Stickball
This is a game, much like baseball, that originated around the time of the Great Depression. Since many families could no longer afford forms of entertainment for their children, people had to think of cheaper ways to have fun. It was played with a rubber ball and a stick, instead of a bat. Sticks to hit the ball could be made by makeshifts things around the house, such as broom handles. It was played in the streets, using buildings for foul lines and manhole covers for bases. Just like in baseball and softball, the ball is pitched, usually a pensie pinkie, high bouncer, spaldeen, or tennis ball, and the batter hits it with a stick. They try to run around the bases to home before being tagged by basemen.
Zoot Suits
These were the most popular attire for Italian America, African American, and Chicano men in the 1930s. Wide-legged, tight-cuffed, high-waisted, pegged dress pants with a long coat, The coat had wide padded shoulders and wide lapels. To accompany this outfit, men often accessorized with fedoras. Shoes worn with these were French style and pointy. The U.S. War Production board disparaged these suits, saying that their use of fabric was superfluous and that such luxury of citizens in this time was inconsiderate of their country; instead, they said that instead of wasting the material, it should be put towards the war effort. From these suits, came the Zoot Suit Riots. Apparel representing such self-determination, freedom, and rebellion caused a series of violent spurts in 1943. Latino, African American, and Filipino youths wearing these suits were attacked by military servicemen, often white sailors, and being beaten to a pulp. In some instances, the attackers would strip the suit-wearers of their zoot suits, throw them on the ground, and proceed to urinate on them. This fad separated ethnicities in a time when we all should have been united.
Drive-In Theaters
The first drive-in theater opened in the summer of 1933, which was great timing as teens were out of school and now had a new activity to occupy their time off. The first movie aired was "Wife Beware." Richard M. Hollingshead invented the theater after much experimentation. First he hung a sheet for a screen in his backyard, and then moved his trials to his driveway. He mounted a 1928 Kodak projector on the hood of his car to project onto a screen, placed a radio behind the screen, and tested for sound depending on the windows and weather conditions. Once implemented on a larger scale for the public, concession stands, projector booths, and large expanses of land for parking were added. At first, speakers on the screen provided sound; later, an individual speaker attached by a wire hung from the window of each car. This system was followed by the method of broadcasting the soundtrack on AM or FM radio to be picked up by a car radio. Its advantages included the fact that families could take care of their children while watching a movie, while teenagers with cars could use drive-ins for dates.
Monopoly
Although the history of Monopoly can be traced back to 1903, when a woman named Elizabeth Magie created the idea for the game to explain the single tax theory. In 1934, the actual board game with the name, Monopoly, was created and then sold by the Parker Brothers. The game board consists of forty spaces containing twenty-eight properties, three chance spaces, three community chest spaces, a luxury tax space, an income tax space, and the four corner squares. Since the creation, colors of certain streets and amounts for certain taxes have been changed, but the point of the game remains the same.
All property deeds, houses, and hotels are held by the bank until bought by the players. Taking turns in order, a dice is rolled and players advance their piece clockwise around the board the corresponding number of squares. Different squares have different meanings that leads to consequences in the game. Players have to make decisions to try to make the smartest moves with their money and property. The game is very long, and could go on for hours if no end time is specified. The player with the most money and property at the end of the game wins. This became an ironic pastime in the Great Depression, seeing as people were so poor but were playing a game where they could pretend to be milliionaires. The game became popular for fun because it was much less expensive than other activities and it related to the economy, which was a large focus in the time.
All property deeds, houses, and hotels are held by the bank until bought by the players. Taking turns in order, a dice is rolled and players advance their piece clockwise around the board the corresponding number of squares. Different squares have different meanings that leads to consequences in the game. Players have to make decisions to try to make the smartest moves with their money and property. The game is very long, and could go on for hours if no end time is specified. The player with the most money and property at the end of the game wins. This became an ironic pastime in the Great Depression, seeing as people were so poor but were playing a game where they could pretend to be milliionaires. The game became popular for fun because it was much less expensive than other activities and it related to the economy, which was a large focus in the time.