Also Within this year in history

As the Great Depression continued worldwide, Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany. Nazis declared a national boycott of Jewish-owned businesses and opened their first concentration camp, Dachau. In the U.S., after President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt narrowly escaped assassination, he inaugurated his New Deal programs, ended Prohibition and began speaking directly to Americans with radio fireside chats. A “monster” appeared in Scotland’s Loch Ness, King Kong loomed large on movie screens and the first drive-in theater opened in New Jersey.

Jan

05

Landmarks

Construction begins on the Golden Gate Bridge

On January 5, 1933, construction begins on the Golden Gate Bridge, as workers began excavating 3.25 million cubic feet of dirt for the structure’s huge anchorages.

Baker Beach In SF

Fishermen on Baker Beach enjoy the view of the Golden Gate Bridge under construction, San Francisco, California, 1930s. (Photo by Underwood Archives/Getty Images)

Getty Images

Mar

12

U.S. Presidents

FDR broadcasts first ‘fireside chat’ during the Great Depression

On March 12, 1933, eight days after his inauguration, President Franklin D. Roosevelt gives his first national radio address—or “fireside chat”—broadcast directly from the White House.

Franklin Roosevelt About to Deliver His First Fireside Chat

Franklin Roosevelt, president of the United States from 1933-1945, entered the presidency during the Great Depression and presided over the nation's economic recovery, which was accomplished through a program of legislative reform known as the New Deal. Part of Roosevelt's mission was to regain the people's trust in the nation's banks, and here he is shown preparing for his first "fireside chat" in which he explained the measures he was taking to reform the nation's banking system. (Photo by © CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)

Corbis via Getty Images

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