The Importance Of Making Money During The Great Depression

“Our whole Depression was brought on by gambling, not in the stock market alone but in expanding and borrowing and going in depth… all in all just to make some easy quick money.” (Rogers) Because of the great depression people had hardly any money, and coming up with money was one of the more difficult tasks; therefore, coming up with new inventions or technology was one of the more positive ways to make money during the Great Depression. Throughout the 1930s, many people desired jobs but few if any were available. People had to reach drastic measures to get food and money, many people just invented stuff ranging from food, to cars, to technology in the cars, to even new machines. This was one of the better ways of making money for themselves.
Many new foods were introduced to America in the 1930s such as spam,
Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, chocolate chip cookies, ice cream bars, Krispy Kreme doughnuts, Ritz crackers, and Kool-aid. Colonel Harland Sanders also developed a new recipe by using a couple of new spices on the fried chicken at the famous, Sanders Court and Cafe’. Richard Drew stepped up and invented his convenient “frozen” foods, including meats, fish, and vegetables. However, some people were not as lucky as others when it comes to food, Hungry people waited in “soup lines” for a free meal, especially in larger cities. In most places, there was no electricity to power refrigerators to keep milk or other foods fresh, especially during the summer heat (Signs of business). During the great depression, there were about 6 new cars introduced. Also, Cadillac released a new V-16 engine that redefined personal power in the automatic. Cars also began to become a bit more luxurious than their 1920s counterparts. For example, they included radios and heaters. Other inventions include the automatic transmission, the V8, V-12, and V-16. Power had been completely redefined (Industrial thirties). As the mechanization of agriculture progressed, there were human as well as financial impacts. People were "thrilled" to get their first tractor. However, they soon found out they had to do more than yell, "Whoa!" to make a tractor stop. 200,000 tractors produced, around this time. But in 1932, only 19,000 tractors sold. Some manufacturers went out of business or were sold to other companies, but those that remained continued to invent new machines or better parts. By 1935, over 160,000 tractors were being produced again. In some cases, farmers received their first government checks and bought machinery. At every step in the process of growing crops, new machines were being developed, to start with, For the first time in the 30s, plows were mounted directly to the tractor so they could be lifted out at the end of a row. Grain drills and corn planters got better at distributing seeds accurately and quickly, When the tricycle tractor was invented, it allowed farmers to drive cultivators through closely spaced rows, and In 1935, the first wheat combine that could be operated by just one man was invented. The corn and soybean harvesters were not far behind (living history).
Toys in the 1930s required a lot of imagination, which is a good thing!
Not to sound like a fuddy, but toys nowadays don’t require much more thought than “press a button repeatedly.” And there’s almost no need for pretending either. Well, that is not the case with thirties toys. Very few electronics, and most toys were made of wood, fabric or cast iron. Some legendary board games did come out in the 1930s, like Monopoly, Scrabble and Sorry! It’s hard to believe those games are that old!
The rich kids had Erector sets, toy trains and air rifles. The girls had all different kinds of dolls and dollhouses to choose from. Because it is the era of the Great Depression, many kids toys were hand-me-downs from their older siblings. Dozens of toy companies went out of business due to the economic crisis. Simple things like dolls, finger paint and die cast model cars were very popular. Also very popular were pedal cars and trucks. Some even had electric headlights (Businessweek)!
Throught the great depression money was hard to come by, so creating new inventions was one great way to make money, other ways were not so positive and may have caused you some jail
time!