Year 1934 in History

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (US bank guarantor) comes into effect

American comedian and actor Lou Costello (27) weds American burlesque dancer Anne Battler (21)

Louis Francis Cristillo (March 6, 1906 – March 3, 1959), better known as Lou Costello, was an American comedian, actor and producer.

FDR devalues the US dollar relative to gold to $35 per ounce

British-American entertainer Bob Hope (30) weds American singer Dolores DeFina (24) in Erie, Pennsylvania, until his dea

British-American entertainer Bob Hope (30) weds American singer Dolores DeFina (24) in Erie, Pennsylvania, until his death in 2003

"It Happened One Night" directed by Frank Capra and starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert opens at NY's Radio City

"It Happened One Night" directed by Frank Capra and starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert opens at NY's Radio City Music Hall (Academy Awards Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress and Screenplay 1935)

High-ranking member of British intelligence Kim Philby (22) weds communist Litzi Friedmann in Vienna, Austria

Hungarian-American theoretical physicist Edward Teller (25) weds Hungarian-American computer scientist Augusta Maria "Mi

Hungarian-American theoretical physicist Edward Teller (25) weds Hungarian-American computer scientist Augusta Maria "Mici" Schütz-Harkányi (24) in Hungary, until her death in 2000

6th Academy Awards: "Cavalcade" and its director Frank Lloyd, Charles Laughton (The Private Life of Henry VIII), and Kat

6th Academy Awards: "Cavalcade" and its director Frank Lloyd, Charles Laughton (The Private Life of Henry VIII), and Katharine Hepburn (Morning Glory) win; host Will Rogers announces "Come and get it, Frank" and Frank Capra gets up

Vietnam emperor Bảo Đại (20) weds empress Nam Phương (19) at the imperial city of Huế

1st Augusta National Invitation Tournament (Masters) Golf: Horton Smith wins with 20-foot birdie putt at the 17th hole,

1st Augusta National Invitation Tournament (Masters) Golf: Horton Smith wins with 20-foot birdie putt at the 17th hole, 1 stroke ahead of Craig Wood

Shirley Temple appears in her 1st feature length film, "Stand Up & Cheer"

Great dust bowl storm sweeps across the American and Canadian prairies traveling as far as the East Coast

American outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow are killed by police in an ambush near Sailes, Louisiana

Bonnie Elizabeth Parker (October 1, 1910 – May 23, 1934) and Clyde Chestnut "Champion" Barrow (March 24, 1909 – May 23, 1934) were American outlaws who traveled the Central United States with their…

First wife Marguerite Van Kessel divorces NFL player Curly Lambeau (36) after 14 years of marriage

First appearance of Donald Duck in the cartoon "The Wise Little Hen"

The Wise Little Hen is a 1934 Walt Disney produced Silly Symphonies animated short film, based on the fable The Little Red Hen.

Novelist Kenneth Patchen (22) weds Miriam Patchen in nearby Sharon, Pennsylvania

Adolf Hitler stages a bloody purge of the Nazi party in the "Night of the Long Knives"

Hungarian physicist Leó Szilárd patents the chain-reaction design for the atomic bomb

American artist and "Titanic" actress Gloria Stuart (24) weds second husband, American screenwriter Arthur Sheekman (33)

American artist and "Titanic" actress Gloria Stuart (24) weds second husband, American screenwriter Arthur Sheekman (33), until his death in 1978

Adolf Hitler merges the offices of German Chancellor and President, declaring himself "Führer" (leader)

Führer is a German word meaning 'leader' or 'guide'. As a political title, it is strongly associated with Adolf Hitler, the dictator of Germany from 1933 to 1945.

2,500 fans witness Babe Ruth's final New York Yankees appearance at Yankee Stadium

In his final game as a New York Yankee, Babe Ruth goes 0 for 3

George Herman "Babe" Ruth (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935.

