A S S E S S I N G    T H E    2 0 T H     C E N T U R Y

---

1930-40: The Great Depression
Brings a New Federal Role
The stock market crash had triggered what turned out to be the greatest depression of the century. There were very high rates of unemployment, many bankruptcies and bewilderment at the top governmental level as to what ought to be done. It was in this environment that the federal government for the first time began to intervene in a major way in economic development programs.

The proposed solution was a program of great federal construction projects that would provide jobs and put money into the system. These would be located in some of the regions of the country that were hurting most, such as the South and the Pacific Northwest.

The Hoover administration had already authorized the construction of the dam near Las Vegas, which was later to be called Hoover Dam, and another, Grand Coulee Dam, in the Northwest. These were completed early in the decade and put into service. A little later the Roosevelt administration authorized the beginning of the Tennessee Valley (TVA) program which eventually resulted in some 30 dams being built. In the 1930s we didn't know what we know today about the environment so there was not the great debate about building dams that we would have if we und+ertook such a program today.

In 1933 a contract was let for the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge. It was finished in 1937 at a cost of $24 million. The Empire State Building was finished in New York, making it the tallest building in the world. The George Washington Bridge was built, providing another link between Manhattan and the mainland.

One of the more positive developments of the decade was the emergence of commercial air service. In 1935 the Douglas DC-3 made its first flight. American Airlines soon launched the first coast-to-coast service.

Using big flying boats, Pan-Am launched service across the North Atlantic and the Pacific. The North Atlantic service extended from New York to Newfoundland to the Azores to Lisbon. The Pacific service extended from San Francisco to Honolulu to Wake Island to Guam and Manila.

Air travel began to be acceptable. Airborne, very-high-frequency radio was introduced, providing greatly improved communication and navigation. The British invented radar.

Before the decade closed, DuPont invented nylon, Bell Labs learned how to transmit stereo sound, and Sikorsky flew the first helicopter. Perhaps most important, from the research labs at Columbia University and the University of Chicago came word that nuclear fission was possible.

So the decade that started with a cloud hanging over it came to a more positive conclusion, with better things ahead.