MAY 21, 1936

THURSDAY
1936 Coca-Cola advertising artwork
$1,000 INVESTED IN COKE STOCK (KO) IN 1936
WOULD HAVE MADE YOU $8,462,328 IN THE 2025 DATASET
Min Wage Hourly$0.28
Median Home Price$4,600.00
Gas Price Avg$0.19
Bread Price Avg$0.09
Movie Ticket Avg$0.28
First Class Stamp$0.03
Milk Price Avg$0.53
Top Movies From 1936
Show screen release and event cards
1 The Great Ziegfeld
Learn More
The Great Ziegfeld
2 San Francisco
Learn More
San Francisco
3 The Plainsman
Learn More
The Plainsman
4 After the Thin Man
Learn More
After the Thin Man
5 Modern Times
Learn More
Modern Times
6 Anthony Adverse
Learn More
Anthony Adverse
7 Strike Me Pink
Learn More
Strike Me Pink
8 Rose Marie
Learn More
Rose Marie
9 Swing Time
Learn More
Swing Time
10 Libeled Lady
Learn More
Libeled Lady
The Petrified Forest
Learn More
The Petrified Forest
My Man Godfrey
Learn More
My Man Godfrey
The Road to Glory
Learn More
The Road to Glory
The Invisible Ray
Learn More
The Invisible Ray
Poor Little Rich Girl
Learn More
Poor Little Rich Girl
Romeo and Juliet
Learn More
Romeo and Juliet
Dracula's Daughter
Learn More
Dracula's Daughter
Revolt of the Zombies
Learn More
Revolt of the Zombies
Go West Young Man
Learn More
Go West Young Man
Rembrandt
Learn More
Rembrandt
Popeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor
Learn More
Popeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor
David Copperfield
Learn More
David Copperfield
The Whole Town's Talking
Learn More
The Whole Town's Talking
Mutiny on the Bounty
Learn More
Mutiny on the Bounty
Captain Blood
Learn More
Captain Blood
Barbary Coast
Learn More
Barbary Coast
Page Miss Glory
Learn More
Page Miss Glory
Peter Ibbetson
Learn More
Peter Ibbetson
The Littlest Rebel
Learn More
The Littlest Rebel
Sylvia Scarlett
Learn More
Sylvia Scarlett

May 21, 1936 Trivia

Multiple choice - Sign in to save + leaderboard - View all-time leaderboard
Score: 0 / 0
All-time leaderboard
Your results

Exact-date daily brief

May 21, 1936

On May 21, 1936, the welfare executive, James D. Lane, delivered a vehement critique of government relief policies in front of an audience of 500 attendees during a council session. Lane's remarks emphasized the inconsistency in t...

Inventions & Breakthroughs of May 1936

Gadgets, lab surprises, odd bets, and future-shocks from this slice of the calendar.

1 Z1 Computer
Learn More
Z1 Computer
2 Turing Machine
Learn More
Turing Machine
3 Dvorak Keyboard
Learn More
Dvorak Keyboard
4 Beckman pH Meter
Learn More
Beckman pH Meter
5 Instant Camera (Photo-See)
Learn More
Instant Camera (Photo-See)
6 High-Definition Television Broadcasts
Learn More
High-Definition Television Broadcasts
7 Shopping Cart
Learn More
Shopping Cart
8 Cobb Salad
Learn More
Cobb Salad
9 Cola-Flavored Jell-O
Learn More
Cola-Flavored Jell-O
10 Volkswagen Beetle Factory
Learn More
Volkswagen Beetle Factory

