USA- The changing quality of life, 1917–80 Flashcards
How did the number of passenger cars in the US change from 1917 to 1929?
It increased from 5 million to 23 million.
How much did Henry Ford pay his workers per day? And when?
$5 per day in 1914, which was a notable wage increase at the time.
How did US consumer debt change between 1920 and 1929? What does this show?
It rose from $3.3 billion to $7.6 billion, highlighting increased reliance on credit.
How did the percentage of income borrowed change before 1920 vs. 1929?
It increased from 5% before 1920 to 10% in 1929.
How did the number of electrified homes change from 1917 to 1929?
It grew by 16.7 million.
What happened on Black Tuesday and when was it (exactly)?
On October 29th 1929,16.4 million shares were traded, and $40 billion was lost due to the dramatic drop in stock prices.
How many US banks had gone bankrupt by 1933?
33.3% of all banks.
What was the purpose of the Federal Home Loan Bank Act and when was it?
1932, to assist people with their mortgages.
What did the Hawley-Smoot Tariff Act do and when? Who was considered responsible?
In 1930. Signed off by Herbert Hoover. It raised tariffs, worsening the Great Depression by reducing international trade.
How much funding did the Reconstruction Finance Corporation receive in 1932?
$300 million to support relief efforts and aid farmers.
What committee did Hoover establish in 1930 to address unemployment?
The President’s Emergency Committee for Employment.
What did the Wagner-Steagall Act of do and when was it?
- It created the Federal Housing Administration and focused on slum clearance.
What was the goal of the Second Agricultural Adjustment Act? And when was it?
- To provide subsidies to farmers to reduce crop production and stabilise prices.
How did US unemployment change between 1926 to 1941?
It rose from 1.8% in 1926 to 23.6% in 1932, then dropped to 9.9% by 1941.
How did government spending change from 1930 to 1941?
It increased from $3.3 billion to $8.7 billion to tackle the economic crisis.
How did the value of US goods change from 1945 to 1950? What does this show?
It rose from $213 billion to $284 billion, showing post-WWII economic growth.
How did toy manufacturers’ profits change from 1959 to 1961?
They rose from $1.6 billion to $2.1 billion, reflecting the consumer boom.
How did the number of live births in the US change from 1940 to 1955? What did this contribute to?
It increased from 2.6 million to 4.1 million, contributing to the baby boom.
What did the National Housing Act aim to do? And when?
- It focused on slum clearance and provided funding for 810,000 new housing units.
What happened to prices after the Office of Price Administration shut down? When did it shut down?
- Prices rose 25% in two weeks due to the loss of price controls.
Which decade did the baby boom occur?
During the 1950s.
What was the impact of the Highways Act and when was it?
- It led to the construction of 41,000 miles of interstate highways.
Where was the largest Levittown located, and what was notable about it?
Long Island, with 17,000 homes and 82,000 residents, though the company discriminated against Black Americans.
How much did a home in Levittown cost?
$7,000, making it affordable for middle-class families.
How many transistor radios were in circulation in the US by 1958?
45 million.
What did the Bretton Woods Agreement do and when was it?
- It established the US dollar as the global reserve currency backed by gold.
How did average wages change from 1943 to 1969?
They increased from $2,000 to $7,000.
What % did the unemployment rate remain below in the US between 1942 and 1969?
It remained below 8%, reflecting job market stability.
What statistic shows the increasing government spending in the 1960s?
Gov spending rose from $100 billion in 1962 to $190 billion in 1969.
What major geopolitical event occurred in 1973?
The Arab-Israeli War, significantly affecting global oil markets.
What caused fuel shortages between May and July 1979?
American consumers were told that the cause of the crisis was a decline in Iranian oil production from 5.8 mil barrels a day in July 1978 to 445,000 barrels a day in January 1979 led to long lines at gas stations.
What did the Tax Reform Act do and when was it?
- It increased social welfare payments and raised the lowest tax barrier, exempting 9 million poorer families.
What authority did Nixon’s Economic Stabilisation Act grant him and when was it?
- It allowed him to regulate wages, prices, rents, and interest rates to combat inflation.
Why did Nixon introduce a price freeze in 1971?