Mao Zedong and 25,000 troops begin their 6,000-mile Long March from the south of China to the north and west

The Long March was a military retreat by the Chinese Red Army and Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from advancing Kuomintang (KMT) forces during the Chinese Civil War, occurring between October 1934 and...

Actress Gloria Swanson (35) divorces Michael Farmer after 3 years of marriage

Gloria Mae Josephine Swanson (March 27, 1899 – April 4, 1983) was an American actress.

American actress and dancer Ginger Rogers (23) weds "All Quiet on the Western Front" actor Lew Ayres (25); divorce in 19

American actress and dancer Ginger Rogers (23) weds "All Quiet on the Western Front" actor Lew Ayres (25); divorce in 1940

Prince George, Duke of Kent, weds princess Marina of Greece and Denmark

Leningrad mayor Sergei Kirov is assassinated; Joseph Stalin uses it as an excuse to begin his Great Purge of 1934-38

"Flash Gordon" comic strip created and drawn by Alex Raymond debuts

Flash Gordon is the protagonist of a space adventure comic strip created and originally drawn by Alex Raymond.

Jaap Speyers "Bluejackets" premieres in Amsterdam

The Candidate of Science degree is established in the USSR

8.4 earthquake in India/Nepal, 10,700 die

Electric Home & Farm Authority incorporated

MLB Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis denies Joe Jackson's appeal for reinstatement into baseball; Jackson was banned

MLB Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis denies Joe Jackson's appeal for reinstatement into baseball; Jackson was banned after 1919 "Black Sox" World Series

Japan sends Henry Pu Yi as regent to emperor of Manchuria

Parisian baker and "student of medieval life" Henri Littière appears in court, charged with forcing his adulterous wife,

Parisian baker and "student of medieval life" Henri Littière appears in court, charged with forcing his adulterous wife, Juliette, to wear a chastity belt. Having committed the same offense in 1932, he is sentenced to three months in prison and fined 50 francs for cruelty to his wife.

New York Rangers' left wing Murray Murdoch plays his 400th straight NHL game in a 5-2 win over Ottawa Senators at Madiso

New York Rangers' left wing Murray Murdoch plays his 400th straight NHL game in a 5-2 win over Ottawa Senators at Madison Square Garden, NYC; streak reaches 508 consecutive games

Nazi Germany & Poland sign 10-year non-aggression treaty

Nazi Germany, officially the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it...

French government of Chautemps falls (Stavisky Affair)

1st US ski tow (rope) begins operation (Woodstock, Vermont)

1st theatrical presentation sponsored by US government, NYC

Austrian Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss dissolves all political parties but his own right-wing Fatherland Front (Vaterlän

Austrian Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss dissolves all political parties but his own right-wing Fatherland Front (Vaterländische Front)

Dutch Roman Catholic Bishops warn against fascism and Nazism

Nazism, formally named National Socialism (NS), is the far-right totalitarian ideology associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany.

Far right leagues rally in front of the Palais Bourbon in an attempted coup against the French Third Republic, creating

Far right leagues rally in front of the Palais Bourbon in an attempted coup against the French Third Republic, creating a political crisis in France

1st contract for TVA power, Tupelo, Mississippi

Export-Import Bank organizes in Washington, D.C.

-14.3°F (-25.7°C), coldest day in New York City

1st Jewish immigrant ship to break the English blockade in Palestine

Austrian Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss government bans Social Democrat party

Engelbert Dollfuss (alternatively Dollfuß; 4 October 1892 – 25 July 1934) was an Austrian politician and dictator who served as chancellor of Austria between 1932 and 1934.

Soviet steamship SS Chelyuskin sinks in the Arctic Ocean after being crushed by ice packs near Kolyuchin Island in the C

Soviet steamship SS Chelyuskin sinks in the Arctic Ocean after being crushed by ice packs near Kolyuchin Island in the Chukchi Sea

NHL Ace Bailey Benefit Game: Toronto beats All-Stars 7-3 in Toronto

The Ace Bailey Benefit Game was the first all-star game in National Hockey League (NHL) history.

