- 1930 – Pluto is discovered by Clyde Tombaugh. It is considered the ninth planet in our solar system until 2006, when it is downgraded to “dwarf planet.”
- 1931 – Al Capone is jailed for income tax evasion.
- 1932 – Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic (Newfoundland to Londonderry, 13.5 hours). 13.7 million people are unemployed in the US; approx. 30 million worldwide.
- 1933 – Philo Farnsworth develops electronic television. Adolf Hitler comes to power; Germany begins to build concentration camps. Franklin Roosevelt is inaugurated President.
- 1934 – “It Happened One Night” starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert wins the Academy Award for Best Picture. Colbert also wins Best Actress. It costs 25 cents to watch a movie.
- 1935 – Popular films include “Mutiny on the Bounty” with Clark Gable and Alfred Hitchcock’s “The 39 Steps.”
- 1936 – In January, King George V of England dies and is succeeded by Edward VIII. Edward abdicates in December and is succeeded by George VI (formally crowned in 1937). His daughter Elizabeth is 10 years old.
- 1937 – Insulin is used to control diabetes. John Steinbeck writes “Of Mice and Men.” Amelia Earhart is lost while attempting to fly around the world. FDR signs the US Neutrality Act.
- 1938 – Orson Welles’ radio production of “The War of the Worlds” causes panic. Daphne du Maurier publishes “Rebecca.” Harvard University awards an honorary doctorate to black singer Marian Anderson. Hitler invades Austria; Italy invades Albania. 1939 – “The Wizard of Oz” starring Judy Garland is released and nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It wins Best Original Song for “Over the Rainbow” and Best Original Score; an Academy Juvenile Award is presented to Judy Garland, who is 16. Germany invades Poland; Russia invades Poland and Finland.
By 1931 the Depression had hit Fayette County hard. The makers of the Auburn cars closed. In 1932 county officials set up a commodities program. Food was distributed from a building at the alley northeast of the intersection of Central and Third Street. People received flour in one-pound packages, and the number of packages depended on the size of the family. People worked for 40-50 cents/hour; some people worked for a dollar a day.
Families made their own clothes; they gardened and canned. Jobs were scarce, and people stood outside the factory during shift change, hoping to be selected to work that day. Farm families sold eggs and strawberries. Mothers mashed turnips in with the potatoes to stretch what they had. A loaf of bread cost 10 cents. People hunted and trapped rabbits, then sold what the family couldn’t eat. Christmas presents? You got ONE present, and it was something you needed.
At First Presbyterian Church, the minutes show that we had 351 members in 1933 as members came and went. But it’s the financial records that show how we shared God’s love in the community. Entry after entry is marked “for city poor.” We bought groceries, shoes, clothing, medicine, glasses, blankets, coal, and fuel. We paid for shoe repair. We helped with rent. And occasionally an entry is marked simply “relief.”
Members of our congregation were doubtless feeling economic stress, too, but we can give thanks that God made it possible for us to help others through difficult times.