To curb inflation, though the results were mixed.
What was the purpose of the Emergency Employment Act and when was it?
- It created ‘community service’ jobs for two years to reduce unemployment.
What did the Social Security Act Amendment do and when was it?
- It increased payments by 20% and linked future welfare payments to the CPI to protect against inflation.
Evidence of change in life expectancy of the average White American.
It increased from 48 years in 1915 to 74.4 years in 1980.
Evidence of change in life expectancy of the average Black American.
It increased from 33 years in 1915 to 69.5 years in 1980.
Evidence of change in life expectancy of the average White American.
It increased from $1,234 in 1939 to $28,894 in 1979.
Evidence of change in life expectancy of the average Non-White American.
It increased from $537 in 1939 to $19,417 in 1979.
How did the number of homeowners change from 1920 to 1940?
It increased from 6.7 million to 15.2 million.
What percentage of homes had running water in 1940?
69.9%.
What percentage of homes had a bath or shower in 1940?
56.2%.
What percentage of homes had central heating in 1940?
42%.
What percentage of homes had a radio in 1940?
82.8%.
How much of people’s income went to food in 1930, 1933, and 1940?
In 1930, 23.9%; in 1933, 25.9%; and in 1940, 21.1%.
When was the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) set up?
In 1935.
How much new power line did the REA install and when?
1939, installed 100,000 miles of power.
How much of the US population had electricity in 1940?
Around 80%.
How much did the US government spend on healthcare in 1917, 1930, and 1940?
$3.1 million in 1917, $11 million in 1930, and $32.7 million in 1940.
What was the percentage of 14-17-year-olds attending school in 1917, 1929, and 1940?
27.1% in 1917, 51.5% in 1929, and 73% in 1940.
What percentage of children under 15 were working in 1920?
8.5%.
When did it become illegal for children to work under the age of 14?
In 1938.
What was the average monthly earnings of a farmer in 1928 vs. 1941?
It decreased from $35.75 in 1928 to $26.88 in 1941, which was a quarter of the average wage of a white American.
What percentage of homes had a TV in 1950, 1955, and 1960?
9% in 1950, 65% in 1955, and 85% in 1960.
How much did Coca-Cola make before tax in 1950 and 1959?
$55.7 million in 1950 and $79.1 million in 1959.
How much did teenagers spend annually by 1959?
$10 billion.
What percentage of teenage spending was on transportation in 1959?
38%.
How many teenagers owned cars in 1959?
1.5 million.
What percentage of teenage spending went on food and drink in 1959? How much more did they eat then adults?
22%, and teenagers ate 20% more than adults.
What percentage of teenage spending went on entertainment in 1959?
16%.
What percentage of US wealth was owned by the top 1% in 1949 vs. 1956?
It was 20.8% in 1949 and increased to 26% by 1956.
What were the average earnings of production workers in 1968 vs. 1978?
$6,370 in 1968, increasing to $12,962 by 1978.
What were the average earnings of chief executives in 1968 vs. 1978?
$157,000 in 1968, increasing to $373,000 by 1978.
What was the average income of a white family in 1960 vs. a black family?
$5,835 for a white family and $3,230 for a black family.
What % of white and non-white Americans lived below the poverty line in 1966?
12% of white Americans and 41% of non-white Americans lived below the poverty line.
What did Nixon’s Earned Income Tax Credit do?
It gave $400 per year to working poor families with children.
What was Nixon’s Family Assistance Plan? What was a limitation of this proposal?
It was introduced by Nixon in 1969 and aimed to implement a negative income tax for the lowest income households with working parents.
Never managed to pass through Congress.
What was the budget of Carter’s National Consumer Cooperative Bank in 1980? What was its aim?
$180 million. Aimed to help fight inflation and economic depression by promoting consumer cooperatives across the nation.
When was Carter’s Rural Development Loan Fund established? What did it do
In 1981. It extended various forms of help already available to farmers:
- gave low interest loans to rural communities to fund
- farm equipment (for communal use)
- clinics
- electrification
What did Kennedy’s executive order in 1961 do?
It made food available in areas with chronic unemployment.
When was the Manpower Development and Training Act passed and what did it do?
