11 hours ago
Weird Great Depression Entertainment
The Great Depression is remembered as one of the most difficult periods in American history. In 1933 alone, nearly 13 million individuals in the US were unemployed. Despite these difficult circumstances, the human spirit prevailed and people managed to find (oftentimes bizarre) ways to keep themselves entertained...
Even though money was tight for most, that didn't mean people stopped finding or inventing ways to have fun. In many instances, as long as an activity was inexpensive, it would quickly catch on in the United States and become a fad, or in many cases, a craze. From weeks-long dance marathons to swallowing live fish, here are 9 WILD ways people kept themselves entertained during the Great Depression:
Dance marathons:
Dance marathons, which initially began as simply that, began in the 1920s; however, by the Great Depression, the marathons had morphed into an endurance competition that spectators took an almost twisted pleasure in watching. Many of these marathons promised that in exchange for many hours, or often days of dancing, they would provide financially struggling competitors the cash equivalent of a year's salary, alongside the temporary shelter of the ballroom and up to 12 meals per day (which had to be eaten on waist-high tables in the dance hall). In 1933, Minneapolis's Callum deVillier and Vonny Kuchinski won a marathon at Somerville, Massachusetts, after dancing for 3,780 continuous hours, equivalent to five months. Their prize? $ a one-hour span, contestants would dance for 45 minutes in order to receive a 15-minute break, wherein they would often rest on a cot or receive a foot massage from a nurse. Dancers often learned to sleep while dancing; however, marathon rules generally stated that if a contestant's knees touched the floor, they would be eliminated. As a loophole, many contestants would tie their wrists behind their partner's necks, in case they drifted off. Sleeping was not only the everyday habit dancers participated in on the dance floor; they could also bathe, shave, and even read the paper.
Despite the general popularity of these competitions (dance marathon historian Carol Martin claimed that during the time period most American cities with a population over 50,000 hosted a dance marathon), there were many groups who were opposed to them, including churches who considered dancing "sinful," movie theater owners who believed the entertainment the marathons provided were harming their business, and others who objected solely on the basis of inhumane conditions.
Flagpole-sitting competitions:
Surprisingly enough, flagpole-sitting was invented during the "Roaring Twenties," but managed to keep its relevancy throughout the first year of the Great sailor and stunt actor Alvin "Shipwreck" Kelly popularized the trend in 1924. His initial venture into pole-sitting continued for 13 hours and 13 minutes; however, it soon became a craze across the country, and others quickly broke his record. By the summer of 1930, Kelly decided to reclaim the title of "pole-sitting extraordinaire," and as many as 20,000 people ventured to Atlantic City to watch him participate in his daily routine, such as sleeping, eating, and shaving, all while sitting on top of a 225-foot-tall flagpole for 49 straight act inspired children across the country to participate in tree-sitting competitions, where they would attempt to remain on a tree's limbs for hours on end. In fact, one child in southern California was so prolific at the endeavor that he reportedly remained in a tree for 1,320 hours, or rather, 55 pole-sitting (during the Depression, at least) was a relatively short-lived fad as it was largely forgotten by the fall of 1930.
Goldfish swallowing competitions:
As wild as it may sound, goldfish swallowing competitions became serious business at colleges across the United States during the Great Depression. The origins of goldfish swallowing can be traced back to Lothrop Withington Jr., who, in his first year at Harvard, allegedly bragged to friends that he had once eaten a live fish. Of course, being college students, these friends dared Withington and bet him $10 that he wouldn't be able to do it again. So, on March 3, 1939, Withington took their bet and swallowed a live, three-inch-long goldfish. In a later interview with LIFE magazine, he recalled, "The scales caught a bit on my throat as it went down." The publicity from the LIFE article caused a goldfish swallowing craze that swept across college campuses. Within a month, the record for goldfish swallowed slowly climbed to three, then four, and all the way to a whopping 101. However, people weren't content to stop at goldfish; no, the fad ultimately led to college kids swallowing other living creatures and inanimate objects such as mice, angleworms, phonograph records, and even issues of the New with all dangerous fads (eating live goldfish can cause a whole host of health problems such as parasites, tuberculosis, and even potentially increase cancer risks as many goldfish are treated with medicines that contain carcinogens), it didn't take long for responsible adults to step in and attempt to put a stop to the goldfish madness. At one college, administrators suspended a student after finding his goldfish-swallowing behavior "unbecoming." Others, ranging from animal rights activists to politicians, wanted to put a stop to the trend, with one member of the Massachusetts Legislature sponsoring a bill that would "protect and preserve the fish from cruel and wanton consumption.'Ultimately, the trend died off (much to the relief of the goldfish community).
