1932

What Was Happening in 1932

Rock bottom — the Depression hits its nadir as hunger marches fill the streets and Roosevelt promises a New Deal.

Born in

By the Numbers in 1932

World Population

UK Life Expectancy

51.3 years

US Life Expectancy

52.5 years

Gold Price (per oz)

$23.46

Dow Jones Index

45

US National Debt

Sovereign Nations

56

How Much Did Things Cost in 1932?

ItemUKUS
Average house price£530$3,900
Average salary£180$1,141
Pint of milk2d$0.06
Loaf of bread3d$0.07
Dozen eggs1s$0.29
Pint of beer5d$0.15
Cinema ticket6d$0.20

Technology and Inventions in 1932

The Chadwick discovery of the neutron transformed nuclear physics. Radio remained king, but early television experiments accelerated. Commercial aviation grew with airlines like Imperial Airways connecting the British Empire. The first polaroid filters were developed.

  • James Chadwick discovers the neutron at the Cavendish Laboratory in Cambridge
  • Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean
  • Sydney Harbour Bridge opens, the world's widest long-span bridge
  • Edwin Land develops the first synthetic polarising filters

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More About 1932

What Was Happening — A journey through the years