1929

1929: A Year in Review by The New York Times (Caroline Tucker)

As today, December 31st, 1929, is the last day of this decade, it is appropriate to commemorate and reflect on all the happenings that have taken place both nationally and globally over the last 365 days. It is true that we have suffered many great blows, especially over the last few months, but it is equally true that many blessings have been bestowed upon us as well. Let’s take a look back at the Roaring Twenties and remember both the good and bad…

The year 1929 started off smoothly enough, but the peace was brought to a screeching halt on February 14th. Now known as the “St. Valentine’s Day Massacre,” seven gangsters, who were well-known rivals of Al Capone, were murdered in Chicago. This invoked much fear in the people of Chicago, who were already concerned about the high gang activity in their city.

Soon after this, we witnessed a continuation of the progress we’ve been striving to make in the transportation and tourism industries. The Grand Teton National Park was established on February 26th and the San Francisco Bay Toll-Bridge opened. As you all know, this is the longest bridge in the world! We should be proud as a country of these accomplishments.

On March 4th, Herbert Hoover became our nation’s 31st President. Interestingly, his vice president, Charles Curtis, is the first of non-European descent to achieve this office. This has been greeted with mixed reviews, as there are still some opposed to non-Caucasian men being in office.

May brought several significant changes to our entertainment world. First of all, an investigation began that questioned the validity and success of Prohibition. Second, and on a lighter note, the first Academy Award show was held in Hollywood on the 16th. There were many celebrities in attendance and there are already plans to hold a second show next year.

The summer led to many political events that spanned the globe. On June 3rd, after much conflict over the territories of Tacna and Arica, Peru and Chile worked to create the Treaty of Lima. On the 21st, the Cristero War in Mexico ended. Both of these events are steps in the direction of world cooperation and can be partially accredited to help by the United States.

Back in the world of entertainment, on June 27th, the color television was exhibited here in New York. H. E. Ives transmited the images of a bouquet of roses and an American flag. This was breaking technology and very exciting to us all! Maybe one day we can all have one of these in our homes.

Alas, in August, more conflict arises; this time between the Jews and the Arabs. On August 16th, what is now known as “The 1929 Palestine Riots” break out and last the remainder of the month. 133 Jews and 116 Arabs lost their lives in these battles.

Fast-forward to the week of October 24th, 1929. As we all are too aware, the Stock Market crashed, losing $30 billion of invested money. On Black Tuesday, October 29th, the market fully collapsed and continued to plummet. All we can do is remain optimistic and hope that things will right themselves soon!

Despite all the economic turmoil, on November 7th in New York City, the Museum of Modern Art opens. This museum houses incredible works of architecture, sculptures, and paintings. We predict it will be a very influential museum known around the world.

In late November, a group of men, including a US admiral, flew over the South Pole. This is the first time this feat has been achieved and is ground-breaking in the world of aviation.

To close out the year (and the decade), just a few days ago, the India Congress demanded Indian independence. Hopefully 1930 will show us where that move will take India and the rest of the world!

In all, 1929 has had its ups and downs and the Times has been here to relay it all to you. We look forward to another promising year and encourage everyone to keep their heads up during this economic depression.