Historic Silent Generation Events
Overview (1928 - 1945)
If America values freedom, stable principles, traditional families, truth, justice, law and order, mercy and grace, and equal rights, it must protect against anything undermining these values. While Christ's message is the answer, the Church must play a significant role in addressing and overcoming these struggles.
Romans 8:28 - "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."
The Silent Generation, characterized by their unwavering loyalty, resilience, steadfastness, hard work, patriotism, and solid Christian beliefs, has a history marked by significant events. Their loyalty, in particular, was a defining trait that shaped their actions and decisions.
They witnessed the birth of aviation, including the disappearance of Amelia Earhart and Charles Lindbergh's solo flight across the Atlantic. They endured the Great Depression, faced the challenges of the Dust Bowl, and prepared for World War II, experiencing pivotal moments like the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the institution of the draft, the Battle of the Bulge, the Japanese internment camps, and President Harry Truman's use of the Atom Bomb twice, which brought World War II in the Pacific to an end. Despite these challenges, the Silent Generation's resilience, steadfastness, hard work, loyalty, patriotism, and solid Christian beliefs remained unwavering. This generation witnessed significant events such as the birth of aviation, including the disappearance of Amelia Earhart and Charles Lindbergh's solo flight across the Atlantic. They endured the Great Depression, faced the challenges of the Dust Bowl, and prepared for World War II, experiencing pivotal moments like the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the institution of the draft, the Battle of the Bulge, the Japanese internment camps, President Harry Truman's use of the Atom Bomb twice, which killed hundreds of thousands in Japan to bring World War II in the Pacific to an end.
Additionally, despite facing severe class injustice, the Silent Generation played a pivotal role in the onset of the Civil Rights Movement. Notable figures associated with this generation include Albert Einstein, Jane Addams, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Howard Hughes, and Al Capone. Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) was the president who significantly influenced this generation. To learn more about the specific events and individuals of the Silent Generation, you can use the Year Selector above to navigate through different periods of history.
1928 - Aviation and Public Health Move Ahead
Charles Kingsford Smith completed the first trans-Pacific flight from Oakland, California, to Brisbane, Australia, along with co-pilot Charles Ulm, navigator Harry Lyon, and radio operator James Warner. The 7,250-mile flight took 83 hours and 39 minutes to complete. The “Southern Cross” was a Fokker F. VIIb trimotor monoplane that weighed over 15,000 pounds and had a 71-foot wingspan.
Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, demonstrating courage and breaking gender barriers in aviation. Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin and introduced the age of antibiotics, changing the world of modern medicine. His discovery has saved millions of people, although their overuse has caused the germs they defeated to become immune to their effects and created superbugs for which no antibiotics now exist.
Iron Lung Philip Drinker and Louis A. Shaw, professors at the School of Public Health at Harvard University, invented the Iron Lung. It proved helpful in treating Polio until vaccines were developed to address the viruses that caused it.
1929 -The Great Depression
Before the Great Depression, the unemployment rate was around 5% but quickly rose to 24.7%, the highest it has ever been. After the Stock Market crash, many people lost everything due to leverage (purchasing securities on margin/credit) and ended up homeless and on the streets. Many committed suicide, and others did odd jobs in exchange for food, clean water, or evening shelter.
Before the Depression, household income adjusted for inflation was $6.8K. On the psychological front, the Great Depression had a profound impact. Many people felt shame in accepting charity to survive, and family roles shifted due to economic duress. Domestic violence and child abuse increased as men’s self-image suffered. The national suicide rate also rose during this period.
1930 - Mental Depression and Shame Increase Abuse and Crime
During the Great Depression, the United States faced grinding poverty and unemployment. Some Americans turned to criminal activities like bootlegging, bank robbery, and loan-sharking. Organized crime thrived during Prohibition, with gangsters profiting from illegal liquor. Hollywood portrayed gangsters as self-made heroes in movies like Little Caesar and The Public Enemy. Notably, Al Capone, the infamous gangster, was imprisoned for tax evasion in 1931.