Austrian Civil War ends with the defeat of the Social Democrats and the Republican Schutzbund

The Austrian Civil War of 12–15 February 1934, also known as the February Uprising (Februaraufstand) or the February Fights (Februarkämpfe), was a series of clashes in the First Austrian Republic...

1st high school auto driving course offered (State College, Pennsylvania)

US contract air mail service canceled, replaced by US army for 6 months

The Air Mail scandal, also known as the Air Mail fiasco, was a political controversy that erupted in 1934 following a congressional investigation into the awarding of airmail contracts to select...

Virgil Thomson and Gertrude Stein's opera "Four Saints in Three Acts" opens on Broadway at the 44th Street Theatre, NYC

Nicaraguan patriot Augusto César Sandino and three others kidnapped and assassinated by the National Guard in Larreynaga

Henry Pu Yi crowned Emperor Kang Teh of Manchuria

Union Pacific tests light-weight high-speed passenger train, Omaha

Easter Cross on Mt. Davidson (San Francisco) dedicated

Mother-in-law's day 1st celebrated (Amarillo, Texas)

Sidney Howard & Paul de Kruif's "Yellowjacket" premieres in NYC

Longest undefeated streak in Toronto Maple Leaf history ends - 18 games with 15 wins, 3 ties

Acting President Constantine Päts commits coup in Tallinn, Estonia

US Information Service opens

Fire destroys Hakodate, Japan, killing about 1,500

Fire destroys Hakodate, Japan, kills 1,500, injures 1,000

Driving tests introduced in Britain

Bank of Travail in Belgium, socialist workers' movement bankrupt

Netherlands Indies BC Ltd begins radio transmission (Indonesia)

Baseball superstar Babe Ruth agrees to do three 15-minute broadcasts a week over NBC for a fee of $39,000 for 13 weeks;

Baseball superstar Babe Ruth agrees to do three 15-minute broadcasts a week over NBC for a fee of $39,000 for 13 weeks; $4,000 more than his NY Yankees playing contract

Lutheran ministers arrested in Germany

Stanley Cup Final, Chicago Stadium, Chicago, IL: Chicago Blackhawks beat Detroit Red Wings, 1-0 in double OT for a 3-1 s

Stanley Cup Final, Chicago Stadium, Chicago, IL: Chicago Blackhawks beat Detroit Red Wings, 1-0 in double OT for a 3-1 series win; Black Hawks' first Stanley Cup

Second highest ever wind speed of 372 km/h (231 mph) recorded on Mt Washington

Mount Washington (Abenaki: Agiocochook) is an ultra-prominent mountain in the state of New Hampshire.

4.7 million US families report receiving welfare payments

Fenway Park in Boston re-opens after a major renovation including a hand-operated electronic scoreboard, though it didn'

Fenway Park in Boston re-opens after a major renovation including a hand-operated electronic scoreboard, though it didn't help the Red Sox who lost to the Washington Senators 6-5

Senators catcher Moe Berg, plays AL record 117th consecutive errorless game

Soccer team Blue White '34 forms

Pittsburgh is last major league baseball city to play a home game on a Sunday, as the Pirates host the Cincinnati Reds

The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. The Reds compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central Division.

Austria gets "Austrian fascist" constitution

Tydings-McDuffie Act: Philippine Legislature accepts the US proposal for independence (realized in 1946)

Nazi Germany begins People's Court

Like many other nations at the time, Germany suffered the economic effects of the Great Depression, with unemployment soaring after the Wall Street crash of 1929.

Part of Khabarovsk becomes a Jewish Autnomous Region

Karlis Ulmanis names himself fascist dictator of Latvia

Trans-Word Airlines (TWA) begins commercial service

Military coup by Colonel Damian Veltsjev in Bulgaria

Oskaloosa, Iowa, becomes first US city to fingerprint its citizens

Oskaloosa is a city in, and the county seat of, Mahaska County, Iowa. The population was 11,558 in the 2020 U.S. census.

