On January 4, Luftwaffe Colonel Hermann Goring would assume control over most of the war industries in Germany – bringing with him harrowing implications for Europe during a time when World War II (as it would soon become known) was still in its early stages.

The face of pop culture was forever changed in May of 1939 when Batman – created by artists Bill Finger and Bob Kane – made his first appearance in Detective Comics #27. He was the second such superhero of his type to make his debut in a year, with Superman hitting the newsstands for the first time in 1938.

1937 was another banner year in the United States, both in ways that people could have predicted at the time and in many ways that they couldn’t. Early in the year, Howard Hughes set a new flight record by making his way via airplane from Los Angeles to New York City in just under seven and a half hours. In February, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed his plan to enlarge the Supreme Court of the United States.

1937 was another banner year in the United States, both in ways that people could have predicted at the time and in many ways that they couldn’t. Early in the year, Howard Hughes set a new flight record by making his way via airplane from Los Angeles to New York City in just under seven and a half hours. In February, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed his plan to enlarge the Supreme Court of the United States.

If you had to pick one word to describe the theme in the United States that permeated across 1936, that word would undoubtedly be “innovation.” Even though the country was still reeling from the devastating effects of the Great Depression, innovation was happening across the United States.

The door to a particularly fascinating era in United States history was officially closed on May 30 when Babe Ruth – then playing for the Boston Braves – took the field for what would be his last career game against the Philadelphia Phillies.