# The 1930s

In: [Learn](https://handball.theperfectship.com/learn.md) > [History](https://handball.theperfectship.com/history.md) > [Years and decades](https://handball.theperfectship.com/history/years.md) > The 1930s

22 dated items, 7 rulebook editions and 20 championship result rows are in the record for the 1930s.

## Years with their own page

- [1931](https://handball.theperfectship.com/history/years/1931.md) (8 dated items)
- [1932](https://handball.theperfectship.com/history/years/1932.md) (3 dated items)

## Dated items

### 1930

- **1930-1939**: The USHA champions page puts the 1930s A.A.U. four-wall nationals, over ten years, in eight cities (St. Louis, Minneapolis, New York twice, Chicago twice, Washington, Los Angeles, Memphis and San Francisco); its venue column names no source Source: [US Handball Association, "National Champions" (seen 28 October 2026)](https://www.ushandball.org/about/national-champions/)

### [1931](https://handball.theperfectship.com/history/years/1931.md)

- **1931**: The A.A.U. soft-ball four-wall rules printed in O'Connell 1931 add a ball specification, 2.3 oz with a half-ounce tolerance (A.A.U. Soft Ball Four-Wall Rules (in Charles J. O'Connell, How to Play Handball, 1931) (1931); H-142): the first Source: [Charles J. O'Connell, How to Play Handball (American Sports Publishing Company, 1931)](https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=osu.32435007267735), p. 65
- **1931-1990**: The 2.3 oz ball the A.A.U. specified in 1931, allowing half an ounce either way (A.A.U. Soft Ball Four-Wall Rules (in Charles J. O'Connell, How to Play Handball, 1931) (1931)), is also the USHA's weight in 1990, allowing 0.2 oz (The Source: [Charles J. O'Connell, How to Play Handball (American Sports Publishing Company, 1931)](https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=osu.32435007267735), p. 65
- **1931**: Charles J. O'Connell's How to Play Handball (the successor of the Spalding guide, 'including official rules for play') prints three A.A.U. codes: soft-ball four-wall (34 rules, now with an A.A.U. ball specification of 2.3 oz, H-142), Source: [Charles J. O'Connell, How to Play Handball (American Sports Publishing Company, 1931)](https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=osu.32435007267735), p. 65
- **1931**: The A.A.U.'s three codes (soft-ball four-wall, one-wall, hard ball) printed in O'Connell's How to Play Handball (A.A.U. Soft Ball Four-Wall Rules (in Charles J. O'Connell, How to Play Handball, 1931) (1931), A.A.U. One-Wall Rules (in Source: [Charles J. O'Connell, How to Play Handball (American Sports Publishing Company, 1931)](https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=osu.32435007267735), p. 65
- **1931**: How to Play Handball ... including official rules for play (1931) Source: [HathiTrust Digital Library, catalog record 102896696 (seen 28 October 2026)](https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/102896696)
- **1931**: The A.A.U. prints separate hard-ball rules in 1931 for a four-wall court about 65 ft long and 25 ft wide with a 12 ft back wall, a length and back wall like those of Casey's old Brooklyn court (his was 24 ft wide with a 35 ft front wall) Source: [Charles J. O'Connell, How to Play Handball (American Sports Publishing Company, 1931)](https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=osu.32435007267735)
- **1931**: O'Connell's 1931 book describes four-wall and one-wall partisans arguing which game is more scientific or more strenuous, and notes champions in both codes Source: [Charles J. O'Connell, How to Play Handball (American Sports Publishing Company, 1931)](https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=osu.32435007267735)
- **1931**: Charles J. O'Connell's 'How to Play Handball' (Spalding, 1931) prints the A.A.U. four-wall, one-wall and hard-ball rules; the USHA later calls it the first printed book of handball rules and dates it 1930 (conflicting) The book carries a 1931 copyright line, but a 1971 USHA magazine tribute dates it to 1930 and calls it the first printed book of handball rules, which earlier guides and rule books (1893 to 1928) contradict. Source: [Charles J. O'Connell, How to Play Handball (American Sports Publishing Company, 1931)](https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=osu.32435007267735)

### [1932](https://handball.theperfectship.com/history/years/1932.md)

- **1932-1949**: A.A.U. handball rules are registered for copyright in 1932, 1933, 1934 (the first registration naming four-wall, one-wall and four-wall hardball), 1935, 1936, 1939 and 1942 (the A.A.U. itself now the claimant), continuing as the serial Source: [Internet Archive, Catalog of Copyright Entries 1953-1970, searched for handball (seen 30 October 2026)](https://archive.org/details/copyrightrecords)
- **1932**: Rules for volley ball, ice hockey, hand ball, squash-handball, field-handball, code ball (1932) Source: [Internet Archive, Catalog of Copyright Entries 1953-1970, searched for handball (seen 30 October 2026)](https://archive.org/details/copyrightrecords)
- **1932**: Irish handball players tour Liverpool in 1932 Source: [GAA Handball Ireland, "History" (seen 28 October 2026)](https://www.gaahandball.ie/about/gaa-handball/history)