The Sounds of

Popular recordings and roots/country selections associated with the year

Headlines From May 21, 1936

Full News Archive

  • Headline: Welfare Executive Critiques Government Policies. Impact: Lane's complaint about government relief policies led to a string of increasingly bizarre policies that included, at one point, funding a national 'Ice Cream Day' to boost morale during economic downturns. This ultimately resulted in a nationwide obsession with ice cream flavors, forever changing dessert menus. Fact: Inconsistent relief policies are like a bad relationshipβ€”everyone knows it’s toxic, yet they keep coming back for more.
  • Headline: Garden Tour Hosts Club Leaders. Impact: The garden tour sparked a revolution in landscaping that eventually inspired a global obsession with home gardening. Little did they know, their love for hydrangeas would lead to an international black market for rare plants. Fact: Because nothing says 'I care about the environment' like a garden tour hosted by the elite.
  • Headline: Youngstown Steel Mill Lease Agreement. Impact: The lease of the Youngstown Steel Mill set off a chain reaction of industrial improvements, which eventually led to the world’s first robot factory worker. Spoiler: the robots still complain about their 'working conditions.'. Fact: Leasing steel mills is basically the 20th-century version of renting an apartmentβ€”just with more molten metal and fewer late-night parties.
  • Headline: Plea by Ethiopian Envoy. Impact: The plea by the Ethiopian envoy inadvertently led to a series of diplomatic faux pas, which fueled a new genre of sitcoms about clueless diplomats. Who knew diplomacy could be so funny?. Fact: Fun fact: the only thing more confusing than international diplomacy is a family reunion.
  • Headline: HUSBAND AND WIFE WIN COLLEGE HONORS; Both, With Average Grade of 95, in the Scholarship Society of N.Y.U. Engineering Unit.. Impact: This husband and wife duo winning college honors inspired a generation of competitive couples who felt the pressure to outdo each other in every aspect of lifeβ€”leading to the rise of the 'Couples Olympics.'. Fact: Winning honors is great, but can you survive IKEA without arguing? That’s the real test of a relationship.
  • Headline: ' First' Harvard Book Is on Public Display. Impact: The display of 'First' Harvard Book sparked a fierce debate about the definition of 'first'β€”leading to the creation of a new academic field: the study of 'Book First-ness.'. Fact: Harvard’s first book is so old, it has its own biography, which is ironically a bestseller in the history section.
  • Headline: Review 1 -- No Title. Impact: Oscar Wilde discovering America led to a cultural explosion that made sarcasm a valued art form, paving the way for stand-up comedy and Twitter. Fact: Oscar Wilde once said, 'Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.' Clearly, he had no idea about the impersonators that would follow!.
  • Headline: Town Collector Is Sentenced. Impact: The sentencing of the town collector for embezzlement set off a wave of public distrust in local government that eventually led to the rise of conspiracy theories about government officials being replaced by lizard people. Fact: Embezzlement: because who needs ethics when you can have a yacht?.
  • Headline: Gomez Takes Cuban Presidency; Urges Trade Preference to U.S.; In First Message to Congress He Backs Amnesty for All Exiles and Restoration of Nation's Credit Abroad -- Provisional Rule Is Terminated by the Inauguration. GOMEZ TAKES OVER CUBAN PRESIDENCY. Impact: Gomez’s inauguration as Cuban President led to a series of trade agreements that ultimately resulted in the invention of the mojitoβ€”a drink that is now globally recognized as a symbol of summer vacations and bad decisions. Fact: Urging trade preference with the U.S. is basically the political equivalent of asking for a favor from your neighbor while borrowing their lawnmower.
  • Headline: Alabama Delegates Chosen. Impact: The selection of Alabama delegates was the start of a long tradition of uninstructed delegates, who would later become the stars of reality TV shows about political shenanigans. Fact: Choosing uninstructed delegates is like rolling the dice at a casinoβ€”you might hit the jackpot or just lose your shirt.

Wall Street Time Machine

The Right Call: A historical $1,000 investment comparison using the stored long-range dataset.
Rank #1
IBM
IBM
Price in 1936
$1.46
Stored value
$205,272

IBM - If you invested $1,000 in 1936, it would be worth $205,272 today (205.3x return)

Rank #3
JNJ
Johnson & Johnson
Price in 1936
$0.06
Stored value
$3,433,942

Johnson & Johnson - If you invested $1,000 in 1936, it would be worth $3,433,942 today (3433.9x return)

🦸 Top 5 Comics
More Fun Comics #8
More Fun Comics #8
$95,000
The Comics Magazine #1
The Comics Magazine #1
$200
New Comics #6
New Comics #6
$2,500
Detective Picture Stories #1
Detective Picture Stories #1
$1,500
Funny Pages #12
Funny Pages #12
$42,000
🧸 Top 5 Toys
Monopoly
Monopoly
$150.00
Mickey Mouse Stuffed Toy
Mickey Mouse Stuffed Toy
$150.00
Tinker Toys
Tinker Toys
$150.00
Yo-Yo
Yo-Yo
$1350.00
Lincoln Logs
Lincoln Logs
$120.00
⚾ Top 5 Trading Cards
O-Pee-Chee Baseball (1936 R328)
O-Pee-Chee Baseball (1936 R328)
$11.00
Goudey Wide Pen Premiums (Type 1)
Goudey Wide Pen Premiums (Type 1)
$1,500
Player’s Cigarettes Film Stars
Player’s Cigarettes Film Stars
$250,000
Soccer Stars
Soccer Stars
$500,000
Churchman’s Boxing Personalities
Churchman’s Boxing Personalities
$4,700