Fact One; In 1929 the stock market came crumbling down, beginning the Great Depression.
Fact Two; Unemployment began to increase dramatically in 1930 as the stock crash took its toll.
Fact Three; Foreclosures climbed steadily in 1931 as unemployment numbers rose to over 6 million.
Fact Four; By 1932 the banks began to crash as well to which the government tried to help as best they could.
Fact Five; In the height of the Great Depression unemployment rose to a staggering 20%.
Fact Six; In 1935 The Tennessee Valley Authority gave close to 9 million jobs back to America.
Fact Seven; In 1937 we hit a bump but quickly recovered in 1938, bringing employment up higher and higher.
Fact Eight; Adolf Hitler's regime also had a part to play in the recent boom in the late 1930s.
Fact Nine; The bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941 gave America its final push into getting back on track.
Fact Ten; After all this unemployment dropped below its original amount before the Great Depression began.
All facts cited at http://www.history.com/topics/great-depression