In the 1930s, car accidents were rare, and fatalities were even rarer. But all that changed with the Great Depression and widespread unemployment — more people had to drive everywhere to find work, which led to a surge in road accidents. For example, in 1935 alone, nearly 5,000 people died in car accidents across the U.S., prompting legislators to give their attention to this matter of public safety. Many notable people died in car accidents in the 1930s, some of them famous names from Hollywood or the world of sports. Here is a brief list detailing some of these unfortunate souls:
Judge John H. Harlan
Among the car accident victims of the 1930s was John Hazard Harlan, an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Harlan was a prodigious scholar and a gifted writer. His son, John Marshall Harlan II, also became a Supreme Court Justice. John H. Harlan died on February 8, 1935, in a car accident near his home in Baltimore, Maryland. He was 59 years old at the time of his death.
John Harlan was a keen sportsman and a recognizable figure in the Baltimore social scene. His death was a tragedy, but his memory lives on in the Supreme Court Building in Washington, D.C., which bears his name.
American journalist Herb sparkling
Herbert “Herb” Spear was a sports journalist for the Baltimore Sun. He was also a sports editor of The Washington Post. He was a member of a team of journalists that covered the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany. He died on August 14, 1936, in a car accident near Ocean City, Maryland. He was 41 years old at the time of his death.
Herb Spear was a prolific writer who authored several books, including “The Maryland Manual”, “Football Guide”, “The Automobile Year Book”, and “The Text Book of Swimming”. He received several honors during his lifetime, including being inducted into the Maryland Journalism Hall of Fame and the Maryland Sports Hall of Fame.
| George Tuttle Brokaw | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 14, 1879 Elberon, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | May 28, 1935 (aged 55) Hartford, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Princeton University New York Law School University of Toledo College of Law |
| Occupation | Lawyer, sportsman |
What was the name of the man killed in 490 crash?
^ “Man Pushing Vehicle On 490 Struck And Killed Following Crash”. YNN Rochester. August 29, 2013. Retrieved August 30, 2013. ^ Frost, Carleen (August 24, 2012). “Former rugby league hardman Gary Mara has died after being struck by a ‘drunk driver ‘ “.
Who was the early rocker that died in a car crash?
^ “Clyde Stacy, early rocker, killed in Muskogee car crash Wednesday”, Tulsa World, 7 November 2013. Retrieved November 19, 2013 ^ “Taxi driver convicted for Burry Stander’s death”.
Who was the victim in Sunday’s Highway 17 fatal?
^ “Troy Hurtubise identified as victim in Sunday’s Highway 17 fatal”. BayToday.ca. Retrieved June 22, 2018. ^ В Киеве трагически погиб бывший футболист сборной Украины и бывший тренер махачкалинского “Анжи” Андрей Гусин (in Russian).
What was the name of the NASCAR driver that died?
^ “NASCAR driver James Hylton dies in highway accident”. ^ (PHNO), PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE. “REMEMBERING DEPARTED STARS”. newsflash.org. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
Teddy Flack
Jan 14 Heinrich Schenker, Austrian musicologist (Urlinie) know for his Schenkerian analysis of music, dies at 66
Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr
Mar 8 Ruan Lingyu [Fenggen], Chinese silent film actress (The Goddess), commits suicide at 24
Józef Piłsudski
May 12 Józef Piłsudski, Father of the Second Polish Republic who served as its Chief of State (1918-22), Marshall of Poland and later its de facto leader (1926-35), dies at 67
Magnus Hirschfeld
May 14 Magnus Hirschfeld, German physician and gay rights advocate, dies of a heart attack at 67
T. E. Lawrence
May 19 T. E. Lawrence [Lawrence of Arabia], British author, soldier and diplomat famous for his liaison role in Arabia during WWI, dies at 46, in a motorcycle accident in Dorset, England
Jane Addams
May 21 Jane Addams, American pacifist, social activist, feminist, author, co-founder of ACLU ( Nobel Prize for Peace, 1931), dies at 65 [1]
Carlos Gardel
Jun 24 Carlos Gardel, Argentine singer and the most prominent figure in the history of tango, dies in a plane crash at 44
How fast did the 1935 Hurricane go?
