The Great Depression began with "Black Tuesday" on Oct. 29, 1929, when a panic selloff triggered a stock market collapse, wiping out thousands of investors who had borrowed heavily.

The Great Depression began with “Black Tuesday” on Oct. 29, 1929, when a panic selloff triggered a stock market collapse, wiping out thousands of investors who had borrowed heavily.

By the end of 1932, the Great Depression had impacted roughly 60 million people. Some, including middle-class families with good income and a semblance of safety, lost everything.