1937

This was the year that the Second Sino-Japanese War began. One might make a case that this marked the beginning of World War II, although the traditional consensus is that the war began in 1939 with the German invasion of Poland. Still, it is possible to view this as the beginning of World War II in Asia.

In another major political development, 1937 was the year of the Coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth of the United Kingdom. This was an extraordinary event, because King George VI ascended the throne after the abdication of his brother, Edward VIII. George VI would lead the United Kingdom through the Second World War, and would be succeeded by Queen Elizabeth II, who eventually became the longest-reigning monarch in British history. The dramatic events surrounding the Coronation of King George VI were captured in the 2010 film, The King’s Speech.

1937 also saw the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California. This was truly an engineering marvel – one of the greatest of the 20th Century. As one marvel went up, a technological disaster also occurred this year. 1937 will tragically be remembered, in part, due to the infamous Hindenburg disaster, in which the German airship Hindenburg burst into flame in New Jersey, killing more than 30 people.

This was an important year for literature and film. 1937 was the year that J.R.R. Tolkien’s first edition of his timeless work, The Hobbit, was published in London. This was the year that Ernest Hemingway’s To Have and Have Not was published in the United States. In film, Walt Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarves was released, which was the first feature-length, traditionally animated film. This was also the year that Charlie Chaplin’s first “talkie” was released – a film called Modern Times.