1931 — Unfair Justice for Some
The effects of the depression and food shortages for many people continued, with places like Minneapolis and other big cities seeing food riots. The Star-Spangled Banner was adopted as the national anthem. The Scottsboro (Alabama) debacle began when nine teenage African American boys were accused of raping two white women, resulting in a series of unjust trials.
The Empire State Building was completed in New York City. The iron lung was invented, assisting emerging polio victims to breathe. Al Capone was sentenced to eleven years in prison for tax evasion in Chicago. Jane Addams, a leader who advanced social work and women’s rights, became the first American woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
1932 - Tragedies and Global Politics
Amelia Earhart completed a woman's first non-stop solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean in May. Earhart flew her Lockheed Vega plane from Newfoundland to Northern Ireland in under fifteen hours. Hattie W. Caraway became the first woman elected to the United States Senate, breaking gender barriers in politics.
The Emergency Relief and Construction Act was enacted, the United States first primary relief legislation to fund public works, hoping to put millions back to work. The Stimson Doctrine was adopted. It stated that the United States would not recognize any territorial changes created by Japan's invasion and capture of Manchuria in China. The ineffectiveness of the Stimson Doctrine was considered one of the many factors that eventually led to World War II.
However, the effects of the Great Depression continued. 13 million, more than 24.5% of the American population, were unemployed. Tens of thousands loaded their belongings and lived in cars, going from place to place looking for work. Shanty towns appeared around the country, built by homeless people.
Charles Lindbergh's 20-month-old son was kidnapped from the Lindbergh mansion in New Jersey. The child's body was found less than a mile from their home, and after two years, Bruno Hauptmann tried using a marked bill from the ransom and was arrested for the crimes, convicted, and sentenced to death.
1933 -FDR and EINSTEIN
Franklin D. Roosevelt became the 32nd president of the United States, bringing hope during the Great Depression. His New Deal programs aimed at tackling unemployment and the failing economy. The Civil Works Administration created temporary construction jobs as a part of the New Deal. The US established the National Labor Board (NLB), created for the National Labor Board to mediate labor disputes between labor unions and employers.
Prohibition was repealed in the United States allowing 3.2% beer and wine sales when the 21st Amendment was passed. Construction of the Golden Gate Bridge began in San Francisco Bay, eventually becoming an iconic symbol of engineering and transportation. Wiley Post became the first person to fly solo worldwide, leaving Floyd Bennett Field in New York and returning after seven days, 18 hours, and 49 minutes.
Physicist Albert Einstein renounced his German citizenship as he moved to the United States.
The U.S. was deep into the Great Depression, grappling with unemployment and economic hardships. From 1925 to 1930 the first severe dust storms ensued, stripping away topsoil. Poor farming practices also increased with agricultural methods used that encouraged erosion.
Giuseppe Zangara attempted to assassinate President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt but instead fatally wounded Chicago Mayor Anton J. Cermak.
1934 - Extended Draught Brings Dust Bowl
President Franklin D. Roosevelt raised the statutory gold price to stabilize the economy during the Great Depression. The National Public Housing Conference decided to promote slum clearance and the construction of new permanent housing. The US government's commitment to clearing slums and creating public housing produced good and bad results. Deeper issues, including race, class, and public welfare programs, contributed to the successes and failures of these programs.
The Dust Bowl intensified, ruining about 100 million acres of cropland in Kansas, Texas, Colorado, and Oklahoma, exacerbating the economic hardships of the Great Depression.
Japan renounced the Washington Naval Treaty of 1922 and the London Naval Treaty of 1930 to grow its navy as it entered conflicts in the Pacific. The country began an aggressive military expansion campaign prior to World War II.
1935 - Govt. Programs & Churches Help Meet Needs of Poor
The ongoing troubles of the Great Depression, food scarcity, poverty, and other problems caused many Americans to consider God a resource. Pentecostal fellowships were growing rapidly due to the earlier revival at Azusa Street in California. People began to consider what the consequences of the loose life styles pursued and the get-rich-quick schemes of the 1920's.
The Emergency Relief Appropriation Act created the Works Progress Administration, one of the most well-known programs to come out of FDR's New Deal. The WPA was a work-relief program that employed people to build airports, roads, bridges, public buildings and public parks.
