Wall Street Crash of 1929

The Wall Street Crash of 1929 was a sudden and severe stock market decline that marked the start of the Great Depression. During the late 1920s, many people invested heavily in stocks, often buying with borrowed money. As prices rose rapidly, investor confidence grew, but this was unsustainable. In October 1929, panic selling ensued—people scrambled to sell their stocks, causing prices to plummet. This cascade of failure led to massive financial losses, bank failures, and widespread economic hardship, highlighting vulnerabilities in the financial system and triggering a decade of economic downturn worldwide.