THE HARDEST TIMES

Few People Know These 10 Facts About The Great Depression

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The Great Depression, a period of economic instability that lasted from the early 1930s until the end of the decade, was one of the most challenging times in American history. Kickstarted by the Wall Street Crash of October 1929, the recession hit hard, bankrupting thousands of businesses and leaving no one untouched.

Though well depicted in films and literature, there are still numerous surprising and lesser-known facts that shed light on the resilience and creativity of the Americans who lived through those difficult times. From bizarre dance marathons to bustling criminality and a near-ecological collapse, here are 10 intriguing facts about the Depression Era that you might not have known.

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Due to the extreme economic volatility, as the banking system collapsed, some towns and communities had to resort to issuing their own currency in order to keep commerce moving. These emergency currencies, often colorful and varied, featured designs from local artists.

They played a critical role in maintaining local economies during the financial crisis, ensuring that people could continue to trade goods and services despite the widespread financial crisis. Today, these unique scrips are collectors' items and a reminder of the creativity and resilience of communities during times of hardship.

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The Great Depression saw a significant increase in the number of people who took to the road, wandering around the country in search of temporary employment. These migrant workers, known as hoboes, developed a cultural network that helped them survive the adverse conditions of the time.

This network included leaving messages for each other. While many of these messages were simple, including just their monikers or road names, a date, and the direction they were headed, there were claims of a more complex secret code. This code allegedly provided specific instructions on where to find food, safe places to sleep, or warnings about hostile areas. Though these claims were likely exaggerated, hoboes did rely on their community of fellow travelers to navigate the treacherous landscape of the Depression.

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Farmers were among those hit hardest by the economic crisis. When banks foreclosed on farms for unpaid debts and their properties were auctioned, neighbors would conspire to bid pennies on both property and equipment, often using intimidation or physical force if necessary to keep others from bidding competitively. They would then return the farm to the original owners.

This act of defiance and solidarity helped create a strong sense of community during tough times. For many, losing a farm meant losing their livelihood and sustenance, making these efforts crucial for survival.

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Many rural families survived by reverting to subsistence farming, hunting, and foraging. Skills that were once common but declining became essential for survival, aligning with a larger back-to-the-land movement that swept across America during the harder years of the crisis.

City folk believed that returning to the land was the only way to survive and avoid the pitfalls of consumerism that had contributed to widespread poverty. The back-to-the-land ethos provided both a practical solution to immediate economic hardships and a philosophical shift toward valuing independence and community perseverance.

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Not without irony, the largest skyscraper in the world until the 1970s was completed during the Depression. A symbol of ambition and modernity, the Empire State Building stood as a rare sight in a foundering country. Initially, it struggled to find tenants, earning it the nickname "Empty State Building."

However, despite the economic downturn, its construction provided much-needed jobs for thousands of workers. The building of the Empire State Building became a beacon of hope amidst economic despair, proof of American strength and determination to leave the economic crisis behind.

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As if farmers didn’t have enough on their hands with the hardships brought on by economic instability, they also faced an ecological collapse of significant proportions during the Great Depression.

Severe drought and dust storms ravaged farmlands, forcing thousands of families to migrate westward in search of employment and improved living conditions. This ecological catastrophe stemmed from a combination of natural phenomena and human activities, including the destruction of natural topsoil and inadequate measures to prevent wind erosion.

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With scarce job opportunities and widespread societal collapse, the Depression saw the rise of many notorious criminals like Bonnie and Clyde, John Dillinger, and Pretty Boy Floyd.

These criminal figures soon captured the public's imagination, becoming folk heroes to some and villains to others.

Though the media often exaggerated their exploits to boost sales, the real backstories of most of these criminals reflect the desperation and feelings of societal abandonment that were prevalent during that time.

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In the midst of economic turmoil, Americans flocked en masse to sports for much-needed relief and affordable entertainment. Popular sports such as baseball, boxing, and athletics experienced a significant surge in both attendance and participation.

Iconic moments, such as Jesse Owens' triumph in the 1936 Olympics, also served as sources of inspiration and ignited a sense of nationwide pride. These events solidified America’s enduring fascination with sports of all kinds, demonstrating their power to uplift spirits and unify communities even during challenging times.

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Curiously, the Monopoly board game surged in popularity during the Great Depression. Originally developed in the early 1900s as "The Landlord's Game," Monopoly was commercially released under its modern name in 1935.

It became an instant hit, providing an affordable form of entertainment and a temporary escape from financial woes. In the world of the game, players could dream of economic success, even amid real-world hardships, cementing Monopoly as a staple in American households.

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Bizarrely, many forms of endurance entertainment became a craze during the Great Depression. One of these peculiar trends was dance marathons, where participants competed to outlast each other on the dance floor, often dancing for days with only short breaks.

Another similar trend was flagpole-sitting, which involved individuals sitting atop flagpoles for extended periods, attracting spectators and media attention. These events often offered participants a chance to earn money and meals, while also drawing large crowds who paid to witness the spectacle unfold.

STRANGER THAN FICTION

10 Writers With Lives Crazier Than Their Fiction

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Writers are known to often draw inspiration from life’s intricacies, but some authors have lived lives so adventurous that they could easily rival the most imaginative works of fiction.

