Year retrospective · 1930s

1934

1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1934th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 934th year of the 2nd millennium, the 34th year of the 20th century, and the 5th year of the 1930s decade.

Recorded events

10

top entries

Notable births

0

Notable deaths

20

Decade

1930s

Timeline

Defining events of 1934

  1. 1934 The strongest surface wind gust in the world at the time of 231 mph, is measured on the summit of Mount Washington, New Hampshire. It has since been surpassed.

    Rate at which air moves from high- to low-pressure areas

    In meteorology, wind speed, or wind flow speed, is a fundamental atmospheric quantity caused by air moving from high to low pressure, usually due to changes in temperature. Wind speed is now commonly measured with an anemometer.

  2. 1934 The U.S. Auto-Lite strike begins, culminating in a five-day melee between Ohio National Guard troops and 6,000 strikers and picketers.[citation needed]

    Workers' strike in Toledo, Ohio

    The Toledo Auto-Lite strike was a strike by a federal labor union of the American Federation of Labor (AFL) against the Electric Auto-Lite company of Toledo, Ohio, from April 12 to June 3, 1934.

  3. 1934 The "Surgeon's Photograph", the most famous photo allegedly showing the Loch Ness Monster, is published in the Daily Mail (in 1994, it is revealed to be a hoax).

    Mythical creature in Scottish folklore

    The Loch Ness Monster, known affectionately as Nessie, is a mythical creature in Scottish folklore that is said to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. It is often described as large, long-necked, and with one or more humps protruding from the water. Popular interest and belief in the creature has varied since it was brought to worldwide attention in 1933.

  4. 1934 The first civilian prisoners arrive at the Federal prison on Alcatraz Island.

    Former island prison in San Francisco Bay

    01 km) off the coast of San Francisco, California, United States. S. Army military prison.

  5. 1934 The first All-American Soap Box Derby is held in Dayton, Ohio.

    Youth racing competition

    The Soap Box Derby is a youth-oriented gravity racer event founded in 1934 in the United States by Myron Scott, employed by the Dayton Daily News, and preceded by events such as Kid Auto Races at Venice in 1914. Proclaimed "the greatest amateur racing event in the world", the program culminates each July at the FirstEnergy All-American Soap Box Derby World Championship held at Derby Downs in Akron, Ohio, with winners from their local communities traveling from across the US, Canada, Germany, and Japan to compete. 2024 marked the 86th running of the All-American since its inception in 1934 in Dayton, Ohio, having missed four years (1942–1945) during World War II and one (2020) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

  6. 1934 The German referendum of 1934 approves Adolf Hitler's appointment as head of state with the title of Führer.

    Vote on Hitler taking power in Nazi Germany

    A referendum on merging the posts of Chancellor and President was held in Nazi Germany on 19 August 1934, seventeen days after the death of President Paul von Hindenburg. The German leadership sought to gain approval for Adolf Hitler's assumption of supreme power. The referendum was associated with widespread intimidation of voters and significant electoral fraud.

  7. 1934 Reichskanzler Adolf Hitler becomes Führer of Germany following the death of President Paul von Hindenburg.
  8. 1934 Bill Woodfull of Australia becomes the only test cricket captain to twice regain The Ashes.
  9. 1934 Sergei Kirov is assassinated, paving way for the repressive Great Purge, and Vinnytsia massacre by General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, Joseph Stalin.
  10. 1934 Bill Wilson, co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, takes his last drink and enters treatment for the final time.

Farewells

Died in 1934

Charles James O'Donnell Irish colonial administrator
Elizabeth Gertrude Britton American botanist (1858–1934)
John McGraw American baseball player and manager (1873–1934)
Emily Dobson Australian philanthropist
William Holman Australian politician
Charles James O'Donnell Irish colonial administrator
Elizabeth Gertrude Britton American botanist (1858–1934)
John McGraw American baseball player and manager (1873–1934)
Emily Dobson Australian philanthropist
William Holman Australian politician
Charles James O'Donnell Irish colonial administrator
Elizabeth Gertrude Britton American botanist (1858–1934)

By month

Across the calendar of 1934

Step through

Adjacent years

Keep going

More to explore