1930s Timeline: Key Dates, Events And Milestones

The 1930s in order, one year at a time, from 1930 to 1939.

Each year gives the headline of the year, the news that mattered, and the music, screen and sport people remember.

Useful for quizzes, school projects, reminiscence sessions and milestone birthday cards.

1930

• The R101 disaster, rising unemployment and Amy Johnson flying to Australia.
• Amy Johnson flew solo from England to Australia in May.
• The R101 airship crashed in France on 5 October, killing 48 people.
• Unemployment rose sharply as the Depression took hold.
• Dance bands led by Jack Hylton and Ambrose dominated the ballrooms and the wireless.
• Talking pictures had taken over the cinemas within two years of arriving.
• Uruguay won the first World Cup; the home nations did not take part.
• Full year page: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1930

1931

• The National Government, the gold standard abandoned and the means test.
• A financial crisis led to the formation of a National Government in August.
• Britain left the gold standard in September.
• The means test for unemployment benefit was introduced and deeply resented.
• The Invergordon Mutiny took place in September over pay cuts.
• Noel Coward's songs and the dance bands were the mainstream.
• Cinema was the cheapest night out and the most popular.
• West Bromwich Albion won the FA Cup and promotion in the same season.
• Full year page: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1931

1932

• Broadcasting House opened, the Empire Service began and hunger marches reached London.
• The BBC Empire Service, later the World Service, began on 19 December.
• Broadcasting House opened in London in May.
• The Kinder Scout mass trespass in April led eventually to the national parks.
• National hunger marches converged on London in the autumn.
• Henry Hall took over the BBC Dance Orchestra in March.
• The BBC made experimental television broadcasts using the Baird system.
• Newcastle United won the FA Cup after the disputed 'over the line' goal.
• Full year page: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1932

1933

• Bodyline, the first Loch Ness photograph and the opening of the Tube map.
• Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany in January.
• The London Passenger Transport Board was created and Harry Beck's Tube map was published in 1933.
• The first widely reported Loch Ness monster sighting was in May.
• 'Stormy Weather' and 'Smoke Gets in Your Eyes' were written this year.
• King Kong and The Private Life of Henry VIII were released.
• The Bodyline Ashes series in Australia caused a diplomatic row.
• Full year page: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1933

1934

• Driving tests announced, Belisha beacons and the Queen Mary being built.
• The Road Traffic Act introduced a 30mph limit in built-up areas and compulsory driving tests from 1935.
• Belisha beacons appeared at pedestrian crossings.
• The Gresford colliery disaster in September killed 266 men.
• The Queen Mary was launched at Clydebank.
• 'Blue Moon' and 'Anything Goes' were written this year.
• The Man Who Knew Too Much and It Happened One Night were released.
• England won the Ashes at home.
• Full year page: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1934

1935

• The Silver Jubilee, the first driving tests and the 30mph limit.
• George V's Silver Jubilee was celebrated on 6 May with street parties across the country.
• Driving tests became compulsory for new drivers in June.
• Stanley Baldwin became Prime Minister in June and won the November election.
• The Cat's Eye road stud was invented by Percy Shaw.
• 'Cheek to Cheek' and 'Begin the Beguine' were written this year.
• The 39 Steps was released.
• Arsenal won a third consecutive league title.
• Full year page: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1935

1936

• Three kings in one year, the Jarrow March, Butlin's and the first television service.
• George V died in January; Edward VIII abdicated on 11 December and George VI became King.
• The Jarrow March set out on 5 October.
• The Battle of Cable Street took place on 4 October.
• The Spanish Civil War began in July and British volunteers went to fight.
• 'The Way You Look Tonight' and 'Pennies from Heaven' were written this year.
• The BBC began the world's first regular high-definition television service on 2 November, from Alexandra Palace.
• The Berlin Olympics were held in August, with Jesse Owens winning four golds.
• Full year page: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1936