Colombia and Peru sign an accord regarding the river city of Leticia in the Amazon

Century of Progress Exposition reopens in Chicago

Chicago is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States.

The Dionne identical quintuplets are born to Oliva-Édouard and Elzire Dionne near Callander, Ontario, the first quintupl

The Dionne identical quintuplets are born to Oliva-Édouard and Elzire Dionne near Callander, Ontario, the first quintuplets to survive infancy

The Barmen Declaration is published by a group of church leaders in Germany including Karl Barth to help Christians with

The Barmen Declaration is published by a group of church leaders in Germany including Karl Barth to help Christians withstand the challenges of the Nazi party

1st formal meeting of Baker Street Irregulars (NYC)

Securities & Exchange Commission established

The Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (also called the Exchange Act, '34 Act, or 1934 Act) (Pub. L. 73–291, 48 Stat. 881, enacted June 6, 1934, codified at 15 U.S.C.

FIFA World Cup Final, Stadio Nazionale PNF, Rome, Italy: Angelo Schiavio scores the winner in extra time as Italy beats

FIFA World Cup Final, Stadio Nazionale PNF, Rome, Italy: Angelo Schiavio scores the winner in extra time as Italy beats Czechoslovakia, 2-1

Disarmament conference in Geneva fails

The Conference for the Reduction and Limitation of Armaments, generally known as the Geneva Conference or World Disarmament Conference, was an international conference of states held in Geneva,...

Great Smokey Mountains National Park on the border between North Carolina and Tennessee is dedicated

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a national park of the United States in the southeast, with parts in North Carolina and Tennessee.

US Highway planning surveys nationwide authorized

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) created

The Communications Act of 1934 is a United States federal law signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on June 19, 1934, and codified as Chapter 5 of Title 47 of the United States Code, 47 U.S.C.

Hedley Verity takes 15 wickets for England v Australia (7-61 & 8-43)

Hedley Verity (18 May 1905 – 31 July 1943) was a professional cricketer who played for Yorkshire and England between 1930 and 1939.

Germany and Poland sign non-aggression treaty

The German–Polish declaration of non-aggression (German: Erklärung zwischen Deutschland und Polen über den Verzicht auf Gewaltanwendung, Polish: Deklaracja między Polską a Niemcami o niestosowaniu...

Federal Savings & Loan Association created

Adolf Hitler flies to Essen, Germany for the "Night of the Long Knives"

1st x-ray photo of entire body, taken by Arthur Fuchs of Eastman-Kodak Company in Rochester, New York

General Lazaro Cardenas elected president of Mexico

FDIC pays off 1st insured depositors, Fon du Lac Bank, East Peoria, Illinois

"Bloody Thursday" - Police open fire on striking longshoremen in San Francisco

US Disciplinary Barracks on Alcatraz Island abandoned

Alcatraz Island () is a small island about 1.25 miles offshore from San Francisco in San Francisco Bay, California, near the Golden Gate Strait.

°F (47°C) is recorded in Orogrande, New Mexico, setting a state record, which is later broken on June 27, 1994

Continental Airlines commences operations

Continental Airlines (simply known as Continental) was a trunk carrier, a major international airline in the United States that operated from 1934 until it merged with United Airlines in 2012.

°F (48°C), Keokuk, Iowa (state record)

Keokuk is a city in and a county seat of Lee County, Iowa, United States. It is Iowa's southernmost city. The population was 9,900 at the time of the 2020 census.

°F (45°C), near Gallipolis, Ohio (state record)

Ohio is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Canadian province of Ontario to the north (through Lake Erie), Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast,...

First ptarmigan hatched and reared in captivity in Ithaca, New York

Failed Nazi coup in Austria

The Federal State of Austria (Austrian German: Bundesstaat Österreich; colloquially known as the "Ständestaat") was a continuation of the First Austrian Republic between 1934 and 1938 when it was a...

