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Ten Interesting Facts . . . . The Great Depression

1. On October 29, 1929, the stock market lost $14 billion. During the week of Black Tuesday, the stock market lost $30 billion. This would be equivalent to $377,587,032,770.41 today.

Dorothea Lange’s photo of Florence Thompson with several of her children has become a moving symbol to the Great Depression.

In the photo, Florence Thompson was age 32 with seven children. She was a migrant pea picker in California.

3. Average Rate of Unemployment during the Great Depression

in 1929: 3.2% in 1930: 8.9% in 1931: 16.3% in 1932: 24.1% in 1933: 24.9% in 1934: 21.7% in 1935: 20.1% in 1936: 16.9% in 1937: 14.3% in 1938: 19.0% in 1939: 17.2%

4. The board game Monopoly became a big success when it first went on the market in 1935. Players could pretend to be rich. This was a nice break from the reality of the depression.

© Gay Miller ~ Book Units Teacher 5. As money became scarce, gangsters began to surface. Some infamous gangsters of the 1930s included:  John Dillinger  “Baby Face” Nelson  Machine Gun Kelly  Pretty Boy Floyd  Ma Barker and her Boys  Bonnie and Clyde

6. Going to the movies was a favorite pastime during the Great Depression. Approximately 60 to 80 million Americans went to the movies weekly. Hit movies included:  Tom Sawyer (1930)  Frankenstein (1931)  King Kong (1933)  Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)  The Wizard of Oz (1939)  Gone with the Wind (1939)  Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)

9. Average Wages during the 1930s

Occupation Income Industries $1388/year Government Workers $1517/year Public School Teacher $1455/year Building Trades $1233/year Health Services Worker $933/year Doctor $3172/year

7. Because buttons were too expensive, Americans began using zippers during the Great Depression.

8. Franklin Delano Roosevelt promised a “New Deal for the American People” when he became President in 1933. He established a number of federal organizations such as TVA, NRA, CCC, and WPA to get people back to work.

10. Price of Goods Price in Price in Price in Prince in Product the 1920s the 1930s the 1940s the 1950s Butter $ .70 $ .46 $ .42 $ .74 (Pound) Eggs $ .78 $ .52 $ .45 $ .67 (Dozen) Rice $ .17 $ .09 $ .08 $ .17 (Pound) Washing Machine $ 85.00 $ 74,50 $ 48.00 $ 65.00 (Electrical)

Bicycle $ 43.00 $ 32,00 $29,00 $45.00

Information Sources http://facts.randomhistory.com/2009/04/12_great-depression.html http://www.shmoop.com/great-depression/statistics.html http://great-depression-facts.com/ http://usa.usembassy.de/etexts/his/e_prices1.htm

Photo Credits http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Poor_mother_and_children,_Oklahoma,_1936_by_Dorot hea_Lange.jpg http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lange-MigrantMother02.jpg http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Wizard_of_Oz_Haley_Bolger_Garland_Lahr_1939.j pg

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