1930 News and Interesting Tidbits

US Hit by Drought
Following the stock market crash in Late 1929 , America is hit by one of the worst droughts ever seen which combined with the market crash leaves many hundreds of thousands without food and shelter. President Herbert Hoover tells Americans his plans for relief of individuals and businesses affected by the droughts, only history confirms that his plans were not wide ranging enough to stave off the great depression years which dogged not only America but the world during the rest of the 30's.

March Against Salt Tax
Mahatma Gandhi and his followers begin a 200 mile march to the salt beds of Jalalpur to campaign against British tax on salt continuing the fight for Indian independence from Great Britain. At the end of the Salt March Mahatma Gandhi manufactured salt from sea water breaking the British law establishing a monopoly on salt manufacture. At the end of the campaign, Mahatma Gandhi, was taken into British police custody .

Constantinople Changes Name To Istanbul
Two of Turkey's largest cities change their names ( Constantinople and Angora ).

The City of Constantinople is changed to Istanbul

The City of Angora is changed to Ankara


Istanbul is also the only metropolis in the world which is situated on two continents.

Uruguay wins first World Cup
Uruguay wins the first World Cup in 1930 defeating Argentina 4- 2 in Uruguay

US Bank Closures
The Reynoldsburg State Bank in Columbus Ohio closed its doors as a result of frozen assets . This was just 1 of 15 news stories that we found for banks closing their doors in 1930 and was being repeated throughout the country with thousands of small banks after the stock market collapse the previous year.

Hoover Says Stock Market Crash Temporary Setback
President Hoover in a speech said that the stock market crash of last year was just a temporary setback and would soon pass and that the economy would soon bounce back ( this was 6 months after the stock market crash and the great depression of the 1930's would continue and worsen over the next 5 years )

Smoot Hawley Tariff Bill
Following the stock market crash in 1929, President Herbert Hoover signs the Smoot-Hawley Tariff bill which raised duties on imports to preserve the domestic market for American-made goods making it difficult if not nearly impossible for other countries to export goods into the U.S.A. . In retaliation large numbers of foreign nations retaliated by enacting their own hefty tariffs, as well as quotas on imports. Many economists at the time and today believe this made the problems for America even worse than they already were.

Depression Years Poverty and Typhoid
This story was found in a local Milwaukee newspaper and deserves attention because it provides an insight to people's lives in the 30s during the depression years
Charlotte Dynn died in 1930 in Milwaukee of typhoid fever and her family couldn't afford to feed their five remaining children, let alone pay for her funeral. However, during the Christmas season the funeral director, the cemetery’s executive, and a pastor all arranged a free funeral for Charlotte.

Chrysler Building Completed
With the completion of the Chrysler Building in New York which is the tallest building in the world at 78 stories and dwarfs the 56 story Woolworths building and is even taller than the Eiffel Tower in Paris, this is at a cost of some $15,000,000 investment by Mr Chrysler and shows the world that the American Auto industry is the best in the world.

Ohio State Penitentiary Fire
A fire at Ohio State Penitentiary kills 320 inmates, and many burn to death when they are not unlocked from their cells.

Work Begins on The Hoover Dam
Construction begins on the Hoover Dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the U.S. states of Arizona and Nevada. As there was no town near the dam construction site workers and their families were housed in temporary camps. The original project was called the Boulder Dam but was dedicated later as the Hoover Dam in honor of President Hoover.

Graf Zeppelin Airship South Atlantic
The first flight across the South Atlantic From Germany to Brazil of the Graf Zeppelin Airship via Spain, and it is hoped this will then be a long term flight destination .

Prohibition Laws
With the continuing debate in congress between wets and drys over the prohibition laws , the enforcement in each state also continues to be dependent on the position of the politicians in that state. In states where the wets are in control the boats used to enforce prohibition could not catch a cold let alone a fast rum runners boat , and speakeasies are very rarely raided by law enforcement. In other states where the dry's are in control fast patrol boats and many raids occur.

Pluto Discovered
Astronomer Clyde Tombaugh located a new planet while in the observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, and named it after the Greek god of the underworld, Pluto. ( It has since been downgraded to a dwarf planet )<

1929 Previous Year ---- ( Current Year Is 1930 ) ---- Following Year 1931