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Following the release of the movie It, Clara Bow becomes a national celeb- rity as ‘‘The It Girl.’’ Child star Mickey Rooney appears in his first of many movies, Orchids and Ermine. 1929 The Oscars (Academy Awards) originate to honor film achievement. 1930 John Wayne appears in the first of his Western movies, The Big Trail. 1932 The movie A Farewell to Arms appears and helps Ernest Hemingway become a celebrity author. African American singer, actor, lawyer, and activist Paul Robeson appears on Broadway in Show Boat. 1933 President Franklin D. Roosevelt furthers his New Deal policies, and his personal celebrity, via a series of radio speeches couched as ‘‘fireside chats.’’ 1935 Howard Hughes, wealthy industrialist and movie producer, increases his ce- lebrity by setting the speed record for powered flight. The Fibber McGee and Molly radio show appears, introducing a variety of stereotypical yet comic characters. 1936 FM radio is introduced by Edwin Armstrong, providing better sound quality for music. African American athlete Jesse Owens debunks Hitler’s ‘‘master race’’ claims in the Berlin Olympics. 1937 Actress Zsa Zsa Gabor marries for the first of nine times. 1938 African American boxer Joe Louis beats German champ Max Schmeling, becoming world heavyweight champion. 1939 Television is introduced to the public at the New York World’s Fair. In an early endorsement deal, baseball’s homerun king Babe Ruth plugs Red Rock Cola. One of America’s favorite epic movies, Gone With the Wind, premieres. The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum opens. 1940 Disc jockey Martin Block, for whom the term ‘‘disc jockey’’ was coined, goes national with his Make Believe Ballroom radio show. 1941 The George Foster Peabody Awards originate to honor broadcast accomplishment. 1944 The Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s Golden Globes originate, hon- oring work in film and television. 1946 Danish pianist and comedian Victor Borge first performs his classic ‘‘pho- netic punctuation’’ comedy routine. Commercial television is introduced. 1947 Jackie Robinson breaks the color barrier in major league baseball. Timeline | xxi