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The stock market crashes
On "Black Thursday," stock market prices start to drop. The stock market "crashes" and by the end of November, the stock market loses $30 billion. -
Roosevelt is Elected
Franklin D. Roosevelt is elected president. Many Americans struggling during the depression did not think that President Hoover did enough to help them and hope that Roosevelt will end the Depression. -
High unemployment
Unemployment reaches 25 percent, the highest level during the depression years. -
Emergency Bank Act
Congress passes the Emergency Banking Act and by the end of the month, nearly all of the banks that had closed when the Depression started are open again. -
The Dust Bowl
A time period when there was several droughts in the middle of North America, and hundreds of miles of farmlands were lost to the droughts causing people to relocate. -
National Labor Relations Act
Congress passes the National Labor Relations Act, to support the right of workers to organize with employers over working conditions, benefits, and wages. The act also bans certain unfair business practices. -
FDR Re-elected
FDR was elected to a second term as president and again for a third term in 1940. -
Another recession
After showing improvement, the economy starts to suffer again when more Americans lose their jobs and the cycle starts over. -
Anshluss in Austria
A union of Germany and Austria to create a 'Greater Germany', any attempt at an Anschluss was banned by the Treaty of Versailles, but Hitler drove it through anyway. -
The Social Security Act was signed
The Work Projects Administration was formed to employ millions of people on public works projects across the country. The Social Security Act was signed into law, financed through payroll taxes -
Nazi Rally in New York City
German-Americans stages a huge rally of fascist sympathizers supporting what they call "True Americanism" in Madison Square Garden in New York. -
"The Grapes of Wrath"
"The Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck is published. The book is about a family that is forced to leave home and try to find work during the Great Depression. -
WWII Begins
World War II pulled the vast majority of the world out of the Great Depression through all of the government spending on the war. However the U.S. does not join the war until 1941. -
Britain and France Declare War on Germany
Two days after Germany invades Poland, Britain and France declared war on Germany because they had a treaty in which they had undertaken to help Poland if its independence was threatened by force. -
Canada declares war on Germany.
Many people were shocked that Canada entered the war. It was important for them to join because they had the most training in the air force which was later needed. -
Germany invades Soviet Union
This broke the non-aggressive pact Germany had with the soviet union. They had been defeated by Britain and Hitler always had his eyes on Russian. This was said to be a turning point in the war. -
End of the Great Depression
The United States declares war on Japan and joins World War II. The war creates so much money and jobs for the economy, the Great Depression ends soon after the U.S. goes to war. The need for ammunition created more work. -
Pearl Harbor
Japan bombs an American military base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. Thousands of American soldiers are killed in the attack. This gave reason for the U.S. to enter the war. -
Plan for Holocaust started
The holocaust was Hitler’s way to punish the Jews for supposedly being at fault for the loss of the First World War. Many people died and only few survived. -
D-day
Although the initiative had been seized from the Germans some months before, so far the western Allies had been unable to mass sufficient men and material to risk an attack in northern Europe. -
Hitler committed suicide
Hitler committed suicide shortly before the end of the battle of Britain. It caused most of Europe to surrender and ended the holocaust. -
Germany Surrenders
The German surrender to the Western Allies and the Soviet Union and generally ended the war. -
Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima
This event was important because it rapidly forced Japan to surrender. So far they are the only nuclear weapons used to date. -
Second atomic bomb on nagasaki
This was important for the same reasons as the first one. It pushed Japan to surrender. -
JJ day
This was obviously important because it set an end to all the terrors of world war 2 after Japan Surrenders.