1929年10月29日是美国历史上最黑暗的一天。「黑色星期二」是股票市场崩盘的日子，「经济大萧条」 (Great
Depression) 也正式开始。失业率攀升到最高点，西元1933年，有四分之一的劳工失业，许多人因此无家可归。贺柏特．胡佛 (Hebert
Hoover) 总统企图控制危机，但是却无能为力。西元1932年，法兰克林．得雷诺．罗斯福 (Franklin
Delano Roosevelt) 获选为美国总统，他推动了「新政」 (New
Deal) 以解决美国的经济危机。国会也配合通过设立「工作改进组织」 (Works
Progress Administration，WPA) ，负责为美国人民提供工作机会。
美国于1941年添加第二次世界大战后，经济大萧条也随之退出。美国与英国、法国语苏联等同盟国共同对抗德国、义大利，与日本。这场战争死亡的人数不断增加。在德国于1945年5月投降之后，欧洲区的战火也随之熄灭。在美国于广岛与长崎投下原子弹，日本也随即在1945年9月投降。
October 29, 1929, was a dark day in history. "Black Tuesday" is the day that the stock market crashed, officially setting off the Great Depression. Unemployment skyrocketed--a quarter of the workforce was without jobs by 1933 and many people became homeless. President Herbert Hoover attempted to handle the crisis but he was unable to improve the situation. In 1932, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was elected president and he promised a "New Deal" for the American people. Congress created The Works Progress Administration (WPA) which offered work relief for thousands of people.
The end to the Great Depression came about in 1941 with America's entry into World War II. America sided with Britain, France and the Soviet Union against Germany, Italy, and Japan. The loss of lives in this war was staggering. The European part of the war ended with Germany's surrender in May 1945. Japan surrendered in September 1945, after the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
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