The winds of the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane may have reached 200 miles per hour at times — more than enough to slice the roof and second story off the Hotel Matecumbe in the village of Islamorada on Upper Matecumbe Key.
Who was the pilot that climbed into the cockpit of a small biplane fighter?
On Monday afternoon, a daredevil American pilot named Len Povey, who’d been hired by Cuban political strongman Fulgencio Batista to train military pilots, climbed into the open cockpit of a small biplane fighter. He was going to fly out over the Straits of Florida and find the hurricane.
Why did the Weather Bureau launch a national advertising campaign in 1935?
Weather Bureau—predecessor of the Weather Service—had launched a national advertising campaign in July 1935 to assure the nation that Atlantic hurricanes would no longer avoid detection.
Who was the driver who hit Kinison?
Route 95, four miles (6 km) north of Interstate 40to perform at a sold-out show in Laughlin, Nevadawhen a 17-year-old pickup driver, Troy Pierson, who was drunk, crossed the center line of the roadway, went into Kinison’s lane, and struck him head-on. Kinison died at the scene.
How fast was the car that killed Jory Prum?
Proeski was sitting in the front passenger seat and was killed instantly. Car’s speed was 140–171 km/h (87–106 mph), but experts found it did not play a role in the singer’s death. [409][410] Jory Prum.
What happened to Rollino?
A few minutes before 7 am, as Mr. Rollino was crossing Bay Ridge Parkway at 13th Avenue, a 1999 Ford Windstar minivan struck him. The police said he suffered fractures to his pelvis, chest, ribs and face, as well as head trauma. Unconscious, he was taken to Lutheran Medical Center, where he later died.
What happened to Thomas in Kansas City?
En route to Kansas City International Airport, Thomas, driving erratically and at high speed on a snow packed and icy road, went off Interstate 435. One of the two other passengers that were in the car died instantly; the other, the only occupant wearing his seat belt, walked away with minor injuries.
How did Kovacs die?
He was thrown halfway out the passenger side, dying almost instantly from chest and head injuries.
Why was Tabak arrested?
Upon being released, Tabak abruptly became abusive, prompting two police officers at the hospital to arrest him on the belief he was drunk. Later discovered unconscious in his jail cell, Tabak was rushed back to the hospital. A second examination discovered a blood clot had developed on the right side of his brain.
Who was the KGB agent who was run over by a truck?
According to official records, Mikhoels and a friend, Sergei Golubev, were run over by a truck. True circumstances became known only in 1951 when Viktor Abakumov, ex-state security minister of the USSR was arrested. It turned out Golubev was a KGB agent.
More car accident victims from the 1930s
- Frank Boucher: He was a Canadian hockey player and coach.
- Albert Spaulding: He was an American businessman and owner of the Boston Red Sox.
- William H. McSwain: He was an American politician and Governor of Pennsylvania.
- Estelle Clark: She was an American novelist, short story writer and journalist.
- Hugh Elliott: He was an American football player and coach.
- Elmer Bratten: He was a Canadian businessman and owner of the Montreal Canadiens.
- Ralph Bunche: He was an American academic and a recipient of a Nobel Prize.
- Arthur H. Vandenberg: He was an American politician and Congressman.
- William Y. Brown: He was an American politician and Governor of California.
- Alfred E. Smith: He was a New York politician and Governor of New York.
- Jean Drapeau: He was a Canadian businessman and Mayor of Montreal.
- Malcolm Fraser: He was an Australian politician and Prime Minister.
- Robert J. Higgins: He was an American politician and Governor of New York.
Summing up
Car accidents claimed many lives in the 1930s. Social icons like baseball player Dizzy Dean, photographer Herb Spear and journalist Alder St. Eustace lost their lives in tragic car accidents. Many notable figures died in car accidents in the 1930s, including Justice John Harlan, sports writer Grantland Rice and Hollywood actress Peg Prendergast.
It is important to be aware of the possible dangers that lurk on the roads, particularly in times of economic distress, to keep safe and be mindful of the fact that one can lose his or her life in a car accident, even if the accident is not fatal.
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