America has experienced several recessions and depressions in the past. More recently, the housing crisis triggered a recession that led to rising unemployment. The biggest recession so far was the Great Depression of the 1930s. A stock market crash in 1929 caused a loss of savings which led to unemployment, lower wages, and distrust in the banking system. Its effects lasted until the 1940s. Franklin Roosevelt was elected president during this period; the legislation he passed sought to alleviate the public's suffering. As a result of the Great Depression, Franklin Roosevelt created the Civilian Conservation Corps to employ unemployed youth and improve government lands. The decade immediately preceding the Great Depression was prosperous and profitable. Many factors led to this era, often called the Roaring Twenties. The use of labor-saving machinery has affected several industries. Henry Ford's Model T suddenly became much cheaper, which allowed more families to buy one. In 1919, fewer than seven million automobiles traveled on U.S. highways. That number jumped to 23 million in 1929. This increase in automobiles and travel led to the expansion of gas stations, roadside restaurants, and service and repair stations. The use of machinery reduced the amount of labor needed on farms while increasing yield per acre. Prohibition was still in effect, so the need for moonshine created an economic niche for those entrepreneurs who were not afraid of the law. Radio sales also increased rapidly. Total radio sales in 1922 were $60 million, while in 1929 radio sales were $850 million. This increase in radio has also allowed more commercials to reach consumers' ears. For the first time, marketing messages were sent directly... in the middle of paper... always conservative. As the Depression slowly lifted and the program drew to a close, critics began to question whether the Corps was preserving public lands or overdeveloping them (“New Deal for Parks” 8). The looming threat of World War II redirected the CCC's efforts. While the Corps still worked on government lands, it primarily worked on military bases to build or renovate airfields and artillery ranges. When the United States officially entered World War II, funding for the Corps was cut. Even if funding had been maintained, the program would have shrunk dramatically as many enlisted men joined the Army and were sent overseas to fight the war. The Civilian Conservation Corps is widely regarded as one of the most successful programs of the New Deal. It provided jobs to half a million young people while improving thousands of acres of public land (New Deal for Parks 8).