January 2 - Book publisher Simon and Schuster is founded.
March 6 - Thomas Garson of Chicago, Illinois eats twenty-two hamburgers and two quarts of ice cream in twenty-five minutes to win a bet.
April 10 - The state of New York makes it mandatory to undergo a test for syphilis before applying for a marriage license.
June 10 - The first flying club, the Aeronautical Society of New York, is formed.
June 23 - The first aquarium opens in the U.S. at Marineland in St. Augustine, Florida.
June 25 - Franklin Roosevelt signs the Wage and Hours Act to provide a minimum wage of 20 cents per hour and limiting the work week to 44 hours.
June 27 - Due to an egg surplus in Pennsylvania, slot machines dispensing hard boiled eggs for 5 cents a piece are installed in cafes and taverns throughout the state.
July 14 - Howard Hughes sets a new record for flying around the world.
September 29 - The first archival course is offered at Columbia University in New York City.
October 30 - Orson Wells broadcasts his radio program, "The War of the Worlds," on CBS and causes a national panic.
