-
Kristallnacht, or the "Night of Broken Glass," was a violent, state-sponsored pogrom against Jewish communities throughout Nazi Germany and Austria on November 9–10, 1938. It marked a dramatic escalation in Nazi Germany's antisemitic persecution and is considered a pivotal event leading to the Holocaust. -
Mein Kampf is a 1925 autobiographical and political manifesto by Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler. The book outlines many of Hitler's political beliefs, his political ideology, and his future plans for Germany and the world. -
The stock market crash of October 1929, particularly the collapse on "Black Tuesday," was the catalyst for the Great Depression, the most severe economic downturn in modern history. A frenzied period of speculation, debt, and overproduction in the 1920s inflated stock values far beyond their actual worth. -
the southern Great Plains due to a combination of a severe drought and poor farming practices, which caused massive dust storms. -
Franklin D. Roosevelt was first elected President in 1932, winning a landslide victory over incumbent Herbert Hoover amidst the Great Depression. His campaign promised a "New Deal" for Americans, which would focus on relief for the unemployed, economic recovery, and reform. -
Hitler was of great historical importance, a term that does not imply a positive judgment, because his actions changed the course of the world. He was responsible for starting World War II, which resulted in the deaths of more than 50 million people. -
The CCC, or Civilian Conservation Corps, was a public work relief program created in 1933 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as part of the New Deal to combat the Great Depression. -
The Works Progress Administration (WPA) was created in 1935 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as part of the New Deal to combat high unemployment during the Great Depression -
James J. Braddock defeated heavyweight champion Max Baer on June 13, 1935, winning the title by unanimous decision. Braddock, a 10-to-1 underdog, used his boxing skill and determination to outbox the favored Baer over 15 rounds, earning the nickname "The Cinderella Man". This victory marked a triumphant comeback after years of hardship during the Great Depression, which had left him unable to find consistent Work. -
The 1936 Berlin Olympics were a landmark event used by the Nazi regime for propaganda to project an image of a peaceful and tolerant Germany. The games were also notable for the triumphs of African-American athlete Jesse Owens, who won four gold medals, defying Nazi racial ideology, and for being the first to be televised. -
The Grapes of Wrath is an American realist novel written by John Steinbeck and published in 1939. The book won the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize for fiction, and it was cited prominently when Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1962. -
The Wizard of Oz had its world premiere on August 12, 1939, in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, with attendees dressed up for a special occasion. It then had a wider release in theaters across the U.S. on August 25, 1939, with a popular Hollywood premiere on August 15 at Grauman's Chinese Theatre. The film, starring Judy Garland, was based on L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel and featured vivid Technicolor scenes contrasted with its black-and-white Kansas sequences. -
The German invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, triggered World War II and was characterized by the German "Blitzkrieg" strategy of swift, overwhelming attacks. Germany invaded from the north, west, and south, quickly breaking through Polish defenses. -
The "Four Freedoms" speech, delivered by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on January 6, 1941, outlined four essential human freedoms: freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. The speech aimed to build support for Great Britain and its allies against the Axis powers and to define America's war aims as the defense of these universal principles.