What America was like in 1931

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You were born in…

1931

This is where your story begins.

You’ve been here for

95

years

That’s about 34,700 days of history.

A first-class stamp in 1931 cost

2¢

Today the same stamp costs 82¢.

A dollar from 1931 would be worth

$22.16

today

Measured by the government’s Consumer Price Index.

The minimum wage?

Didn’t exist yet.

The first federal minimum wage arrived in October 1938: 25¢ an hour.

The president in 1931

Herbert Hoover

Since then you’ve lived under 16 presidents.

The 1930 census counted

123 million

Americans

By 2020 there were 331 million of us.

You’ve been around for

60

Super Bowls

Every single one of them. From Super Bowl I in 1967 to Super Bowl LX in 2026.

You’re older than…

  • Social Security became law1935. You were 4.
  • The Golden Gate Bridge opened1937. You were 6.
  • RCA introduced television to the public at the New York World’s Fair1939. You were 8.
  • Bell Labs invented the transistor1947. You were 16.
  • Swanson sold its first TV dinner1953. You were 22.
  • Disneyland opened in California1955. You were 24.

…and 24 more on our list.

So yes,

you’ve seen the worldchange a lot.

And you remember it.

Your 1931 story

That was 1931.

Share it with someone who remembers it too.

Make one for someone you love

Any year from 1930 to 2010.

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