1937

• The coronation of George VI, the Hindenburg and the first Billy Butlin summer.
• George VI was crowned on 12 May and the coronation was televised in part - the BBC's first outside broadcast of that scale.
• The Hindenburg airship was destroyed in May.
• Neville Chamberlain became Prime Minister in May.
• The Guernica bombing in April shocked Europe.
• 'A Foggy Day' and 'Whistle While You Work' were written this year.
• Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was released in December in America and reached Britain the next year.
• Sunderland won the FA Cup.
• Full year page: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1937

1938

• Munich, gas masks and the Holidays with Pay Act.
• Neville Chamberlain returned from Munich on 30 September with the agreement he called peace for our time.
• Gas masks were issued to the public and trenches were dug in city parks.
• The Holidays with Pay Act encouraged a week's paid holiday for workers.
• Kristallnacht took place in Germany in November, and the Kindertransport brought children to Britain.
• 'My Heart Belongs to Daddy' and 'Jeepers Creepers' were written this year.
• The Lady Vanishes was released.
• Preston North End won the FA Cup with a last-minute penalty.
• Full year page: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1938

1939

• Evacuation, the blackout, the declaration of war and television going off air.
• Britain declared war on Germany on 3 September, after the invasion of Poland on 1 September.
• Evacuation of children from the cities began on 1 September.
• The blackout came into force before war was declared.
• Conscription was introduced in the spring for men aged twenty and twenty-one.
• Vera Lynn recorded 'We'll Meet Again' in the autumn.
• BBC television closed at noon on 1 September and did not return until 1946.
• The football season was abandoned three matches in when war was declared.
• Full year page: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1939

How to use this timeline

• Quiz round: read an event and ask for the year, or read a year and ask for what happened.
• Reminiscence: start at the year someone left school and read forwards.
• Milestone birthday: read the timeline from their birth year to the year they turned 18.
• Anyone born in 1930 turns 50 in 1980, 60 in 1990 and 70 in 2000.

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How to write it so it lands

• Read the timeline alongside the decade history guide: one gives the order, the other gives the story.
• For a birthday card, pick the one event from their birth year that still gets a reaction.
• Years rarely change neatly at the decade line. Check the year either side before setting a quiz question.

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 history: events, politics and culture
• 1930s calendar: year by year
• 1930s music: songs, genres and trends
• 1930s films and directors
• 1930s books, films and TV
• 1930s books: novels and authors
• 1930s art: artists and styles
• 1930s fashion: styles, designers and trends
• 1930s food: dishes, restaurants and trends
• 1930s travel: destinations and holidays
• 1930s technology: gadgets and computers
• 1930s shopping guide: what to buy
• 1930s games: board, card and video
• 1930s trivia: fun facts
• 1930s quiz: questions and answers
• The 1930s: the whole decade
• The decade before: the 1920s
• The decade after: the 1940s
• All decade guides in one place
• Card messages by occasion: every guide in one place
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• Decade history by era
• Decade calendars: every year from 1920
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• Decade music: songs, genres and trends
• Decade films: best movies and directors
• Decade books: novels, authors and reading trends
• Decade art: artists, styles and trends
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• Decade food: dishes, restaurants and eating trends
• Decade travel: destinations and holidays
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• Decade shopping guides
• Decade games: board, card and video games by era
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Frequently asked questions

What are the key dates of the 1930s?

The timeline above runs from 1930 to 1939, with the headline events of each year in order. The R101 disaster, rising unemployment and Amy Johnson flying to Australia.

What happened in 1930?

The R101 disaster, rising unemployment and Amy Johnson flying to Australia. There is a full page for 1930 at /blogs/news/look-back-to-1930.

Are the dates accurate?

Yes. Every date, name and event on this page is real and comes straight from our year-by-year pages, so the timeline and the year pages always agree.

Can I use this for a quiz or a school project?

Yes, freely. Print it, read it out, copy it - no permission needed. We make greeting cards, prints and pin badges; these pages are free.