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Tennessee Valley Timeline GDP 1910-1960 Unemployment 1910-1960 TVA Generation Map Oak Ridge in WWII Map

Tennessee Valley Timeline

Learn about some events that helped shape the Valley region to the present day.

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AMERICAN
CIVIL WAR

The American Civil War Begins

Raging across the nation from Texas to Pennsylvania, the war causes much destruction and hardship. The Tennessee Valley saw some of the war's hardest fighting, including the battles of Shiloh, Chattanooga and Chickamauga.

Surrender at Appomattox Courthouse

After four years of bitter fighting, General Robert E. Lee surrenders the Confederacy's Army of Northern Virginia, marking the end of the Civil War.

RECONSTRUCTION
PERIOD

Reconstruction Begins

For the next eleven years, the federal government will engage in turbulent and controversial efforts to re-integrate the former confederate states - including Tennessee - back into the Union. One goal is to build civil protections for millions of freed former slaves.

Compromise of 1877

The political deal between politicians from the North and South leads to the inauguration of Rutherford B Hayes as President - and the end of Reconstruction. Rural life in the Tennessee Valley does not change significantly until the creation of TVA in the 1930's.

World War I Breaks Out in Europe

Many nations in Europe, and soon much of the world, become embroiled in large-scale fighting triggered by the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand.

America Joins the Fight

The United States enters World War I as an ally of Britain, France and other countries fighting against Germany and Austria-Hungary.

World War I Ends

An Armistice is declared that stops the bloody fighting in Europe between Germany and Allied Powers. The controversial terms of the final peace treaty signed at Versailles and the coming economic Depression create conditions that lead to World War II.

THE GREAT
DEPRESSION

The U.S. Stock Market Crashes

The massive collapse of stock prices triggers a large-scale, global economic decline that becomes known as the Great Depression.

The Great Depression Drags On

As the world's economic situation worsens, the mood in the U.S. grows more desperate. In the Tennessee Valley, over 90% of rural households still do not have electric power and unemployment is high.

FDR Elected President

Democrat Franklin Delano Roosevelt wins the national election on a platform that calls for increased government intervention in the economy.

Roosevelt's 'New Deal' Begins

Part of FDR's New Deal economic program is the creation of agencies such as the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) to put people to work across the country with government-funded conservation projects and parks.

Congress Passes the TVA Act

Another New Deal program, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is created with a mission to increase electric power production, create employment and improve navigation and flood control in the Tennessee Valley.

The PWA is Created

One of the biggest New Deal agencies, the Public Works Administration (PWA) funds major construction projects and works with TVA to expand the electric power distribution system in the Tennessee Valley.

Construction Begins on Norris Dam

Norris is the first dam built by TVA and becomes fully operational in July 1936. It is named after Senator George Norris, who helped bring about TVA.

Tupelo, MS Receives Power Service

Tupelo is the first city to sign a wholesale electric power contract with TVA. More small and rural municipalities across the Tennessee Valley begin to electrify with low-cost TVA power.

World War II Begins

Germany invades Poland - which hurls Europe, and eventually most of the world, into another cataclysmic war.

U.S. Enters the War

The Japanese launch a surprise attack on the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, which propels America into World War II. Later, Germany and Italy also declare war on the United States.

TVA Begins Construction on Fontana Dam

An "Essential War Project" aimed at providing power to create the large amounts of aluminum to build warplanes, Fontana Dam becomes fully operational in January 1945.

The 'Manhattan Project' Comes to Tennessee

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers begins construction on the town of Oak Ridge, Tennessee as part of the U.S. Army's secret atomic bomb program, called the "Manhattan Project." The site was chosen in part because of the ready power available from nearby Norris Dam.

TVA Completes Douglas Dam

Built in record-breaking time, Douglas Dam gives a needed boost to the power supply available for the Oak Ridge atomic bomb facilities.

Germany Surrenders to Allied Forces

The war in Europe finally ends, though the fighting against Japan in the Pacific Theatre continues.

World War II Ends

After years of atomic weapons development done at Oak Ridge and other facilities, the U.S. drops atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This leads to the surrender of Japan and the end of the most ruinous war in history.

United States GDP

Gross Domestic Product from 1910-1960 (Billions of Dollars)

US GDP (Billions $)

Great Depression Period (1929-1939)

World War II Period (1941-1945)

Download GDP Chart

Gross Domestic Product, or GDP, is the monetary value of all the goods and services produced by an economy during a specific period, including consumption, government purchases, investments, and exports minus imports. In the graph above, you can see how our GDP stalled during the Great Depression of the 1930s, then quickly increased by the end of the decade, and continued to grow at a more steady pace up to 1960.

United States Unemployment Rate

Unemployment Rate from 1910-1960 (Percentage of Labor Force)

US Unemployment Rate (%)

Great Depression Period (1929-1939)

World War II Period (1941-1945)

Download Unemployment Chart

TVA Power Generation Map

Oak Ridge Map