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J.Edgar Hoover Becomes Head of the FBI
Calvin Coolidge appointed Hoover as director of the Bureau of Investigation. Hoover became instrumental in founding the FBI, where he remained director for 37 years. Hoover expanded the FBI into a more major crime-fighting agency and instituted a number of modernizations to policing technology, such as a centralized fingerprint file and forensic laboratories. -
Mein Kampf is Published
An autobiographical manifesto by Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler. The work describes the process by which Hitler became antisemitic and outlines his political ideology and future plans for Germany. -
Stock Market Crash Begins Great Depression
Known as "Black Thursday," when the market opened 11% lower than the previous day's close. Institutions and financiers stepped in with bids above the market price to stem the panic, and the losses on that day were modest, with stocks bouncing back over the next two days. it lowered consumer spending, caused panic that worsened an ongoing recession, reduced corporations' assets and hurt their future prospects, and contributed to a banking crisis. -
The Dust Bowl Begins
Due to low crop prices and high machinery costs, more submarginal lands were put into production. Farmers also started to abandon soil conservation practices. These events laid the groundwork for the severe soil erosion that would cause the Dust Bowl. The winds blew away 480 tons of topsoil per acre, removing an average of five inches of topsoil from more than 10 million acres. The dust and sand storms degraded soil productivity, harmed human health, and damaged air quality. -
Franklin Roosevelt is Elected President (1st Time)
Roosevelt defeated Republican incumbent Herbert Hoover and began his presidency in the midst of the Great Depression. During the first 100 days of the 73rd U.S. Congress, he spearheaded unprecedented federal legislative productivity. -
Adolf Hitler Become Chancellor of Germany
Following several negotiations, which included industrialists, Hindenburg's son, the former chancellor, and Hitler. Hindenburg acquiesced and he formally appointed Adolf Hitler as Germany's new chancellor. His first six years in power resulted in rapid economic recovery from the Great Depression, the abrogation of restrictions imposed on Germany after World War I, and the annexation of territories inhabited by millions of ethnic Germans, which initially gave him significant popular support. -
CCC is Created
Roosevelt established the Civilian Conservation Corps. The CCC or C's as it was sometimes known, allowed single men between the ages of 18 and 25 to enlist in work programs to improve America's public lands, forests, and parks. -
WPA is Created
President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the WPA. It was part of his New Deal plan to lift the country out of the Great Depression by reforming the financial system and restoring the economy to pre-Depression levels. -
J.J. Braddock Wins Heavyweight Boxing Title
Braddock pulled off one of the two greatest boxing upsets in the 20th Century by winning the 15-round decision against seemingly indestructible Max Baer, in a fight that still reverberates more than 85 years for its brutality and courage. He inspired America during the great depression when everyone was struggling economically. That is when he earned his nickname “Cinderella Man from his seemingly fairy tale-like rise from a poor local fighter to the heavyweight boxing champion of the world. -
Olympic Games in Berlin
Attended by athletes and spectators from countries around the world. The Olympic Games were a propaganda success for the Nazi government, as German officials made every effort to portray Germany as a respectable member of the international community. It became a powerful propaganda tool for Nazi Germany as it tried to make its brutal treatment of Jews, political opponents, and others seem benign. -
Kristallnacht
Also known as the Night of Broken Glass, a pogrom against Jews carried out by the Nazi Party's Sturmabteilung paramilitary and Schutzstaffel paramilitary forces. 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and sent to Nazi concentration camps. German Jews had been subjected to repressive policies since when Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany. Prior to Kristallnacht, these Nazi policies had been nonviolent. After Kristallnacht, conditions for German Jews grew increasingly worse. -
Grapes of Wrath is Published
A significant event in our national history is the publishing of this book because it captures the plight of millions of Americans whose lives had been crushed by the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression, Steinbeck awakened the nation's comprehension and compassion. -
Wizard of Oz Premiers in Movie Theaters
Characterized by its use of Technicolor, fantasy storytelling, musical score, and memorable characters, The Wizard of Oz was considered a critical success and was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture. -
Germany Invades Poland
Germany invaded Poland to regain lost territory and ultimately rule their neighbor to the east. The German invasion of Poland was a primer of how Hitler intended to wage war. German troops invaded Poland triggering World War II. In response to German aggression, Great Britain and France declared war on Nazi Germany. -
The Four Freedoms Speech
This speech, delivered by President Franklin Roosevelt included some phrases already familiar to Americans from the Bill of Rights, as well as some new phrases: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. In it, he articulated a powerful vision for a world in which all people had freedom of speech, religion, and freedom from want and fear. It helped change the world.