Events with tag - Unemployment

October 29, 1929

Great Depression Begins

The Great Depression began with Black Tuesday on October 29, 1929, when the stock market crashed, leading to the most severe economic downturn in modern history. The crisis spread globally, causing widespread unemployment, mass poverty, and profound social changes that would reshape society for decades.

October 29, 1929

The Great Depression Peak Unemployment

The Great Depression reached its devastating peak in 1933 with an unprecedented 24.9% unemployment rate, leaving 15 million Americans jobless in the worst economic crisis of modern history.

October 29, 1929

The Great Depression

The Great Depression was the worst economic downturn in US history, beginning with the stock market crash of 1929 and ending between 1939-1941 due to World War II's massive industrial mobilization.

December 1, 1929

First Hooverville Emerges in Seattle

The first documented Hooverville appeared in Seattle's Harbor Island in late 1929, marking the beginning of widespread makeshift settlements during the Great Depression. These settlements, named to criticize President Herbert Hoover, housed thousands of homeless Americans who lost everything in the economic crisis.

March 9, 1933

Launch of the First New Deal

President Franklin D. Roosevelt initiated the First New Deal, a comprehensive series of economic reforms and relief programs to combat the Great Depression. Within his first 100 days in office, FDR implemented 15 major pieces of legislation to stabilize banks, create jobs, and provide economic relief.

June 16, 1933

Public Works Administration Creation

The Public Works Administration (PWA) was established as a crucial part of President Roosevelt's New Deal program, with an initial budget of $3.3 billion to combat the Great Depression through massive infrastructure projects and job creation.

May 6, 1935

WPA Establishment

President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration (WPA) through Executive Order 7034, launching the largest New Deal agency that would employ 8.5 million Americans and transform the nation's infrastructure during the Great Depression.

August 14, 1935

Social Security Act

The Social Security Act of 1935 was landmark legislation that created America's social welfare system during the Great Depression. Signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, it established retirement benefits, unemployment insurance, and aid for vulnerable citizens.