The Great Depression

  • J.Edgar Hoover Becomes Head of the FBI

    J.Edgar Hoover Becomes Head of the FBI
    Edgar Hoover led the FBI for nearly a half-century, from 1924 until 1972. Under Director Hoover, the Bureau grew in responsibility and importance, becoming an integral part of the national government and an icon in American popular culture.
  • Mein Kampf is Published

    Mein Kampf is Published
    'My Struggle') is a 1925 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. Volume 1 of Mein Kampf was published in 1925 and Volume 2 in 1926.
  • Stock Market Crash Begins Great Depression

    Stock Market Crash Begins Great Depression
    The crash began on Oct. 24, 1929, 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.
  • The Dust Bowl Begins

    The Dust Bowl Begins
    The Dust Bowl, also known as “the Dirty Thirties,” started in 1930 and lasted for about a decade, but its long-term economic impacts on the region lingered much longer. Severe drought hit the Midwest and southern Great Plains in 1930. Massive dust storms began in 1931.
  • Adolf Hitler Become Chancellor of Germany

    Adolf Hitler Become Chancellor of Germany
    Following several backroom negotiations – which included industrialists, Hindenburg's son, the former chancellor Franz von Papen, and Hitler – Hindenburg acquiesced and on 30 January 1933, he formally appointed Adolf Hitler as Germany's new chancellor.
  • CCC is Created

    CCC is Created
    The Civilian Conservation Corps was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28.
  • WPA is Created

    WPA is Created
    President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the WPA with an executive order on May 6, 1935. 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

    J.J. Braddock Wins Heavyweight Boxing Title
    Braddock. James Walter Braddock (June 7, 1905 – November 29, 1974) was an American boxer who was the world heavyweight champion from 1935 to 1937. New York City, U.S.
  • Olympic Games in Berlin

    Olympic Games in Berlin
    The 1936 Summer Olympic Games open 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.
  • Kristallnacht

    Kristallnacht
    Kristallnacht or the Night of Broken Glass also called the November pogrom, was a pogrom against Jews carried out by the Nazi Party's Sturmabteilung paramilitary and Schutzstaffel paramilitary forces.
  • Grapes of Wrath is Published

    Grapes of Wrath is Published
    Since the day it was published on April 14, 1939, The Grapes of Wrath has captured the American imagination, pulling back the curtain on a way of life that most of us could scarcely imagine, and showing us the powerful ways that literature can touch society.
  • Wizard of Oz Premiers in Movie Theaters

    Wizard of Oz Premiers in Movie Theaters
    On August 25, 1939, The Wizard of Oz, which will become one of the best-loved movies in history, opens in theaters around the United States. Based on the 1900 children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
  • Germany Invades Poland

    Germany Invades Poland
    The invasion of Poland was a joint attack on the Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak Republic, and the Soviet Union; which marked the beginning of World War II.
  • The Four Freedoms Speech

    The Four Freedoms Speech
    This speech, delivered by President Franklin Roosevelt on January 6, 1941, became known as his "Four Freedoms Speech" due to a short closing portion in which he described his vision for extending American ideals throughout the world.
  • Franklin Roosevelt is Elected President (1st Time)

    Franklin Roosevelt is Elected President (1st Time)
    The first term of the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt began on March 4, 1933, when he was inaugurated as the 32nd president of the United States, and the second term of his presidency ended on January 20, 1941, with his inauguration to a third term.