Radio programs, music, dancing and dance marathons, and cinema were popular forms of entertainment during the Great Depression. Many people suffering from the effects of the economic downturn looked for inexpensive ways to pass the time and distract themselves from the challenging circumstances.
Many who could not afford books or periodicals spent time reading in libraries. Inexpensive amusements included backyard games, puzzles, card games, and board games such as Monopoly, which was introduced in 1935. Even the national pastime, baseball, changed profoundly during the Great Depression.
1930s: The greatest form of entertainment for most children was their own imagination! Kids used whatever was laying around to create their own games and toys. Girls made rag dolls and kids played school yard games like tag and jump rope.
Among the hobbies that emerged: stamp collecting, music making, woodworking and birdwatching. The growth in hobbies during the Great Depression was in large part due to the staggering number of people out of work.
With little money to spend on entertainment, families enjoyed new board games such as "Monopoly" and "Scrabble" which were first sold during the 1930s. Neighbors got together to play card games such as whist, pinochle, canasta and bridge.
The 1920s was an era of board games, with classics like Parchesi and Backgammon rising in popularity. So why not play some of these classic 20s games at your Roaring 20s party? You can find 20s-inspired games for your party on Etsy, or play card games that were popular in the 20s, like poker, ridge, spades, and rummy.
Most children played in the streets as there were not many cars. Marbles, hopscotch, skipping and football were popular games. In summer, cricket was played in the streets or on village greens.
Women's roles in 1930's America were still mostly domestic. They were typically in charge of home management and social duties, while men were usually the breadwinners. However, after the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote, was passed in 1920, there was a shift in women's roles.
Many families sought to cope by planting gardens, canning food, buying used bread, and using cardboard and cotton for shoe soles. Despite a steep decline in food prices, many families did without milk or meat. In New York City, milk consumption declined a million gallons a day.
Jazz and swing were popular. People danced to the big band tunes of Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, and Tommy Dorsey. Louis Armstrong expanded his repertoire.
A common Christmas Day routine during the Depression consisted of waking up, opening what presents there were, then going to church. Afterward came Christmas dinner, either at home or at a relative's house, where the men played cards, the kids just played, and the women cooked -- usually chicken.
THE DEPRESSION IN THE CITIES In cities across the country, people lost their jobs, were evicted from their homes and ended up in the streets. Some slept in parks or sewer pipes, wrapping themselves in newspapers to fend off the cold. through garbage cans or begged.
Even at the Depression's depths 60 to 80 million Americans attended the movies each week, and, in the face of doubt and despair, films helped sustain national morale. Although the movie industry considered itself Depression- proof, Hollywood was no more immune from the Depression's effects than any other industry.
As stocks continued to fall during the early 1930s, businesses failed, and unemployment rose dramatically. By 1932, one of every four workers was unemployed. Banks failed and life savings were lost, leaving many Americans destitute. With no job and no savings, thousands of Americans lost their homes.
The country's most vulnerable populations, such as children, the elderly, and those subject to discrimination, like African Americans, were the hardest hit. Most white Americans felt entitled to what few jobs were available, leaving African Americans unable to find work, even in the jobs once considered their domain.
1929: Sorry!
A simple game where players try to move around the board faster than their opponents, Sorry! was trademarked on May 21, 1929, by William Henry Storey in England. British manufacturer Waddingtons initially sold it before Parker Brothers adopted it in North America.
In celebration of the Easter Rising 1916, first class children have been learning 'How children played 100 years ago'. We had fantastic fun playing games such as Queenie I-O, Hopscotch, Donkey, The Alley Alley-O and Skipping!
Out of school hours, many children helped with household chores, ran errands and looked after the younger ones in the family as families tended to be much larger in the 1920s.
Hopscotch is a fun outdoor activity. Popular in the 1920s, hopscotch required few, if any, materials and could be enjoyed by many children at once.
In the 1920s, people entertained themselves with spectator sports, games, movies, and the radio.
Popular games of the 1900's included tag, marbles, board games, hide and go seek, and a game called Kick the Wickey where one kid kicked a foot-long stick and whoever caught it was the winner.