Saturday, April 18, 2009

Nostalgia from the Year I was Born

Some of the headlines from 1935 were: "New Nazi Law Bans Jews From Politics;" "Lawrence of Arabia Dies in Motorcycle Accident;" "Mussolini's Army Invades Ethiopia;" "Will Rogers and Wiley Post Die in Alaska Air Crash;" "Social Security Signed into Law;" Dust Storms Devastate the MidWest."

A Mickey Mouse wrist watch with a leather strap or metal bracelet sold in a gift box for $2.95. Watches for grown-ups were also $2.95.

The Academy Award for Best Picture went to "Mutiny on the Bounty;" best actor was Victor McLaglen for "The Informer;" and best actress was Bette Davis for "Dangerous."

Some of the music from that year was "I Feel a Song Coming On," "Begin the Beguine," Lullaby of Broadway." "Red Sails in the Sunset," and "I'm in the Mood for Love." Interestingly enough, all of these songs were popular again when I was a teenager.

In sports news back then the Stanley Cup Hockey team was the Montreal Maroons; the Heisman Trophy winner was Jay Berwanger from Chicago; the NFL champs, Detroit; the Indianapolis 500 winner was Kelly Petillo driving 106.240 mph; and the heaveyweight boxing champion was James Braddock who defeated Max Baer.

The average income in 1935 was $1,632. A new car cost $625. and a new house, $3,400.
A loaf of bread was .08, a gallon of milk .47, a gallon of gas .10. Gold per ounce was $20.67, silver was .38 per ounce and the Dow Jones Average was 120.

The President was Franklin Roosevelt and the vice president was John Garner.

Life expectancy was 59.7 years and I was born on a Monday!

Some people of note born in 1935 were entertainers Herb Alpert, Johnny Mathis, Phil Donahue, Little Richard, Woody Allen, Julie Andrews, Dudley Moore, Robert Conrad, Gene Wilder, Richard Chamberlain, and Rafer Johnson the Decathlete.

Some items advertised were the Westinghouse Precision Radio, Aqua Velva, Iodent toothpaste, the Coolerator Air Conditioned Refrigerator, Bromo Seltzer, Chrysler 70, Quaker Flour, and Exide batteries.

And no, I did not remember all this stuff. I had a handy, dandy little booklet that gave me the information.

No comments: