1934
Mao begins the Long March
Under pressure from Chiang Kai-shek's encircling armies, some eighty-six thousand Chinese Communists abandoned their southern base and set off on a fighting retreat. A year and six thousand miles later, perhaps eight thousand stumbled into the caves of Yan'an. Mao had emerged as the party's undisputed leader on the road.
Night of the Long Knives
Hitler had his SS murder the leadership of the SA, the street-fighting Brownshirts who had helped him to power and whose ambitions now frightened him and the army. Ernst Rohm was shot in his prison cell. Over a few days at least eighty-five died. The Nazi state had shown it would kill its own without trial.
First test flight of DC-3
Douglas Aircraft's DC-3 transformed commercial aviation with its range, reliability, and economics. It could fly passengers coast-to-coast in under twenty hours, with only a few stops for fuel. The airplane made airline travel profitable for the first time, and would serve in World War II as the C-47 in uncountable numbers.
Stakhanov and Stalinist labor
A Ukrainian miner named Alexei Stakhanov cut one hundred and two tons of coal in a single shift, fourteen times his quota. The feat was heavily staged. The regime made Stakhanov a hero and turned his name into a campaign demanding miraculous output from workers. Over-work became official Soviet policy, with deadly results.
Bonnie and Clyde killed
After a two-year crime spree across the American Southwest, a Texas posse ambushed Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow in a stolen Ford on a Louisiana back road. They fired a hundred and thirty bullets in thirty seconds. The young outlaws became instant folklore, and stayed there, becoming the subject of a million movies and ballads.
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Frequently asked
What happened in the year 1934?
Saeculum lists 5 curated events from 1934. The most significant is Mao begins the Long March: Under pressure from Chiang Kai-shek's encircling armies, some eighty-six thousand Chinese Communists abandoned their southern base and set off on a fighting…
What era was 1934 part of?
1934 falls within the Modern Era (1901-2000). World wars, cold war, and the splitting of the atom.
Which regions saw notable events in 1934?
The curated events from 1934 span East Asia, Europe and North America.