The Social Security Act was passed in the House of Representatives. It was then passed by the US Senate on June 19th . It was signed by President Roosevelt on August 14, becoming law.
Franklin Roosevelt signed the Neutrality Act into law which stopped the exportation of war items like arms and ammunition from the US to nations at war. The act was born out of the desire to keep the US out of any impending European conflicts.
Aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart became the first person to fly solo from Hawaii to California, showcasing her remarkable courage and skill. The China Clipper made the first Pacific Airmail delivery.
A race riot erupted in Harlem, New York City, following rumors of a brutal beating of a teenage Puerto Rican shoplifter. The incident highlighted racial tensions and social inequalities. Some churches begin emphasizing social justice during the 1930s. Radio became a powerful tool to connect evangelists like Aimee McPherson and Charles Fuller with audiences across America.
The Great Plains were struck by one of the worst Dust Storms in U.S. history during April.
1936 - A Few Stood Up
Dark clouds of planned genocide began to gather over the nations as the demons of antisemitism gathered in Germany. Adolf Hitler preached the superiority of the Ayran (Northern European) Nordic races and began to harass and persecute the Jewish people in Germany. Some Jews began fleeing Germany to other European countries and the US, as the State of Israel did not yet exist.
The Christian churches of Europe turned their backs on Jews for the most part, including the Catholic Church. A few brave ministers including Dietrich Bonhoeffer and others, pressed the Church to stand with the Jews, but the majority of them capitulated to Hitler, an anti-Christ figure who used the writings of Martin Luther to demonize and spread hatred against Jews. Hitler was a Satan worshipper, as were many in the upper levels of the Third Reich. Witchcraft was openly practiced.
Aryans were supposed to be superior to others according to the idea of natural selection, with more beauty, intelligence and higher moral values. This "justified" the eugenics and extermination of Jews, gypsies and others who were blamed for all of the world's problems.
The Summer Olympics were held in Berlin, Germany. To Hitler's dismay, Jesse Owens, an African American man, won 4 Gold medals, and Germany didn't win as many medals as expected.
The Rural Electrification Act became law, bringing electricity to the more remote parts of the country. Streptococcus meningitis, previously 99% fatal, was successfully treated for the first time with a sulfonamide. Radium E (bismuth-210) became the first radioactive element to be made synthetically. This technology and new knowledge paved the way for the development of the first atomic bombs later in Germany and the US. Had Germany succeeded before America, it would have won WW II, and the one-world totalitarian world order would have emerged.
Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, experienced the worst flooding during the St. Patrick’s Day Flood. The disaster highlighted vulnerabilities in urban infrastructure.
1937 - Howard Hughes and Hindenburg Tragedy
First blood bank opened in Chicago. The idea of the blood bank revolutionized medicine and helped advance modern surgery.
Waldo Waterman's flying car, the Waterman Aerobile, made its first flight in February. The Aerobile was a tailless monoplane with high wings and tricycle landing gear. Aviator Howard Hughes broke his transcontinental flight speed record when he flew from Los Angeles to Newark.
Starting on January 26, the Ohio River flooded, leaving one million people homeless and causing 385 deaths. The disaster highlighted the need for better flood control measures. The Memorial Day Massacre took place when Ten union demonstrators were killed when police open fire on union protesters in Chicago.
The German airship Hindenburg burst into flames while attempting to moor at Lakehurst, New Jersey, killing 35 passengers, crew and one ground crew. Amelia Earhart and her flight navigator, Fred Noonan, attempted an around-the-world flight. On July 2nd, after travelling 22,000 miles, they took off from Lae, New Guinea, for the final 7,000 miles. The last recorded radio broadcast from Earhart was at 8:43 a.m., stating, "We are on the line 157 337." She was never heard from again.
1938 - Nazism (AntiSemitism) Grows in Germany
The Fair Labor Standards Act was passed, which defined the maximum work week as forty-four hours in a seven-day week, created a national minimum wage, made employers pay employees time and a half for overtime work in specific jobs, and stopped oppressive child labor in most cases. The United States government established the Civil Aeronautics Authority. Its purpose was to create an independent board to regulate and oversee the safety of non-military aeronautics and investigate accidents, crashes, and complaints related to civil aviation.