French Socialist/Communist Party of the Popular Front forms

A popular front is any coalition of working-class and/or middle-class entities, including liberal and social democratic ones, united for a purpose.

°F (48°C) recorded Orofino, Idaho (state record)

Orofino oro-FEE-noh; ("fine gold" [ore] in Spanish) is a city in and the county seat of Clearwater County, Idaho, United States, along Orofino Creek and the north bank of the Clearwater River.

US Amateur Golf Championship format changes to a 6-day event with no 36-hole stroke-play qualifying and 36-hole matches

US Amateur Golf Championship format changes to a 6-day event with no 36-hole stroke-play qualifying and 36-hole matches for semi-finals and final

US troops leave Haiti, which has been occupied since 1915

The United States occupation of Haiti began on July 28, 1915, when 330 U.S. Marines landed at Port-au-Prince, Haiti, after the National City Bank of New York (now Citibank) convinced U.S.

Fourth Women's World Games (track and field competition for women) take place over three days at White City Stadium in L

Fourth Women's World Games (track and field competition for women) take place over three days at White City Stadium in London

Alcatraz officially opens as a federal penitentiary

Alcatraz Island () is a small island about 1.25 miles offshore from San Francisco in San Francisco Bay, California, near the Golden Gate Strait.

US ends occupation of Haiti after 19 years, which started after the 1915 assassination of Haiti's president

The United States occupation of Haiti began on July 28, 1915, when 330 U.S. Marines landed at Port-au-Prince, Haiti, after the National City Bank of New York (now Citibank) convinced U.S.

US explorer William Beebe descends 3,028 feet (923 meters) in a Bathysphere off the coast of Bermuda

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

The Soap Box Derby is a youth-oriented gravity racer event founded in 1934 in the United States by Myron Scott (a photojournalist native to Dayton, Ohio), employed by the Dayton Daily News, and...

1st NFL Chicago All-Star Game: Chicago Bears 0, All-Stars 0 (79,432)

SMJK Sam Tet was founded by Father Fourgs from the St. Michael Church, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia.

Tunisia's movement for independence begins

Luxury passenger ship Morro Castle, bound for New Jersey, catches fire; 133 die

"L'Atalante," a French film directed by Jean Vigo, starring Michel Simon, Dita Parlo, and Jean Dasté, is released

L'Atalante, also released as Le Chaland qui passe (English: The Passing Barge), is a 1934 French film written and directed by Jean Vigo, and starring Jean Dasté, Dita Parlo, and Michel Simon. After...

St. Louis Browns' Bobo Newsom loses no-hitter to Boston in 10 innings, 2-1

Bruno Haptmann arrested for kidnapping Lindbergh baby

St Louis Cardinals pitching Dean brothers shut-out Brooklyn Dodgers in a doubleheader; Dizzy, in a 13-0 rout and Paul, w

St Louis Cardinals pitching Dean brothers shut-out Brooklyn Dodgers in a doubleheader; Dizzy, in a 13-0 rout and Paul, with a 3-0 no-hitter

An explosion takes place at Gresford Colliery in Wales, leading to the deaths of 266 miners and rescuers

British ocean liner RMS Queen Mary is launched, winning the Blue Riband for the fastest passenger crossing of the Atlant

British ocean liner RMS Queen Mary is launched, winning the Blue Riband for the fastest passenger crossing of the Atlantic in 1936 and from 1938 to 1952, and is retired in 1967, permanently moored and converted to a hotel in Long Beach, California

LPGA Western Open Women's Golf, Portland G & CC: Marian McDougall outclassed Mrs Guy Riegel, 9 & 7 to win golf's only ma

LPGA Western Open Women's Golf, Portland G & CC: Marian McDougall outclassed Mrs Guy Riegel, 9 & 7 to win golf's only major title

"Lux Radio Theatre" premieres

Lux Radio Theatre, sometimes spelled Lux Radio Theater, a classic radio anthology series, was broadcast on the NBC Blue Network (1934–35) (owned by the National Broadcasting Company, later...