### 1933

- **1933-1949**: 'Four-wall hardball' named as a code in A.A.U. titles (LC ca33000972; Official rules handball, four-wall, one-wall, four-wall hardball; codeball, volleyball, horseshoe pitching (1949); H-28): the hard ball survives in America as a separate Source: [WorldCat, search for AAU official rules handball (seen 28 October 2026)](https://search.worldcat.org/)
- **1933**: Official hand ball rules. Also rules for squash handball, field-handball, code ball, volley ball (1933) Source: [Internet Archive, Catalog of Copyright Entries 1953-1970, searched for handball (seen 30 October 2026)](https://archive.org/details/copyrightrecords)

### 1934

- **1934**: Amateur Athletic Union official rules handball, four-wall, one-wall, four-wall hardball, squash handball, field handball, code ball, volley ball (1934) Source: [Internet Archive, Catalog of Copyright Entries 1953-1970, searched for handball (seen 30 October 2026)](https://archive.org/details/copyrightrecords)
- **1934**: The Irish-American Handball Association's yearly four-wall tournaments begin in 1934 at Broderick's Court in the Bronx, a 25 x 46 ft court that still stands as built in 1972 Source: [Handball (USHA), August 1972](https://archive.teamusa.com/-/media/usa_racquetball/documents/magazine/archived-issues/handball-magazine/1972/1972_hb_aug70ff.pdf?la=en&hash=C76D0819F2754D5FD03B01481CC3483E7AA732DD), PDF p. 53

### 1935

- **1935**: Amateur Athletic Union official rules handball, four-wall, one-wall, four-wall hardball, code ball, volley ball (1935) Source: [Internet Archive, Catalog of Copyright Entries 1953-1970, searched for handball (seen 30 October 2026)](https://archive.org/details/copyrightrecords)
- **1935-1941**: Joe Platak wins the A.A.U. four-wall national singles title seven years running, 1935-1941, across cities from Washington to San Francisco Source: [US Handball Association, "National Champions" (seen 28 October 2026)](https://www.ushandball.org/about/national-champions/)

### 1936

- **1936**: Amateur Athletic Union official rules handball, four-wall, one-wall, four-wall hardball, squash handball, field handball, code ball, volley ball (1936) Source: [Internet Archive, Catalog of Copyright Entries 1953-1970, searched for handball (seen 30 October 2026)](https://archive.org/details/copyrightrecords)
- **1936**: The semi-professional Irish Handball Union holds national and world championships until 1936, in competition with the amateur body set up in 1924 Source: [US Handball Association, "History of Handball" (Wayback snapshot of 9 December 2016)](https://web.archive.org/web/20161209005848/https://www.ushandball.org/index.php/about/history-of-handball)

### 1939

- **1939**: Amateur Athletic Union official rules handball (1939) Source: [Internet Archive, Catalog of Copyright Entries 1953-1970, searched for handball (seen 30 October 2026)](https://archive.org/details/copyrightrecords)
- **1939-1945**: Wartime rubber scarcity stops Irish softball play and the hardball game comes back into its own Source: [US Handball Association, "History of Handball" (Wayback snapshot of 9 December 2016)](https://web.archive.org/web/20161209005848/https://www.ushandball.org/index.php/about/history-of-handball)

## Championships held

- [AAU national four-wall handball championships](https://handball.theperfectship.com/history/championships/aau-national-four-wall-championships.md)
- [All-Ireland 60x30 Softball Championships](https://handball.theperfectship.com/history/championships/gaa-all-ireland-60x30-softball.md)
- [All-Ireland Hardball Championships](https://handball.theperfectship.com/history/championships/gaa-all-ireland-hardball.md)

## Neighboring decades

- Previous: [The 1920s](https://handball.theperfectship.com/history/years/1920s.md)
- Next: [The 1940s](https://handball.theperfectship.com/history/years/1940s.md)
- [All years and decades](https://handball.theperfectship.com/history/years.md)

## Corrections

Found a mistake, or a source we missed? Email perfectshipllc@gmail.com with the subject "History correction: The 1930s (/history/years/1930s/)". Please name the page and, if you can, the source.