Aimed to train and retrain thousands of workers unemployed because of automation and technological change. Passed in March 1962.
What did the Economic Opportunity Act do? When was it passed?
In 1964. It provided $947.7 million to fund projects in ‘pockets of poverty’ and set up 1,000 Community Action Programs.
When was the Food Stamp Act passed and by who? How did it work? How many people were reached by the Food Stamp Act by 1974?
The Food Stamp Act of 1964, signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson.
How it worked: new mechanism to distribute agricultural surpluses to poor individuals—food stamps—stamps that people could exchange for food at grocery stores.
It had reached 15 million people by 1974.
What did the Medicare Act guarantee? When was it?
- Medical care for those on Social Security and free medical care for those on welfare.
What did the Child Nutrition Act provide? When was it?
- Packed lunches to schools lacking equipment to prepare food.
What did the Fair Labour Standards Act establish and when?
- It established a maximum of 40 hours a week, set a minimum wage, and introduced overtime rules.
What were book sales in 1929 vs. 1939?
Sales were $117 million in 1929 and $74 million in 1939, showing the impact of the Great Depression on consumer spending.
What was the capacity of the Rose Bowl stadium in 1922 vs. 1928?
It had a capacity of 57,000 in 1922 and 76,000 in 1928.
What was the New York Yankees’ attendance in 1917 vs. 1920?
Attendance was 330,000 in 1917 and 1.29 million in 1920.
What happened after the Dempsey vs Tunney boxing match in 1926?
It caused $90,000 worth of radios to be bought in one shop in New York.
What was Babe Ruth’s (baseball player) salary in 1920 vs. 1930?
It was $20,000 in 1920 and $80,000 in 1930.
What percentage of married women worked in 1930?
40%.
How did Major League Baseball’s attendance grow from the 1970s to the 1980s?
It grew from 330 million in the 1970s to 460 million in the 1980s.
How much did gas stations earn in 1929 vs. 1967?
Earnings increased from $1.8 billion in 1929 to $22.7 billion in 1967.
How many miles of road were there in the US in 1917 vs. 1980?
There were 2.9 million miles in 1917 and 3.9 million miles in 1980.
How did the percentage of people without cars change from 1960 to 1980?
It decreased from 21.5% in 1960 to 12.1% in 1980.
How many motels were there by 1958 and how much did they earn annually?
There were 56,000 motels making $850 million per year.
How many cars were in the US in 1917, 1950, and 1980?
There were 4.7 million in 1917, 40.4 million in 1950, and 121.6 million in 1980.
How many malls were built between 1960 and 1980?
30,000 malls were built.
How many drive-ins were there by 1954?
There were 3,800 drive-ins.
How did movie attendance change from 1960 to 1980?
It declined from 40 million in 1960 to 19.7 million in 1980.
How did the percentage of households with three or more cars change from 1960 to 1980?
It increased from 2.5% in 1960 to 17.5% in 1980.
How much did Greyhound Buses make per year by 1959?
They made $300 million per year.
How many passengers did Western Air Express carry in 1926 vs. 1929?
They carried 267 passengers in 1926 and 25,000 in 1929.
How many passengers could the Boeing 707 carry? When did it first fly?
It could carry 181 passengers. 1957.
How many passengers could the Boeing 747 carry?
It could carry 450 passengers.
When was the first flight of the Boeing 747?
The first flight took place in 1969.
How did the number of Americans travelling abroad change from 1970 to 1980?
It grew from 5.26 million in 1970 to 8.2 million in 1980.
How did the number of visitors to the US change from 1970 to 1980?
It grew from 2.3 mil in 1970 to 8.2 mil in 1980.
What did the Airline Deregulation Act do and when was it?
- It allowed airlines to set their own prices.
How did airline passenger numbers grow from 1928 to 1980?
They grew from 0.1 million in 1928 to 296.9 million in 1980.
When did the first international flight take place?
It took place in 1920, between the US and Cuba.
What did the Commerce Air Act do and when?
- It helped regulate air travel and safety.
When was the first Presidential airplane assigned?
It was assigned in 1933.
When did the first in-flight movie take place?
It took place in 1935.