"The Aldrich Family" premieres on radio

Jean Piccard and Jeanette Ridlon attain a record balloon height of 10.9 miles (17.5 km) over Lake Erie

While Washington Senators player-manager Joe Cronin honeymoons with Mildred Robertson, owner Clark Griffith's niece and

While Washington Senators player-manager Joe Cronin honeymoons with Mildred Robertson, owner Clark Griffith's niece and adopted daughter, he is sold to Red Sox

Brooklyn Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates play the first of only four penalty-free games in NFL history; Dodgers win 21-3

Brooklyn Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates play the first of only four penalty-free games in NFL history; Dodgers win 21-3 at Ebbets Field, Brooklyn

After posting 7 straight shutouts to start the NFL season, Detroit Lions beat Pittsburgh, 40-7 at University of Detroit

After posting 7 straight shutouts to start the NFL season, Detroit Lions beat Pittsburgh, 40-7 at University of Detroit Stadium; scored upon for the first time of the season; rush for NFL single game record 426 yards

NFL Philadelphia Eagles beat Cincinnati Reds 64-0

The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia.

Arthur L. Mitchell, becomes first African American Democratic US congressman (Illinois)

Ford Frick, NL publicity director, is named league president

WOC-AM in Davenport Iowa splits from WHO-WOC & becomes KICK-AM

Nobel for chemistry awarded to Harold C Urey (deuterium)

Harold Clayton Urey (April 29, 1893 – January 5, 1981) was an American physical chemist who conducted pioneering work on isotopes.

"Uiver" returns from Schiphol in London-Melbourne air race

Uiver was the name of the Douglas DC-2 airliner with registration PH-AJU operated by Dutch airline KLM.

NY Yankees buy Joe DiMaggio from SF Seals (Pacific Coast League)

"Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" 1st heard on Eddie Cantor's show

An Anglo-Ethiopian boundary commission in the Ogaden discovers an Italian garrison at Walwal, which lay well within Ethi

An Anglo-Ethiopian boundary commission in the Ogaden discovers an Italian garrison at Walwal, which lay well within Ethiopian territory. This leads to the Abyssinia Crisis.

SN Behrman's "Rain from Heaven" premieres in NYC

The Chicago Bears defeat Detroit (19-16) in the first NFL game broadcast nationally

Since its inception in 1920, the National Football League (NFL) has played games on Thanksgiving Day, patterned upon the historic playing of college football games on or around the November holiday.

Toronto Maple Leafs defeat St. Louis Eagles 4-3 to set an NHL record for the most wins to start the season with 8; the L

Toronto Maple Leafs defeat St. Louis Eagles 4-3 to set an NHL record for the most wins to start the season with 8; the Leafs do it again 59 years later, winning 10 in a row to start the 1993-94 season

A 5.08-meter (200-inch) mirror for the Hale Telescope at the Palomar Observatory is successfully cast

The Hale Telescope is a 200-inch (5.1 m), f/3.3 reflecting telescope at the Palomar Observatory in San Diego County, California, US, named after astronomer George Ellery Hale.

Italian colonial Tripoli & Cyrenaica annexed to Libya

Libya (Italian: Libia; Arabic: ليبيا الايطالية, romanized: Lībyā al-Īṭālīya) was a colony of Kingdom of Italy (Fascist Italy) located in North Africa, in what is now modern Libya, between 1934 and...

Friedrich Wolf's "Professor Mamlock" premieres in Zurich

Professor Mamlock is a theater play written by Friedrich Wolf in 1933. Portraying the hardships a Jewish doctor named Hans Mamlock experiences under the Hitler regime, it is one of the earliest works...

