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Here at Rascal House, we’ve been posting a lot about the Republican National Convention coming to our hometown. The most exciting thing about the RNC, politics aside, is that thousands of people will get to experience all that Cleveland has to offer (us included)!!! We’re also justifying our excitement knowing that the last time Cleveland hosted a political convention was the 1936 Republican National Convention… that’s 80 years! A whole lot can change in a year, not to mention EIGHTY, so us folks at Rascal House thought it would be neat to make a few comparisons between 2016 #CLE and 1936 #CLE. Prepare to send out a tweet with this article to share a piece of hometown history with your followers #CLEVELANDin1936.
Here’s a look into what was happening in Cleveland 80 years ago:
In 1936, America was 8 years into the Great Depression and Cleveland, the city of undying persistence, wasn’t about to sit around and do nothing to help out the community. The city hosted the Great Lakes Expo in the summers of 1936-7 in an attempt to attract visitors to Cleveland, help local businesses, and provide a much needed morale boost in the depths of the country-wide Depression.
First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt visited Cleveland in 1936. During her visit in Cleveland to inspect housing projects for her husband, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, she stayed at the Wade Park Manor.
80 years ago, the Cleveland Indians were still playing hot at Cleveland’s League Park, where they won the World Series in 1920, and where Babe Ruth hit his 500th home run!
And of course, 1936 was the last time Cleveland hosted the Republican National Convention. In 1936, the RNC was a big deal for Cleveland, and although a lot has changed over the years, Clevelanders are just as excited today as they were 80 years ago. That’s the spirit of Cleveland for you!
Share your Clevelander excitement with us on Twitter and Instagram using the hashtag #RascalHouse, or post on our Facebook page!
