1930s Technology: Gadgets, Computers And Tech Trends

Radio in almost every home, and the first television service in the world.

Below: the gadgets in ordinary 1930s homes, what computing looked like at the time, what changed across the decade, and the details anyone who was there will remember.

Useful for a reminiscence session, a quiz round, or working out what someone grew up using.

Years covered in the 1930s

• 1930 - The R101 disaster, rising unemployment and Amy Johnson flying to Australia. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1930
• 1931 - The National Government, the gold standard abandoned and the means test. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1931
• 1932 - Broadcasting House opened, the Empire Service began and hunger marches reached London. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1932
• 1933 - Bodyline, the first Loch Ness photograph and the opening of the Tube map. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1933
• 1934 - Driving tests announced, Belisha beacons and the Queen Mary being built. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1934
• 1935 - The Silver Jubilee, the first driving tests and the 30mph limit. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1935
• 1936 - Three kings in one year, the Jarrow March, Butlin's and the first television service. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1936
• 1937 - The coronation of George VI, the Hindenburg and the first Billy Butlin summer. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1937
• 1938 - Munich, gas masks and the Holidays with Pay Act. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1938
• 1939 - Evacuation, the blackout, the declaration of war and television going off air. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1939
• That is every 1930s year we have written up so far: 1930 to 1939.

Gadgets of the 1930s

• Mains-powered wireless sets, no accumulator to lug about.
• BBC Television begins a regular service from Alexandra Palace in 1936.
• Electric fridges and washing machines, still expensive and rare.
• Electric fires replacing the coal grate in some rooms.
• Folding bellows cameras and the first 35mm ones.

Computers in the 1930s

• Still nothing domestic - mechanical calculators and punched-card tabulators did the work.
• Alan Turing publishes the paper describing a universal machine in 1936.
• Businesses used Hollerith-style punched card machines for payroll and census work.
• Slide rules and log tables for anyone doing serious arithmetic.

Tech trends of the 1930s

• Hire purchase letting ordinary families buy a wireless or a cooker.
• The National Grid completed, so appliances worked the same everywhere.
• Cinema as the mass technology of the decade, with sound now standard.
• Television sold to a few thousand households in the London area only.

What people remember

• The Radio Times marked up for the week's listening.
• A neighbour's set that everyone crowded into the parlour to watch.
• Valves that glowed and took a minute to warm up.
• Adverts for gadgets that cost more than a month's wages.

How to use this

• Reminiscence: ask what the first one they owned was, and what it cost - the price always gets a reaction.
• Quiz round: read a gadget and ask for the decade.
• Themed party: an old wireless or gramophone on a table does more than any decoration.
• Present: a print of the machine they learned on lands better than a generic card.

Shop prints and posters

How to write it so it lands

• Prices are the best prompt - work out what a gadget cost in a week's wages and the room goes quiet.
• Ask what broke and how it was fixed; repairs get better stories than purchases.
• Check the dates before using these in a quiz - launch year and the year it reached most homes are rarely the same.

Where to shop next

• Look back to 1930
• Look back to 1931
• Look back to 1932
• Look back to 1933
• Look back to 1934
• Look back to 1935
• Look back to 1936
• Look back to 1937
• Look back to 1938
• Look back to 1939
• 1930s calendar: year by year
• 1930s trivia: fun facts
• 1930s holidays and travel
• 1930s food and recipes
• 1930s music: albums, artists and songs
• 1930s fashion: clothes, hair and accessories
• 1930s books, films and TV
• The 1930s: the whole decade
• Victorian and vintage parlour games
• Village fete and church hall games
• Traditional British party games
• Seaside and beach games
• Decade history: key events, politics and culture by era
• Decade books: best novels, authors and reading trends
• Decade tech: gadgets and computers by era
• Decade travel: destinations and holidays by era
• Decade recipes: dishes and food trends by era
• Music by decade: albums, artists and songs
• Decade fashion: clothes, hair and accessories by era
• Decade guides: books, films and TV by era
• Decade calendar: every year from 1920
• Decade trivia: fun facts by era
• Nostalgia gift shop
• Guess the year quiz
• Milestone birthday cards
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Good luck cards
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What gadgets did people have in the 1930s?

Mains-powered wireless sets, no accumulator to lug about. The full list above covers the equipment found in ordinary homes that decade.

What were computers like in the 1930s?

Still nothing domestic - mechanical calculators and punched-card tabulators did the work. The computing section above covers the machines and how they were used.

What were the big tech trends of the 1930s?

Hire purchase letting ordinary families buy a wireless or a cooker. The trends section above lists what changed across the decade.

Do you sell technology or retro gadgets?

No. We make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK. This page is free to read, print and copy for a quiz or a care-home session.