Life in 1936

Today is Grandmommy's birthday. 75 years ago, she came into the world. 1936. I thought it might be fun to look back and look at what the world was like when Grandmommy came along. My how things have changed: the depression, Germany in turmoil, Mussolini alive and well in Italy, the Spanish Civil War began. Life was hard for a lot of people. On a happier note, the BBC started the first public television broadcasts in London and the Hoover Dam was completed. President Roosevelt is re-elected for a second term. And it was a year for the Olympics.

Inventions from 1936

• Sunscreen! Eugene Schueller invents the first sunscreen and then went
  on to founder the L'Oreal Line of cosmetics.

• The helicopter

• USA audio tapes

• The zippo lighter

Popular Culture

• The book Gone With The Wind was published.

• Billboard Magazine published the first pop music chart
  (Can you believe that Billboard was around? Seem like that
  would have come about in the days of Rock and Roll with Elvis!)

• Popular films were The Alamo, The Great Ziegfeld and Follow the Fleet,
  starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Modern Times, the famous
  Chaplin film was released.

The 8th Academy Awards

The 8th Academy Awards were held on March 5, 1936. Frank Capra hosted. This was the first year in which the gold statuettes were called "Oscars."

• Best Actor: Clark Gable, Mutiny on the Bounty

• Best Film: Mutiny on the Bounty

• Best Actress: Bette Davis, Dangerous

• Best Song Nomimee: Cheek to Cheek, Top Hat, Irvin Berlin
  (should have won!)

• Best Song Winner: Lullaby of Broadway, Gold Diggers of 1935, Warren
  & Dubin

Pop Song Hits of 1936

• Pennies From Heaven - Bing Crosby

• Way You Look Tonight - Fred Astaire

• Alone - Tommy Dorsey

• Moon Over Miami - Eddy Duchin

• I'm Putting All My Eggs In One Basket - Fred Astaire

• The Music Goes Round and Round - Tommy Dorsey

People Also Born in 1936

• Jim Henson

• Alan Alda

• Glen Campbell

• Charlie Daniels

• Engelbert Humperdinck

• Kris Kristofferson

• Michael Landon

• John McCain

• Mary Tyler Moore

• Roy Orbison

• Robert Redford

• Burt Reynolds

  (Very good company!)

How Much Things Cost In 1936

• Average cost of new house: $3,925

• Average wages per year: $1,713

• Cost of a gallon of gas: 10 cents

• Average cost for house rent: $24 per month
  (WOW! That's like two Starbucks now!!)

• A loaf of bread: 8 cents

• A pound of hamburger meat: 12 cents

• Studebaker car: $665.00
  (Umm.....that's like 2 monthly car payments!)

• Ladies swimming costume $6.95

  (how precious is that.....just the fact that it's called swimming costume
  and not bikini!)

Other Random Events In 1936

• Life Magazine's first issue is first published.

• For the first time ever, car racing was done in Daytona.
• Sun Valley Ski Resort Idaho and First Chairlifts were opened.
• Babe Ruth was elected to the hall of fame.
• 1936 was near the end of James Braddock's career. He had just won
   the heavyweight championship of the world in 1935. 
   (Have you seen Cinderella Man?  One of my ALL TIME favorites!!)  

It was truly a different world in 1936!