American Christian History

            Reversion to the gold standard theory in pre-war America caused significant damage to the economy, and is commonly considered one of the greatest reasons for the depression in the 30s. Economists Sandeep Mazumder and John Wood reference Barry Eichengreen’s book, Golden Fetters , which argues that the reversion to the gold standard following World War I greatly impacted policies that were direct causes for the Great Depression. [1] By definition, the Gold Standard is a system in which many countries fix the value of their currencies to a specific amount of gold. According to the World Gold Council, “The classical Gold Standard existed from the 1870s to the outbreak of the First World War in 1914. In the first part of the 19 th century, once the turbulence caused by the Napoleonic Wars had subsided, money consisted of either specie (gold, silver or copper coins) or of specie-backed bank issue notes.” [2] The Gold Standa...

Photo of Walt Disney Located on Biography.com Walter Elias Disney became a household name in the early 1900s, and his legacy spans multiple generations. Disney's illustrious career would create new markets and begin a trademark with substantial capital behind it. Disney's journey was not easy, and it began with substantial financial risk that resulted in many failures in the early years of his career. In 1923 he moved to California to join his older brother, Roy, and opened the first Disney studio producing  Alice  animated shorts and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. He would soon develop the early character, Mortimer the Mouse, who would soon be renamed Mickey. In 1928, Walt developed the first sound cartoon,  Steamboat Willie . This cartoon launched Disney into a new category of innovation and developed new standards for merchandising. Amid the great depression, Disney would soon develop  Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs  in 1937, using many of the frameworks establish...