Fascist dictator of Latvia Ulmanis begins building concentration camp

All-Star Game is assigned to Cleveland

Mark Hellinger Theater (Warner Bros) opens at 237 W 51st St NYC

The first streamlined steam locomotive is introduced in Albany, New York

Japan agrees to naval treaty of 1922 & 1930

The Washington Naval Treaty, also known as the Five-Power Treaty, was signed during 1922 among the major Allies of World War I, which agreed to prevent an arms race by limiting naval construction.

1st flight from Netherland to Curacao (Christmas flight 1934)

Four centuries for SA as they make 7-644 v Qld before 6,180

Yomiuri Giants, Japan's 1st professional baseball team forms

The Yomiuri Giants (読売ジャイアンツ, Yomiuri Jaiantsu; formally Yomiuri Kyojingun (読売巨人軍)) and still known by the nickname Kyojin (巨人) are a Japanese professional baseball team competing in Nippon...

1st youth hostel in US opens (Northfield, Mass)

Musical revue "Thumbs Up", including music and lyrics by Vernon Duke, James Hanley, and Ira Gershwin (among others), pre

Musical revue "Thumbs Up", including music and lyrics by Vernon Duke, James Hanley, and Ira Gershwin (among others), premieres at the St. James Theatre, NYC; runs for 156 performance

Federico Garcia Lorca's "Yerma" premieres in Madrid

Federico del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús García Lorca (5 June 1898 – 19 August 1936) was a Spanish poet, playwright, and theatre director.

New York Rangers and Boston Bruins battle out a 0-0 tie; first of a 37-game overtime undefeated streak for the Bruins, t

New York Rangers and Boston Bruins battle out a 0-0 tie; first of a 37-game overtime undefeated streak for the Bruins, the longest in NHL history; streak spans over 4 years and includes 27 ties

Helen Richey becomes 1st woman to pilot an airmail transport

Famous Births

Jacques Anquetil is born

Jacques Anquetil, French athlete, known for french cyclist, was born on 1934-01-08.

Jean Chretien is born

Bill Bixby is born

Bill Bixby, American actor and director, known for american actor and director, was born on 1934-01-22.

Don Cherry is born

Manuel Noriega is born

Mary Quant is born

Bill Russell is born

Bill Russell, American athlete, known for american basketball player and coach, was born on 1934-02-12.

Khun Sa is born

Khun Sa, Burmese warlord, known for burmese warlord, was born on 1934-02-17. Khun Sa was an ethnic Han drug lord and warlord.

Yoko Ono is born

Yoko Ono, Japanese musician, known for japanese artist and activist, was born on 1934-02-18. Yoko Ono is a Japanese artist, musician, activist, and filmmaker.

Bobby Unser is born

Bobby Unser, American athlete, known for american racing driver, was born on 1934-02-20. Robert William Unser (February 20, 1934 – May 2, 2021) was an American automobile racer.

Yuri Gagarin is born

Yuri Gagarin soviet cosmonaut, known for soviet cosmonaut, was born on 1934-03-09.

Michael Caine is born

Michael Caine, English actor, known for english actor, was born on 1934-03-14. Sir Michael Caine is a retired English actor.

Jane Goodall is born

Jane Goodall, English zoologist, known for english zoologist, was born on 1934-04-03. Dame Valerie Jane Morris Goodall was an English primatologist and anthropologist.

Anton Geesink is born

Anton Geesink, Dutch athlete, known for dutch judoka, was born on 1934-04-06. Antonius Johannes Geesink (6 April 1934 – 27 August 2010) was a Dutch 10th dan judoka.

Carol Burnett is born

Carol Burnett, American comedian and actress, known for american comedian and actress, was born on 1934-04-26. Carol Creighton Burnett is an American comedian, actress, singer and writer.

Willie Nelson is born

Willie Nelson, American musician, known for american country musician, was born on 1934-04-29. Willie Hugh Nelson is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor, and activist.

Louis Farrakhan is born

Louis Farrakhan, American religious leader, known for american religious leader, was born on 1934-05-11.

