Inventions & Breakthroughs of May 1930
Gadgets, lab surprises, odd bets, and future-shocks from this slice of the calendar.
1 
Turbojet Engine Patent
2 
BBC Mechanical Television Broadcasts
3 
Scotch Cellulose Tape
4 
Birds Eye Retail Frozen Foods
5 
Pluto Discovery
6 
Motorola Car Radio
7 
Twinkie Snack Cake
8 
Neoprene Synthetic Rubber
9 
Schick Electric Shaver Patent
10 
Differential Analyzer
The Sounds of
Popular recordings and roots/country selections associated with the year
HEADLINES ON May 10, 1930
Full News Archive
- Headline: Swarthmore's Hits Rout Haverford Nine. Impact: Culture snapshot: Culture was doing what culture does in a hard year: selling glamour, distraction, status, and argument.. Fact: Culture was doing what culture does in a hard year: selling glamour, distraction, status, and argument..
- Headline: Seville College Reopens. Impact: Education snapshot: The education angle shows institutions trying to look orderly while the world around them is anything but settled.. Fact: Schools and universities were part of the public story, not a quiet side room..
- Headline: Ayer Prints Bring $32,450. Impact: Money snapshot: The money story is not abstract; it touches wages, banks, prices, relief, and the early-Depression question of who absorbs the shock.. Fact: The early Depression made ordinary business news feel like a warning light on the dashboard..
- Headline: Low-Rate Taxis Win in Appellate Court. Impact: Crime & Courts snapshot: The justice system is the show here: testimony, strategy, punishment, and public appetite all crowding the same headline.. Fact: The drama was not just the act itself; it was how blame, evidence, and punishment were being argued in public..
- Headline: $500,000 to Schools to End Fire Risks. Impact: Education snapshot: The education angle shows institutions trying to look orderly while the world around them is anything but settled.. Fact: Schools and universities were part of the public story, not a quiet side room..
- Headline: Onondaga Twelve Defeats Dartmouth. Impact: Culture snapshot: Culture was doing what culture does in a hard year: selling glamour, distraction, status, and argument.. Fact: Culture was doing what culture does in a hard year: selling glamour, distraction, status, and argument..
- Headline: Union College in Front. Impact: Education snapshot: The education angle shows institutions trying to look orderly while the world around them is anything but settled.. Fact: Schools and universities were part of the public story, not a quiet side room..
- Headline: Descartes Work Found. Impact: Culture snapshot: Culture was doing what culture does in a hard year: selling glamour, distraction, status, and argument.. Fact: Culture was doing what culture does in a hard year: selling glamour, distraction, status, and argument..
Wall Street Time Machine
The Right Call: If you'd invested $1,000 in any one of these companies in 1930, here's what the stored 2025 dataset estimates.
Rank #1
JNJ
Johnson & Johnson
Price in 1930
$0.06
2025 dataset value
$3,433,940
Johnson & Johnson - If you invested $1,000 in 1930, it would be worth $3,433,940 today (3433.9x return)
Rank #2
PG
Procter & Gamble
Price in 1930
$0.25
2025 dataset value
$586,657
Procter & Gamble - If you invested $1,000 in 1930, it would be worth $586,657 today (586.7x return)
Rank #3
CVX
Chevron
Price in 1930
$0.31
2025 dataset value
$474,913
Chevron - If you invested $1,000 in 1930, it would be worth $474,913 today (474.9x return)
🧸 Top 5 Toys
Tinkertoy
$50
Model Train Sets
$300+
Wooden Building Blocks
$30
Yo-Yo
$40
Tiddledy Winks
$10
⚾ Top 5 Trading Cards
Churchman's Cigarettes 'Boxing' Series
$100-$800
Godfrey Phillips 'Film Stars'
$50-$500+
Typhoo Tea 'British Land Birds'
$40-$250
Carreras Cigarettes 'History of Naval Dress'
$75-$400+
Wills's Cigarettes 'Cinema Stars'
$50-$350+