The National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, later known as the March of Dimes, was founded. The non-profit organization was established by President Franklin Roosevelt (who had contracted polio at the age of 39 in 1921) to combat the polio epidemic, which mainly affected infants and children, causing paralysis or death.
Germany began the persecution of Jews and invaded Austria. Kristallnacht the on November 9th and 10th, during which Nazis attacked Jewish businesses throughout the country. Physicists Otto Hahn, Lise Meitner, and Fritz Strassman discovered nuclear fission at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Chemistry in Berlin, Germany.
As a result of the Great New England Hurricane, around 700 people died, over 1,700 people were injured, 8,900 buildings were destroyed, 3,300 boats were destroyed, and a total of about $620 million worth of damage was done to the region. Orson Welles's radio adaptation of The War of the Worlds was broadcast, causing mass panic in the Eastern United States.
1939 - Einstein's Letter
William Hewlett and David Packard created the Hewlett-Packard (HP) technology company with $538.00 while working together part-time in a rented garage in Palo Alto, California.
The United States Supreme Court outlawed sit-down strikes, impacting labor rights and industrial relations.
After World War II began in September, President Roosevelt pushed for another Neutrality Act to expand the cash-and-carry policy since 1937. Nazi Germany attacked Poland on September 1. News Events: France, Australia, and the United Kingdom declare war on Germany. This was the start of World War II. Russia Invaded Finland.
Dictator Francisco Franco conquered Madrid on March 28th, ending the Spanish Civil War.
Leo Szilard and fellow physicist Albert Einstein sent a letter to President Roosevelt informing him of the potential to build a nuclear bomb and advising him to create and fund a government department to research nuclear weapons within the United States. The eventual formation of the Manhattan Project ensued, which successfully produced the first atomic bomb in 1945, changing the world and warfare forever.
1940 - The U.S. Draft is Instituted
Benjamin O. Davis, Sr. became the first African-American General. Hattie McDaniel became the first African-American actor to win an Academy Award. She won the Best Actress in a Supporting Role award for her role in the film Gone with the Wind.
Selective Training and Service Act was signed into law as the first peacetime military draft in United States history. Franklin D. Roosevelt won the election and became the United States first third-term president. In response to Nazi Germany’s invasion, the United States froze assets of both Denmark and Norway.
Smith Act Enacted: The Smith Act made it illegal to demand the overthrow of the US government by force or to find any group with that aim. The Battle of Dunkirk was a vast military loss for the Allies. However, the evacuation, or Miracle of Dunkirk, succeeded.
1941 _ Japan Attacks Pearl Harbor
The Lend-Lease Act was introduced to the United States Congress. This act allowed the US, which had not yet entered World War II, to give military supplies and defense materials, as well as food and oil, to the Allies (particularly Great Britain) fighting against the Axis Powers during World War II. Allied codebreakers cracked the German Enigma code, a pivotal achievement in intelligence operations.
The Japanese Navy launched a surprise attack on December 7th of the United States fleet at Pearl Harbor, thus drawing the United States into World War II. The United States officially declared war on Japan. Hitler ordered the invasion of the Soviet Union on June 22nd in what was known as Operation Barbarossa. Despite the appearance of German superiority, the Nazis severely underestimated the Soviet Union. The Battle of Moscow was a failure for Germany and ended in January 1942. The invasion left Germany vulnerable, opening itself to a two-front war.
1942 - WW II Grinds On - But Tide Turns in Pacific
The Battle of Midway began on June 4, when the Japanese attacked Midway. Due to US strategy, US Forces succeeded resoundingly. US Marines landed on Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands, marking the first American offensive of the war. Despite heavy losses, the U.S. Navy retained control after a naval battle in November. As Japanese forces closed in on the Philippines, President Roosevelt ordered MacArthur to leave. He vowed to return and rescue his troops. The US reclaimed the Philippines in 1945.
