By the Numbers in 1933
World Population
—
UK Life Expectancy
51.4 years
US Life Expectancy
52.6 years
Gold Price (per oz)
$24.9
Dow Jones Index
53
US National Debt
—
Sovereign Nations
56
How Much Did Things Cost in 1933?
| Item | UK | US |
|---|---|---|
| Average house price | £510 | $3,600 |
| Average salary | £175 | $1,045 |
| Pint of milk | 2d | $0.05 |
| Loaf of bread | 3d | $0.07 |
| Dozen eggs | 11d | $0.26 |
| Pint of beer | 5d | $0.15 |
| Cinema ticket | 6d | $0.20 |
Technology and Inventions in 1933
Roosevelt used radio masterfully with his 'fireside chats', demonstrating the medium's political power. The first commercial airlines with modern all-metal monoplanes appeared. FM radio was patented by Edwin Armstrong, promising static-free broadcasting. The first drive-in cinema opened in New Jersey.
- ● Edwin Armstrong patents FM radio, vastly improving broadcast sound quality
- ● The Boeing 247, the first modern airliner, enters service with United Airlines
- ● The first drive-in movie theatre opens in Camden, New Jersey
- ● ICI chemists accidentally discover polyethylene (polythene) at their Cheshire lab
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