Swinging Through the 30s: Top 6 Fascinating Fun Facts from a Decade to Remember

1. The Cyclone: Coney Island's Wooden Wonder

In the 1930s, thrill-seekers flocked to Coney Island, where they could experience the wild ride of a lifetime... as long as they weren't afraid of a little wood: The Cyclone, an iconic wooden roller coaster, operated for more than 40 years before nearly meeting its demise in the early 1970s. Thankfully, Astroland amusement park's owners swooped in, winning a lease agreement with the city and investing millions in the nostalgic coaster's restoration. Today, the Cyclone is an irreplaceable piece of history, recognized as a New York City designated landmark in 1988, and taking its rightful place on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

2. Gas Prices: The OG 99 Cent Marketing Trick

Penny for your thoughts on gas prices? Turns out, they're the original 99 cent store: In the 1930s, gas station owners raised prices by 9/10ths of a cent instead of a full penny so as to prevent a whopping 10% markup on a gallon costing $0.10, and this marketing tactic has lingered on like a persistent, yet financially underwhelming, ghost from the Great Depression.
Source => abc10.com

Did you know that in the 1930s, massive "black blizzard" dust storms were so huge and strong that they turned day into night? Discover how these natural phenomena darkened the sky!

=> Fun Facts about The-Dust-Bowl

3. Twinkies: Cake That Survived the Bomb

Who says you can't have your cake and bomb shelter too?: The Twinkie, that iconic sponge cake with a mysterious never-expiring shelf life, was actually birthed during the Great Depression in 1930s and gained prominence when it was included in bomb shelters during the fearful 1960s. It's Hostess's best-selling snack cake, with more than 500 million produced yearly - all thanks to James A. Dewar's ingenious idea to repurpose machinery from making strawberry shortcakes to create a affordable, banana cream-filled delight.
Source => kitchenproject.com

4. Sock Monkeys: Depression's Crafty Companion

Sock it to me, monkey! In the 1930s, folks got crafty by turning their tired old two-steppers into a barrel of laughs: worn-out Rockford Red Heel Socks became prized materials for creating the iconic sock monkey, symbolizing resourcefulness during the Great Depression – but make no mistake, those red-heeled socks weren't originally designed for monkey business!
Source => en.wikipedia.org

5. Candy: Sweet Saviors of the Great Depression

In a time when wallets were tight and waistlines were wider, the Great Depression had folks trading in hearty meals for wallet-friendly, sweet treats: Popular candies introduced and consumed in the 1930s—like Chick O Stick, 3 Musketeers, Heath bars, and Payday bars—became affordable distractions and even meal replacements, giving birth to iconic sweets and pulling a generation through one of the toughest periods in American history.
Source => snackhistory.com

6. Wages and Unemployment: Time Travel to the 1930s

Who needs a time machine when you can just go back in wages: During the 1930s, US workers earned a whopping average of $1,850 per year and, coincidentally, unemployment rates skyrocketed to never-before-seen levels during the Great Depression.
Source => mocentral.org