Results: The 1930s -- The Great Depression

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Great Depression begins in 1930

The Great Depression influences economies worldwide. In 1931, more than 24.5% of the population are unemployed in the United States. Over 20% of the workforce are unemployed in the United Kingdom. The Canadian unemployment reached 27%. The German unemployment reached nearly 30%.

In 1933, the 21st Amendment is passed repealing the 18th Amendment ending prohibition of alcohol.

In 1938, Germany begins its persecution of Jews.

In 1937, the Memorial Day Massacre takes place in Chicago. The Chicago Police Department shot and killed ten unarmed demonstrators in Chicago, on May 30, 1937. The incident took place during the Little Steel strike in the United States.

Amelia Mary Earhart disappeared over the Pacific Ocean during a circumnavigation flight attempt in 1937.

The United States Social Security Act is signed into law in 1935, which established a system of old-age benefits for workers, benefits for victims of industrial accidents, unemployment insurance, aid for dependent mothers and children, the blind, and the physically handicapped.

In 1935, Emergency Relief Appropriation Act creates the WPA or Works Progress Administration to provide millions of jobs.

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Orson Welles' radio adaptation of The War of the Worlds is broadcast, in 1938.

In 1936, the first public television broadcasts begin in London.

Popular cartoon character "Betty Boop" makes her debut on "Dizzy Dishes, in 1930. Although many believe Helen Kane is the inspiration for Betty Boop, the character would not have been possible without 1920s jazz singer Esther Jones, aka Baby Esther.

Francis Scott Key's "Star Spangled Banner" is officially named the United States' national anthem, in 1931.

Margaret Mitchell's epic Civil War novel "Gone with the Wind" is published in 1936.

In 1939, the beloved film starring Judy Garland "The Wizard of Oz" premieres.

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After one enterprising Harvard freshman named Lothrop Withington Jr. swallowed a live fish as a publicity stunt while running for class president, a goldfish-swallowing trend spread among college campuses in the late 1930s.

Chain letters (the ones that you pass on to a list of people, under threat of what-ever for breaking the chain) became hugely popular during the Great Depression. And it evolved into sending people money through the mail. So much so, that pop-up stores would sell certificates supposedly entitling the purchaser to the benefits of having their name high up on the list — the higher on the list you were, the more people were sending you cash ... in theory. The stores were only around for a few weeks in 1935, but before the whole scheme crashed, brokers had made thousands selling certificates that were worthless. By the time people realized they weren't going to be making a fortune, as many as 3 million undelivered letters — and their well-meaning dimes — ended up in the dead letter offices of the postal service.

Dance marathons became a major industry employing around 20,000 people, including professional dancers, often ringers entered into competitions by shady promoters. Even though people knew about the ringers, they still entered marathons to dance (or, more accurately, shuffle) for 45 minutes out of every hour for weeks on end. Floor judges would keep exhausted dancers moving with a snap of a ruler, and some couples chained themselves together for support. Doctors were on hand to tend to the injured and the exhausted.

On May 10 and 11, 1934, a single storm picked up 350 million tons of dust, dirt, and silt from the Midwest and dumped it across the East Coast. Ships floating hundreds of miles off the coast were covered in a fine layer of dirt from the Midwest. The storm was 1,800 miles wide, and 6,000 tons got dumped on Chicago alone. Even New York City stopped, as people were unable to travel or do business in the darkness of midday.

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