The Voice of America (VOA) radio program began broadcasting. The program was established as a World War II propaganda tool that would broadcast news of the war to fight against Nazi propaganda and help to boost the morale of the Allied troops abroad. The Manhattan Project Started. Italian physicist Enrico Fermi created the first nuclear chain reaction in his lab at the University of Chicago.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed an executive order directing the internment of Japanese Americans and the seizure of their property. Thirty-three members of a German spy ring led by Fritz Joubert Duquesne were convicted in the most significant espionage case up until that time.
1943 - Germany Continues the War Effort in Italy
Allied forces invaded mainland Italy in September. The Italian government surrendered quickly as they had already been negotiating terms of surrender since July when the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini was overthrown. Despite the quick surrender, liberating Italy from Nazi Germany was a long and arduous affair as German troops freed Mussolini and installed him as a puppet leader, establishing a new government in the north.
Guadalcanal was a strategically important island in the Solomon Islands that Japan took over in May 1942. The battle to retake it began in August 1942 and ended in a decisive Allied victory.
The Allied leaders of Britain, the United States and the Soviet Union met for the first time in Iran. In June, the United States Congress passed the Smith-Connally Act, also known as the War Labor Disputes Act, over President Franklin D. Roosevelt's veto. The law allowed the President to seize control of striking industries that could interfere with war production during World War II.
At the Moscow Conference, the United States, Soviet Union, United Kingdom, and Nationalist China signed the Four Nations Declaration, recognizing that the war would not end until the Axis Powers submitted to an unconditional surrender. German forces liquidated the Jewish ghetto in Krakow.
1944 - The Battle of the Bulge
Franklin D. Roosevelt became the only U.S. president elected to a fourth term.
D-Day commenced with the landing of 155,000 Allied troops on the beaches of Normandy in France. Paris was liberated from Nazi occupation on August 25. More Allied troops landed in southern France on August 15 and headed toward the Rhine River.
US, Australian, and Filipino forces began the invasion of the Japanese-occupied Philippines by landing in the Leyte Gulf. It was one of the most significant naval battles in world history. The Japanese suffered heavy losses to their navy. This was a turning point in the war against Japan, effectively cutting off their supply route in Southeast Asia.
In the Battle of the Bulge, the Allies were caught off guard , and tens of thousands of soldiers were lost in fierce fighting (up to 100,000 casualties). It was considered the bloodiest battle of World War II for the United States. Despite the losses, the Allies neutralized the German offensive and prevented Germany from recapturing Antwerp. This also massively depleted German fuel and supply reserves.
The second Battle of Guam began on July 21st when American troops fought Japanese troops to retake the island. After control of Guam was taken over by the United States, thousands of Japanese soldiers remained, some in hiding. One soldier was found to be alive and hiding in a cave in 1972, nearly 30 years after the battle ended.
Allied troops attempted the most significant airborne military operation in history (at the time) when the Battle of Arnhem (Operation Market Garden) began on September 17th. The purpose of this operation was for Allied paratroopers to land in the Netherlands and take control of key bridges near the Rhine river from German forces. This mission was a fairly large failure for the Allies, and many troops were killed and taken prisoner by the German troops.
Events 1945 - WW II Ends
World War II ended following Germany’s surrender in May and Japan’s surrender in September. The war’s end brought relief and hope for peace. The United Nations Charter was established, creating the United Nations—an organization dedicated to global cooperation and peace.
On April 12, President Roosevelt died and Vice President Harry S. Truman was sworn in as the 33rd U.S. president. The Battle of Iwo Jima ended a month-long struggle between the United States and Japan during World War II. It was a hard-fought battle, but the US emerged victorious.
The United States dropped nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, leading to immense destruction and loss of life. Allied forces liberated German concentration camps, revealing the horrors of the Holocaust. Adolf Hitler and his wife of one day, Eva Braun, committed suicide
Joseph Goebbels and his wife committed suicide after killing their six children.
At the Potsdam Conference, Germany was divided among Allied occupation forces. The borders between Germany, Poland and the Soviet Union were also readjusted. The leaders affirmed their commitment to ending the war with Japan in the Pacific and issued a stern threat of destruction to the still belligerent nation.