From scandalous affairs to dangerous jobs, here are 10 world-famous writers whose rich life stories make some of their fiction pale in comparison.

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One of the first American authors to become worldwide famous and earn a large fortune from his writing, Jack London experienced in one lifetime what few could accomplish in ten. Born into a working-class family, he had to fend for himself from a young age, and by the age of 13, he was already working as an oyster poacher on San Francisco Bay. Venturing further into the wilds of life, he joined the Klondike Gold Rush alongside his sister's husband, where he drew inspiration from the rugged landscapes and its harsh realities for many of his future stories. He also became a hobo during some time, before embarking on a stellar career as a full-time writer.

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Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, renowned for his timeless classic The Little Prince, led a life as adventurous as the characters in his stories. Born into an aristocratic family in France, Saint-Exupéry developed a passion for aviation at a young age. He became a pioneering aviator, working as a commercial pilot for Aeropostale, a French airmail company, flying dangerous routes across the Sahara Desert and the Andes Mountains. His renown as a daring pilot led him to be summoned to fight in World War II, though he was far older than most pilots at the time. His disappearance during a reconnaissance mission in 1944 led to much speculation and added an aura of intrigue to his already legendary status.

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Mark Twain, the pen name of Samuel Clemens, journeyed from humble beginnings as a Mississippi riverboat pilot to becoming one of America's most beloved literary figures. Twain's irreverent humor and keen social commentary struck a chord with readers of his era, and classics like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn solidified his place as a timeless giant of American literature. His own life was filled with ups and downs, as he tried his luck on countless ventures, eventually losing most of the money he made writing on failed investments. Born shortly after the appearance of Halley’s Comet, he famously quipped that his demise would coincide with the comet's next passing. True to his prediction, Twain breathed his last just a day after the comet's closest approach to the planet.

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Mary Shelley, the gifted pen behind Frankenstein - one of the most enduring Gothic novels and perhaps one of the first science fiction works ever - had a complex life filled with tragedy and intrigue. At the age of seventeen, she fled from home with one of her father’s young political followers, the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, and her sister Claire. The three of them embarked on a journey through a war-ravaged Europe, an enlightening experience that would deeply influence her for the rest of her life. Throughout her life, she had a tumultuous relationship with Percy Bysshe Shelley, who expressed affection for her but didn’t believe in the institution of marriage.

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Hemingway's larger-than-life persona included big game hunting, wartime exploits, and four marriages. During World War I, he joined the Red Cross and served as an ambulance driver on the Italian Front until he got seriously wounded in 1918. Later, during World War II he joined the Allied troops as a journalist and was present during the Normandy landings and the liberation of Paris. Later in life, he enjoyed hunting in the African wilderness and developed a deep appreciation for the natural landscapes of Wyoming and Florida. In many ways, his distilled prose and distinct writing style was born out of his intense life experiences.

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Known for his wit and flamboyant lifestyle, Wilde's career was unfairly burdened by scandal and controversy. Venturing into various literary genres, he penned plays, published poetry, and delivered lectures on art history in the United States and Canada. Despite his rapid rise to fame, fueled by his quick intellect and magnetic personality, Wilde's celebrity only brought him sorrow. Imprisoned for "gross indecency" due to his homosexuality, he endured the scorn of the conservative English society, prompting his exile to France upon being released. However, even in these dark times, Wilde remained far from idle, producing one of his most acclaimed works, De Profundis.

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Colonial policeman in Burma, soldier for the Republican faction during the Spanish Civil War, and later propaganda agent for the BBC's Eastern Service, Orwell’s life was full of contradictions. Deeply empathizing with England’s impoverished working class, he strived to experience their hardships firsthand. For a while, he disguised himself as a tramp under the name of P.S. Burton, meticulously documenting and chronicling the deplorable conditions in which most Londoners lived.

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Best known for The Jungle Book, Rudyard Kipling remains one of the most prolific and insightful British authors in history. Born in British India to English parents, Kipling's formative years were divided between the vibrant landscapes of India's lush jungles and the urban centers of the British Empire. This experience profoundly influenced his writing, providing the backdrop for many of his tales. His wanderlust, however, extended far beyond India, as he traversed the globe, from Japan to the untamed American wilderness.

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Agatha Christie, the indisputable Queen of Crime, has captivated generations of readers with her meticulously crafted detective novels. Possessing an impulsive and adventurous character, Christie served in both world wars in hospital dispensaries, where she acquired the thorough knowledge of poisons that would later be featured in many of her novels. Following the loss of her mother and the dissolution of her marriage, she vanished for eleven days, triggering an intense search that even made international headlines. Eventually, she remarried to a prominent British archaeologist, embarking on numerous archaeological digs and expeditions across the Middle East.

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Hunter Thompson was an unconventional writer with a fearless approach to both journalism and life in general. Exploring controversial topics that few of his contemporaries dared touch, he developed his own type of genre-defying journalism, renouncing any attempt at objectivity and embracing the thin line between fiction and reality. This peculiar approach led him to cover unusual subjects such as life among the infamous Hell’s Angels motorcycle gang, the surreal debauchery around various sporting events, and the intricate plots of national politics. In the 70s, he even ran for sheriff of Pitkin County in Colorado!