What Was the Great Depression?

On October 29, 1929, the United States experienced the stock market crash that marked the onset of the Great Depression, leading to significant economic turmoil through the early 1930s. Unemployment soared as one in three Americans found themselves without work, and many lost their homes, leading to the rise of shantytowns known as "Hoovervilles." By 1933, numerous banks failed, highlighting the extensive devastation of this era, which is chronicled in the engaging What Was…? series.