Joan Collins is born

Joan Collins, English actress and writer, known for english actress and writer, was born on 1934-05-23. Dame Joan Henrietta Collins is an English actress, author and columnist.

Alexei Leonov is born

Alexei Leonov, Russian soviet cosmonaut, known for soviet cosmonaut, was born on 1934-05-30.

Jackie Wilson is born

Jackie Wilson musician, known for american soul and r&b singer, was born on 1934-06-09. Jack Leroy Wilson Jr.

James Meredith is born

James Meredith, American civil rights movement figure, known for american civil rights movement figure, was born on 1934-06-25.

Giorgio Armani is born

Giorgio Armani, Italian fashion designer, known for italian fashion designer, was born on 1934-07-11. Giorgio Armani was an Italian fashion designer and founder of the Armani luxury fashion house.

John Hopfield is born

John Hopfield, American scientist, known for american scientist, was born on 1934-07-15.

Louise Fletcher is born

Louise Fletcher, American actress, known for american actress, was born on 1934-07-22. Estelle Louise Fletcher (July 22, 1934 – September 23, 2022) was an American actress.

Roman Polanski is born

Roman Polanski, French french filmmaker, known for polish and french filmmaker, was born on 1934-08-18.

Roberto Clemente is born

Roberto Clemente, Puerto Rican athlete, known for puerto rican baseball player, was born on 1934-08-18.

Norman Schwarzkopf is born

Norman Schwarzkopf united states army general, known for united states army general, was born on 1934-08-22.

Clive Granger is born

Clive Granger, British economist and nobel laureate, known for british economist and nobel laureate, was born on 1934-09-04.

Roger Maris is born

Roger Maris, American athlete, known for american baseball player, was born on 1934-09-10.

Maureen Connolly is born

Maureen Connolly, American athlete, known for american tennis player, was born on 1934-09-17.

Scotty Bowman is born

Scotty Bowman, Canadian athlete, known for canadian ice hockey coach, was born on 1934-09-18. William Scott Bowman is a Canadian former professional ice hockey head coach.

Brian Epstein is born

Brian Epstein, English musician, known for british personal manager and impresario, was born on 1934-09-19.

Leonard Cohen is born

Leonard Cohen, Canadian musician, known for canadian singer-songwriter and poet, was born on 1934-09-21.

Brigitte Bardot is born

Brigitte Bardot, French actress-singer and activist, known for french actress-singer and activist, was born on 1934-09-28.

Amartya Sen is born

Amartya Sen, Indian economist and nobel laureate, known for indian economist and nobel laureate, was born on 1934-11-03. Amartya Kumar Sen is an Indian economist and philosopher.

Carl Sagan is born

Carl Sagan, American scientist and science communicator, known for american scientist and science communicator, was born on 1934-11-09.

Garry Marshall is born

Garry Marshall, American filmmaker, known for american filmmaker, was born on 1934-11-13.

Al Kaline is born

Al Kaline athlete, known for american baseball player, was born on 1934-12-19. Albert William Kaline (December 19, 1934 – April 6, 2020), nicknamed "Mr.

David Pearson is born

Akihito is born

Sparky Anderson is born

Sparky Anderson, American baseball player and manager, known for american baseball player and manager, was born on 1934-02-22.

Michael Dukakis is born

Michael Dukakis, American politician and lawyer, known for american politician and lawyer, was born on 1934-11-03.

Notable Deaths

Marinus van der Lubbe dies

Marinus van der Lubbe, Dutch communist and alleged arsonist, known for dutch communist and alleged arsonist, died on 1934-01-10.

Edward Elgar dies

Edward Elgar, British composer, known for english composer, died on 1934-02-23. Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, (2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works…

Davidson Black dies

Bonnie Parker dies

Marie Curie dies

Marie Curie, French polish-french physicist and chemist, known for polish-french physicist and chemist, died on 1934-07-04.

Paul von Hindenburg dies