Pop Culture & Fun Facts from 1930​​​​

• On January 20th, American astronaut and fighter pilot Buzz Aldrin is born.

• Mickey Mouse Gains Popularity – The Chain Gang was the first cartoon to feature Pluto, Mickey Mouse’s loyal pet dog.

• The Motion Picture Production Code (Hays Code) Introduced – Hollywood began enforcing moral guidelines on films.

• The criminal couple Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow meet for the first time at Clarence Clay’s house.

• ​Inventor Clarence Birdseye markets the first frozen foods, which go on sale in Springfield, Massachusetts.

• KFC, the American fast food chain, is established by Colonel Harland Sanders in Kentucky.

• ​As the movie industry continued to boom, the Motion Pictures Production Code is put in place, imposing strict guidelines on the use of sex, crime, religion and violence in film for the following 38 years.

• Warner Bros. release their first cartoon series, called Looney Tunes. The cartoon would run until 1969.

• ​The planet Pluto is officially named by Venetia Burney, who was 11 years old at the time.

• After Prohibition of the 1920s and negative views of alcohol in American society, the American Supreme Court rules that buying liquor doesn’t violate the US Constitution.

• ​The Chrysler Building in New York City first opens to the public. At the time, it was the tallest man-made structure, measuring 319 metres tall.

• On September 23, the soul music pioneer Ray Charles is born in Georgia, USA.

• The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes premieres on NBC radio.

• ​The Great Depression: President Hoover asks for a $150 million public works program to help create jobs and stimulate the failing American economy.

• The iconic cartoon character, Betty Boop made her first appearance in the animated short Dizzy Dishes.

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