiffany's, Roman Holiday, My Fair Lady)
Anne Frank
Diarist who documented her life hiding from the Nazis
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
First Lady of the United States (1961-1963)
Grace Kelly
Academy Award-winning actress who became Princess of Monaco
Lost in 1929
Wyatt Earp
Lawman and gambler of the American Old West (Gunfight at the O.K. Corral)
Age 80
Sergei Diaghilev
Russian impresario and founder of the Ballets Russes
Age 57
Gustav Stresemann
German statesman and Nobel Peace Prize laureate
Age 51
Millicent Fawcett
British suffragist and women's rights campaigner
Age 82
Technology in 1929
The stock market crash overshadowed everything else, but technological progress continued. The first Academy Awards were held. Car radios were introduced by Motorola. The BBC began experimental television broadcasts. The Graf Zeppelin completed a circumnavigation of the globe. Frozen foods were being developed commercially by Clarence Birdseye.
- ● First car radio introduced by Motorola (originally Galvin Manufacturing)
- ● BBC begins experimental television broadcasts
- ● Graf Zeppelin completes round-the-world flight in 21 days
- ● Clarence Birdseye launches commercially frozen foods
Cost of Living in 1929
| Item | UK | US |
|---|---|---|
| Average house price | £450 | $6,000 |
| Average salary | £160 | $1,450 |
| Pint of milk | 2d | $0.07 |
| Loaf of bread | 3½d | $0.09 |
| Dozen eggs | 1s 6d | $0.51 |
| Pint of beer | 4d | Prohibited |
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The Zeitgeist of 1929
The year began with the Roaring Twenties still roaring. Jazz was everywhere, hemlines were high, and the stock market seemed to climb forever. Then came October. The Wall Street Crash wiped out fortunes, shattered confidence, and ushered in the Great Depression. The age of excess was over. The mood turned from reckless optimism to stunned disbelief.
In the News in 1929
The Wall Street Crash of October 1929 destroyed billions in wealth and triggered the Great Depression. The first Academy Awards ceremony was held. The St Valentine's Day Massacre shocked Chicago. The airship Graf Zeppelin completed a round-the-world flight. The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) opened in New York.