This was also an interesting time in science: quantum physics had been “discovered” in the 20s, the modern computer was just around the corner (although WWII definitely accelerated its development – would the Martians do the same?).

Also, I like that society was connected but separate in those days. There were still national ideals that didn’t spill across into other people’s countries – we could communicate easily enough (via the ‘phone) but not too easily to other countries and certainly not cheaply enough for the common citizen. This meant that there was considerable culture shock between different locales, whether separated by a few hundred miles or a few thousand.