World Events in 1930
Discovery of Pluto
On 18 February, Clyde Tombaugh at Lowell Observatory in Arizona confirmed the existence of a ninth planet. The discovery fulfilled a decades-long search initiated by Percival Lowell, and the new body was named Pluto after a suggestion by an 11-year-old English schoolgirl, Venetia Burney.
Amy Johnson Flies Solo to Australia
In May, 26-year-old English aviator Amy Johnson became the first woman to fly solo from Britain to Australia. Her 11,000-mile journey in a de Havilland Moth took 19 days and made her a national heroine overnight.
First FIFA World Cup
Uruguay hosted the inaugural World Cup in Montevideo in July 1930. Thirteen nations competed, and the host nation defeated Argentina 4-2 in the final. Several European teams declined to travel due to the cost and length of the sea voyage.
Gandhi's Salt March
Mahatma Gandhi led a 240-mile march from Sabarmati Ashram to the coastal village of Dandi to protest the British salt tax. The 24-day march galvanised the Indian independence movement and drew worldwide media attention to British colonial rule.
Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act Signed
President Hoover signed the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act in June, raising import duties on over 20,000 goods. The act provoked retaliatory tariffs from trading partners worldwide and is widely regarded as having deepened the Great Depression.
Music in 1930
"Tip-Toe Thru the Tulips with Me"
Nick Lucas
Originally from the 1929 film Gold Diggers of Broadway, this novelty hit carried over as one of the most popular songs in Britain during early 1930, helped by the growing popularity of gramophone records.
"Stein Song (University of Maine)"
Rudy Vallee
Rudy Vallee's energetic recording of the University of Maine fight song became one of the biggest hits of 1930, selling over a million copies and reflecting the public's desire for upbeat escapism during the early Depression.
#1 Film of 1930
All Quiet on the Western Front
Box Office: $3 million
Lewis Milestone's harrowing adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque's anti-war novel won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Its unflinching depiction of trench warfare resonated deeply with audiences still haunted by the Great War and was banned in Nazi Germany.
Born in 1930
Steve McQueen
Actor — The Great Escape, Bullitt, the 'King of Cool'
Neil Armstrong
Astronaut — first person to walk on the Moon in 1969
Clint Eastwood
Actor and director — Dirty Harry, Unforgiven, Million Dollar Baby
Sean Connery
Actor — the original James Bond in Dr. No through Diamonds Are Forever
Buzz Aldrin
Astronaut — second person to walk on the Moon during Apollo 11
Lost in 1930
Arthur Conan Doyle
Author and creator of Sherlock Holmes
Age 71
D. H. Lawrence
Novelist — Sons and Lovers, Lady Chatterley's Lover
Age 44
Lon Chaney
Silent film actor — The Phantom of the Opera, The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Age 47
William Howard Taft
27th President of the United States and later Chief Justice
Age 72
Technology in 1930
Talking pictures had fully replaced silent film, and radio ownership was surging with the BBC and US networks broadcasting into millions of homes. Jet propulsion was being theorised, and early television experiments were underway. The first supermarkets began appearing in the US.
- ● Clyde Tombaugh discovers Pluto using photographic plates at Lowell Observatory
- ● The BBC begins experimental television broadcasts using John Logie Baird's system
- ● 3M introduces Scotch Tape, the first transparent adhesive tape
- ● Sliced bread, introduced in 1928, becomes widely available across the US
Cost of Living in 1930
| Item | UK | US |
|---|---|---|
| Average house price | £590 | $4,778 |
| Average salary | £200 | $1,368 |
| Pint of milk | 2d | $0.07 |
| Loaf of bread | 4d | $0.09 |
| Dozen eggs | 1s 2d | $0.45 |
| Pint of beer | 5d | $0.15 |
| Cinema ticket | 6d | $0.25 |
Shop 1930 memorabilia on eBay/Amazon
The Zeitgeist of 1930
The optimism of the Roaring Twenties evaporated almost overnight as unemployment soared and banks collapsed across the Western world. Bread lines formed in major cities while governments scrambled for solutions. Despite the gloom, cinema boomed as an affordable escape, and talking pictures became the dominant entertainment.
In the News in 1930
The planet Pluto was discovered by Clyde Tombaugh at Lowell Observatory. Amy Johnson became the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia. Uruguay hosted and won the first FIFA World Cup.