'Miracle on 34th Street': Not Your Usual Summertime Fare (June 4)

Macy’s must have been thrilled when Miracle on 34th Street opened in theaters on this day in 1947. It gave shoppers plenty of time to buy gifts in time for Christmas! Surprisingly, the movie did great opening in June.

June 4th is also special because of the origin story about the first National Doughnut Day.

1947 – ‘Miracle on 34th Street’ Opened Six Months Before Christmas

A little girl hugs Santa Claus — Natalie Wood and Edmund Gwenn in *Miracle on 34th Street (20th Century Fox)*

Believe it or not, the Christmas movie classic, Miracle on 34th Street opened in theaters on this day in 1947. But why was it released during the summer? Darryl F. Zanuck, the studio head of 20th Century Fox, was hoping for higher profits as he believed that most people went to the movies during the summer, not winter.

In order to attract audiences, the movie poster barely shows Edmund Gwenn and Natalie Wood who played Kris Kringle and Susan Walker and instead prominently features Maureen O’Hara and John Payne on a yellow background.

The five-minute long trailer for Miracle on 34th Street doesn’t give many clues either. Despite its length, the trailer never mentions the holiday and contains mostly interviews. Regardless, the movie was a huge hit bringing in $2.7 million in ticket sales. (The budget was just $248,000).

The movie was nominated for four Academy Awards and won three Oscars for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Best Writing: Original Story and Best Writing: Screenplay.

Fun fact: The scenes featuring the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade were filmed during the actual 1946 parade.

1938 – The First National Doughnut Day

Salvation Army handing out doughnuts to service men in 1917. — Salvation Army handing out doughnuts to serviceman on June 4, 1920. *(Wikimedia Commons)*

When American soldiers went to war in 1917, several women from the Salvation Army followed them to France to create a “home away from home”. This included darning socks, mending uniforms and creating doughnuts from scratch. Years later, the first National Doughnut Day was celebrated in Chicago as a way to raise money for the needy.

Today, National Doughnut Day is celebrated on the first Friday of June and is used more or less as a reason for people to snag a free doughnut at some local bakery.

1952 – Secretaries Get Their Own Day

In 1952, the National Secretaries Association created National Secretaries Day with the help of a variety of office product manufacturers to recognize secretaries’ contribution to the workplace. The very first one was celebrated on this day as part of the National Secretaries week.

In 1995, the event was moved up to the last full week in April. The name was changed to Professional Secretaries Week in 1981 and in 1998, it was re-branded as Administrative Professionals Week to encompass the expanding responsibilities and wide-ranging job titles of administrative support staff.

1937 – Shoppers Use a Store Cart for the First Time

A patent for a shopping cart. *(Wikipedia)*

It wasn’t until this day that the first shopping carts were introduced at the Humpty Dumpty Supermarket in Oklahoma City. Also known as a carriage, buggy or trolley in England, the first shopping carts were designed by Sylvan Goldman who was the owner of the store at the time.

Wrestling about how to get customers to move more groceries, he put a basket on the seat of a folding chair and added wheels to the legs. Then his store’s mechanic tinkered with it some more.

The first “folding basket carriers” were basically two wire baskets attached to a metal frame. A patent for Arthur Kosted’s version was awarded on April 9, 1940 titled, “Folding Basket Carriage for Self-Service Stores” and was advertised as the invention as part of a new “No Basket Carrying Plan.” However, they were not a hit right away.

Women likened the carriers to a baby carriage and men thought that they were effeminate. It took both male and female models to demonstrate how to use the devices for the carts to catch on.

1917 – First Pulitzer Prizes are Given Out

Pulitzer Prize coins — *(Wikimedia Commons)*

It was on this day that Publisher Joseph Pulitzer gave money to Columbia University for the purpose of rewarding excellence in American journalism, literature, and music.

The first Pulitzer Prizes were given to the New York Tribune (for an article about the first anniversary of the sinking of the Lusitania), Herbert Bayard Swope from New York World (for writing various articles called “Inside the German Empire”), Laura E. Richards and Maud Howe Elliott (for writing the biography Julie Ward Howe) and Jean Jules Jusserand (for writing With Americans of Past and Present Days).

What Else Happened on June 4th?

1876: The Transcontinental Express’ trip from New York City to San Francisco in less than four days proved that rapid coast-to-coast travel could really work.
1912: Massachusetts became the first state to set a minimum wage.
1984: Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the USA album is released.
1992: The U.S. Postal Service announced that after taking a vote, 75% of people preferred a stamp that featured a younger Elvis rather than an older one.