Tech in the ’30s

Generally, the 1930s conjure up images of the Great Depression, celebrity gangsters and mob bosses. But just as prevalent were technological advances, ranging from food to electronics to entertainment. Now that Sealevel is in its 30s, we’ve decided to take a closer look at the decade and the innovations that were born, proving once again that “necessity is the mother of invention.”

Top 30 of the ’30s

1. January 1, 1930: Chocolate Chip Cookie
2. January 13, 1930: First Mickey Mouse comic strip published in The New York Mirror
3. February 18, 1930: Scientists first discover Pluto
4. February 24, 1930: Differential Analyzer
5. March 6, 1930: First frozen food sold commercially in the United States
6. April 1, 1930: US Census first asked whether respondents owned a radio
7. April 17, 1930: First synthetic rubber (neoprene)
8. September 8, 1930: Scotch Tape
9. October 5, 1930: CBS broadcast the New York Philharmonic live over the radio for the first time
10. October 10, 1930: Polygraph Machine
11. October 28, 1930: First Sound Color Cartoon
12. March 31, 1931: Electron Microscope
13. August 29, 1932: Desk Phone
14. March 3, 1933: Franklin D. Roosevelt gives his first radio “Fireside Chat”
15. May 26, 1933: FM Broadcasting
16. January 24, 1935: First canned beer sold
17. April 25, 1935: First around-the-world telephone conversation
18. April 27, 1935: Flash Gordon debuted
19. July 16, 1935: First parking meter installed
20. July 30, 1935: Paperback books introduced
21. December 16, 1936: Turnstile Antenna
22. June 25, 1937: Jet Engine
23. August 10, 1937: First electric guitar patent awarded
24. December 21, 1937: Disney’s first feature-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, premiered in Los Angeles
25. April 6, 1938: Teflon
26. August 24, 1938: Photocopier
27. October 28, 1938: Volkswagen Beetle
28. October 30, 1938: War of the Worlds airs on CBS Radio
29. September 14, 1939: First successful helicopter took flight
30. October 28, 1939: Nuclear fission discovered