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LA Railway Co starts using PCC streetcars

A Presidents' Conference Committee (PCC) car is a type of streetcar (tram) that was first built in the United States in the 1930s.

A Presidents' Conference Committee (PCC) car is a type of streetcar (tram) that was first built in the United States in the 1930s. The design proved successful domestically, and after World War II it was licensed for production and use elsewhere in the world.

The PCC car has proved to be a long-lasting icon of streetcar design. About 5,000 PCC streetcars were built in the United States, with production continuing until 1952. In North America, some PCC streetcars are still in regular service, with most operating on heritage streetcar lines. As of 2026, the San Francisco Municipal Railway is the largest North American operator of PCC cars, using a fleet of 27 on two heritage lines.

After World War II, the PCC design was licensed to multiple European companies.

Historical Significance

A Presidents' Conference Committee (PCC) car is a type of streetcar (tram) that was first built in the United States in the 1930s.

Events Before

  1. Roger Miller is born

    Roger Miller, American musician, known for american country musician, was born on 1936-01-02. Roger Dean Miller Sr.

  2. Billboard magazine publishes its first music hit parade

    A hit parade is a ranked list of the most popular recordings at a given point in time, usually determined either by sales or airplay.

  3. Actress Mary Pickford (44) divorces actor Douglas Fairbanks (52) after 15 years of marriage

    Actress Mary Pickford (44) divorces actor Douglas Fairbanks (52) after 15 years of marriage

  4. Screen Directors Guild incorporates in Hollywood and later elects King Vidor as its first president

    Screen Directors Guild incorporates in Hollywood and later elects King Vidor as its first president

  5. First players elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame: Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson and Walter Johns

    First players elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame: Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson

Events After

  1. First jazz concert is held at Carnegie Hall, performed by Benny Goodman and his band

    The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert by Benny Goodman, Columbia Records catalogue item SL-160, is a two-disc LP of swing and jazz music recorded at Carnegie Hall in New York City on January 16,…

  2. World's first science fiction TV program is a broadcast of the play R.U.R. by Karel Čapek

    Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is the genre of speculative, science-based fiction that imagines advanced and futuristic scientific or technological progress.

  3. "Bringing Up Baby" film directed by Howard Hawks, starring Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant, is released

    Bringing Up Baby is a 1938 American screwball comedy film directed by Howard Hawks, and starring Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant. It was released by RKO Radio Pictures.

  4. First public experimental demonstration of Baird color TV occurs in London

    First public experimental demonstration of Baird color TV occurs in London

  5. UK Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden resigns, stating Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain has appeased Nazi Germany

    Arthur Neville Chamberlain was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940 and Leader of the Conservative Party from May 1937 to October 1940.

More from the 1930s

birth

David McKee is born

David McKee, British writer and illustrator, known for british writer and illustrator, was born on 1935-01-02.

birth

Jim Bakker is born

Jim Bakker televangelist, known for american televangelist, was born on 1939-01-02. James Orsen Bakker is an American televangelist and convicted felon.

birth

Roger Miller is born

Roger Miller, American musician, known for american country musician, was born on 1936-01-02. Roger Dean Miller Sr.

Claus von Stauffenberg is promoted to Second Lieutenant

Claus Philipp Maria Justinian Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg was a German army officer who is best known for his failed attempt on 20 July 1944 to assassinate Adolf Hitler at the Wolf's Lair, part of...

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on March 23, 1937?
A Presidents' Conference Committee (PCC) car is a type of streetcar (tram) that was first built in the United States in the 1930s. The design proved successful domestically, and after World War II it was licensed for production and use elsewhere in the world. The PCC car has proved to be a long-lasting icon of streetcar design.
Why is LA Railway Co starts using PCC streetcars significant?
A Presidents' Conference Committee (PCC) car is a type of streetcar (tram) that was first built in the United States in the 1930s.

Explore More

March 23 in HistoryYear 1937