1929

The Roaring Twenties die with a crash—Wall Street collapses, prosperity evaporates, and the world slides into the Great Depression that will reshape politics, economics, and society for decades.

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🌍 Key World Events

Date	Event	Why It Matters
Oct 24	”Black Thursday” — Stock market crashes	Panic selling begins as market loses 11% in single day, though worst is yet to come.
Oct 29	”Black Tuesday” — Market collapses	Dow Jones plunges 12%, losing $14 billion in single day and triggering Great Depression that will devastate world economy.
Feb 11	Lateran Treaty signed	Italy and Vatican sign agreement creating Vatican City as independent state, ending 59-year standoff.
Feb 14	St. Valentine’s Day Massacre	Al Capone’s gang kills seven rivals in Chicago, epitomizing Prohibition-era violence and organized crime.
Aug 23	Hebron massacre in Palestine	Arab riots kill 67 Jews, escalating tensions in British Mandate Palestine.

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🧪 Science & Technology

• Penicillin discovered (Sep 28) — Alexander Fleming publishes findings on mold that kills bacteria, revolutionizing medicine though practical applications await 1940s.
• First Academy Awards ceremony held (May 16) — Hollywood honors “Wings” as Best Picture at inaugural Oscars.
• Hubble’s Law published — Edwin Hubble proves universe is expanding, revolutionizing cosmology and physics.
• First car radio introduced by Motorola, beginning transformation of automobile experience.

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🎨 Culture & Society

• “A Farewell to Arms” published — Ernest Hemingway’s WWI novel becomes instant classic of American literature.
• Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) opens in New York City (Nov 7), establishing premier venue for modern art.
• “Wings” wins first Best Picture Oscar — Silent film about WWI pilots marks end of silent era as “talkies” revolutionize cinema.
• “Popeye the Sailor” debuts in comic strip (Jan 17), creating enduring cartoon character.
• Organized crime thrives during Prohibition, with bootleggers like Al Capone earning millions.

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👶 Notable Births

Name	Born	Legacy
Martin Luther King Jr.	Jan 15	Civil rights leader who transformed America.
Audrey Hepburn	May 4	Iconic actress and humanitarian.
Anne Frank	Jun 12	Diarist whose writings humanize Holocaust victims.

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⚰️ Notable Deaths

• Wyatt Earp (Jan 13) — Legendary Old West lawman dies in Los Angeles at age 80.
• Hugo von Hofmannsthal (Jul 15) — Austrian poet and librettist.

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📚 Quick Facts & Trivia

• Market Losses: By mid-November 1929, stock market had lost $30 billion in value — nearly half the national debt.
• Depression’s Reach: Economic collapse spread globally; unemployment in U.S. would eventually reach 25%, Germany 30%.
• Hoover’s Response: President Herbert Hoover initially downplayed crisis, believing economy would self-correct without government intervention.
• Capone’s Power: Al Capone’s Chicago empire earned estimated $100 million annually from bootlegging, gambling, prostitution.
• Vatican’s Size: Lateran Treaty created world’s smallest nation — Vatican City at 109 acres with population under 1,000.
• Silent films’ end: Introduction of sound technology (“talkies”) revolutionized cinema; silent era essentially ended by 1929.