What happened in 1934
25 entries recorded for 1934, listed by date. That was 92 years ago.
1934 at a glance
- Years ago
- 92 (as of 2026)
- Century
- 20th century
- Decade
- 1930s
- Generation born
- Silent Generation
- Entries here
- 25
- Breakdown
- 25 historical events
January
- January 15
1934 Nepal–India earthquake
At least 10,700 people died when a magnitude-8.0 earthquake struck Nepal and the Indian state of Bihar.
- January 26
Apollo Theater
Hurtig & Seamon's New Burlesque Theater in New York City reopened as the Apollo Theater, becoming one of the nation's premier venues for African-American performers.
February
- February 2
Export–Import Bank of the United States
The Export–Import Bank of the United States, the country's official export credit agency, was established.
March
- March 12
Konstantin Päts
Supported by the Estonian army, Konstantin Päts staged a coup d'état, beginning the Era of Silence.
- March 22
Golf
In golf, the first Masters Tournament was held at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia, United States.
- March 24
Tydings–McDuffie Act
The Tydings–McDuffie Act came into effect, which provided for self-government of the Philippines and for Filipino independence from the United States after a period of ten years.
- March 25
Enrico Fermi
Enrico Fermi published his discovery of neutron-induced radioactivity, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics.
June
- June 6
New Deal
New Deal: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 into law, establishing the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
- June 14
Australian Eastern Mission
The landmark Australian Eastern Mission concluded after a three-month diplomatic tour of East and South-East Asia.
- June 30
Adolf Hitler
German chancellor Adolf Hitler began a purge of the paramilitary wing of the Nazi Party and other political rivals, executing at least 85 people.
July
- July 2
Night of the Long Knives
The Night of the Long Knives ends after three days of killings.
August
- August 9
The Blue Lotus
The Blue Lotus, the fifth volume of The Adventures of Tintin by the Belgian cartoonist Hergé and noted for its emphasis on countering negative misconceptions of Chinese people, began serialisation.
- August 19
1934 German head of state referendum
A referendum supported the recent merging of the posts of chancellor and president of Germany, consolidating Adolf Hitler's assumption of supreme power.
September
- September 4
Evelyn Waugh
Evelyn Waugh's novel A Handful of Dust was first published in full.
- September 21
1934 Muroto typhoon
The Muroto typhoon, the strongest in Japanese history at the time, made landfall on the mainland, killing more than 3,000 and leaving around 200,000 homeless.
- September 21
Chandrashekhar Agashe
Chandrashekhar Agashe established the Brihan Maharashtra Sugar Syndicate Ltd., one of the oldest companies in India.
- September 22
Gresford disaster
One of Britain's worst mining accidents took place when an explosion at Gresford Colliery in Wales killed 266 men.
October
- October 6
Catalonia
Catalonia's autonomous government, led by Lluís Companys (pictured), declared a general strike, an armed insurgency, and the establishment of the Catalan State in reaction to the inclusion of conservatives in the Spanish republican regime.
- October 23
Jeannette Piccard
Jeannette Piccard (pictured) piloted a hot-air balloon flight that reached 57,579 feet (17,550 m), becoming the first woman to fly in the stratosphere.
November
- November 7
Tufted jay
The first specimens of the tufted jay (pictured) to be scientifically described were collected in Mexico.
- November 11
Shrine of Remembrance
The Shrine of Remembrance (pictured), a memorial to all Australians who have served in war, opened in Melbourne.
- November 30
LNER Class A3 4472 Flying Scotsman
Flying Scotsman (pictured) became the first steam locomotive officially to exceed 100 miles per hour (161 km/h).
December
- December 1
Sergei Kirov
Soviet politician Sergei Kirov was assassinated at the Smolny Institute in Leningrad.
- December 21
Lieutenant Kijé (Prokofiev)
Lieutenant Kijé, the first film composition by Sergei Prokofiev (pictured), premiered.
- December 29
Washington Naval Treaty
Japan renounces the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 and the London Naval Treaty of 1930.
Questions about 1934
What happened in 1934?
This site records 25 entries for 1934, including 1934 Nepal–India earthquake on January 15. They are listed below by date.
How long ago was 1934?
92 years ago, counting from 2026. Anyone born in 1934 turns 92 this year.
Which century is 1934 in?
1934 falls in the 20th century, in the 1930s.
Which generation was born in 1934?
Silent Generation (1928–1945). Children of the Depression and war years.
Text adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0 and from Wikidata (CC0). Images come from Wikimedia Commons; credit and licence are shown with each image. Editorial entries are © What's On This Date. Sources & licensing · How this site works.