At Discovery Villages, our supportive communities give Senior Citizens opportunities to make meaningful friendships and connections. We help Seniors actively engage in the world around them so that they can continue to live a life of meaning, joy and wonder. Come visit us today at one of our locations in Fort Myers, Naples and Sarasota, Florida.

What a difference eighty-five years can make! Eighty-five years ago it was 1930. 1930 marked the beginning of a decade full of turmoil and uncertainty. The stock market crashed on October 29, 1929 and a quarter of American wage earners were unemployed. People lined up for bread lines, and the beginning of the dust bowl wreaked havoc on many areas of the Midwest. Government programs to give support to the sick, elderly and poor were not in place yet.

Despite these frightening times, Americans kept the hope and faith alive in the American Dream through their resiliency and hard-work. Creativity truly became the mother of invention, and through this spirit, the seeds of progress, science and art were planted in communities and throughout the nation. People put on their bootstraps and simply did what had to be done. Were you around during this time? Perhaps you remember a significant person living in this era who displayed this certain kind of courageousness and resiliency?

At Discovery Villages, our Senior Citizens have opportunities to be in community with each other, discussing memories and shared experiences with other like-minded individuals. Come take a stroll back in time, and enjoy this trivia with your friends, family and community.

The cost of an average home n the USA was about $7100.00
An average annual salary was about $1,900
Gas cost 10 cents a galloon
An Average car cost $640
The Minimum Wage did not exist yet
A dozen eggs cost about 20 cents
Red and Green Stoplights are first installed in New York, New York
123 billion cigarettes are produced by the US Tobacco Industry
Baker James Dewar invents the Hostess Twinkie.
Amy Johnson is the first female to fly solo from England to Australia
Laura Ingalls is the first female to complete a transcontinental flight
The American Congress elects to invest $50,000 in the Interstate Highway
Babe Ruth signs his first two-year contract with the New York Yankees; He is the highest paid baseball player at the time
Bill Arnold wins the Indianapolis 500
The first World Cup Soccer Tournament takes place in Uruguay
The first Football game is played at The Atlantic City Convention Center
Pluto is discovered at Lowell Observatory
Albert Einstein and Leo Szillard get their invention, the Einstein refrigerator patented
Mahatma Ghandi begins his 200 mile non-violent march protesting the British Salt Tax. He quotes “Be the Change that you wish to see in the world.”
Caucasian Women are given voting rights in South Africa
Herbert Hoover is the 31st President of the United States

Movies & Entertainment

A great year for classic Comics! The first Mickey Mouse comic strip appears; Betty Boop appears in Max Fleischer’s cartoon; Blondie makes its first appearance in newspapers as a comic strip

The play Private Lives by Noel Coward premieres in London
Under her Universal Studios contract, Bette Davis makes her first Hollywood appearance
Blue Angel premieres in the USA, making Marlene Dietrich a star
Ethel Merman makes her Broadway debut in Girl Crazy
The 3rd Annual Academy Awards celebrate the movies made in 1930
Best Directing at the Oscars goes to Lewis Milestone for All Quiet on The Western Front
Best Actress goes to Norma Shearer in The Divorcee
Best Actor goes to George Arliss in Disraeli

Popular Songs in 1930

Benny Mereoff Happy Days Are Here Again (number 1 hit song)
Irving Berlin Puttin’ On The Ritz
Roy Ingraham and his Orchestra Chant of the Jungle
Ipana Troubadours Tea for Two

Popular Literature with quotes published in 1930

Sinclair Lewis receives the Nobel for literature for Babbit

“You’re so earnest about morality that I hate to think how essentially immoral you must be underneath.”

Robert Frost The Poetry of Robert Frost

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

William Faulkner As I Lay Dying

“That’s what they mean by the love that passeth understanding: that pride, that furious desire to hide that abject nakedness which we bring here with us,… carry stubbornly and furiously with us into the earth again.”

Watty Piper The Little Engine That Could

“I think I can, I think I can, I think I can…”

Fashion Trends in 1930

Mid-length skirts with Natural Waistlines gained popularity
Pretty Feminine butterfly sleeves were worn
Women liked going out in Peep toes, classic pumps and sling-back shoes
Hollywood Actresses Bette Davis and Greta Garbo inspired the fashion of the day
For makeup: Wine or Red lipstick and lots of mascara
For hair: pin or glossy curls

In 1930, many notable people were born including:

Ray Charles-Musician
Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong- Astronauts
Warren Buffett- Investor
Tippi Hedren-Actress
Sandra Day O’Connor- Supreme Court Justice
Gene Hackman- Actor
Harvey Milk- Activist

Do you remember any of these historical facts and trivia? Things have sure changed in eighty-five years! At Discovery Villages, our wonderful communities give Senior Citizens the opportunities to joyfully reminiscence about the past, while keeping them actively engaged in the future. Come visit us today and see how we can support your lifestyle.

Discovery Village At Melbourne offers a variety of senior living programs to keep seniors healthy and active. Learn about our senior living options and amenities today when you contact us at 321.600.4747.