It is the spring of 1933. It is the time of the U.S. Depression with unemployment at an all-time high of 25.2%. FDR was elected in 1932 to replace Herbert Hoover as President and started his famous first 100 days on March 4th, 1933. The US Midwest is suffering through the Dust Bowl (which worsens due to an elongated drought) and the attitude of much of America isn't prosperity, but survival. The economic collapse is felt worldwide and European nations are turning to what will become dictatorships. Hitler is named Chancellor of Germany. One of his first acts is to make other political parties illegal, creating a dictatorship. Japan has just withdrawn from the League of Nations and has also demonstrated the first machine gun capable of firing 1000 bullets per minute. Capone has been arrested (in 1932) and the idea of the mobster scene is being overtaken with the wild west style of crime in the Midwest by people like Bonnie and Clyde. This is Hollywood's Golden Age as they create lavish movies that promote escapism from the struggles of real life. King Kong was released and the likes of Clark Gable, Bette Davis, Errol Flynn, the Marx Brothers, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Greta Garbo and Shirley Temple are household names in entertainment. Chicago is hosting the 1933 World's Fair entitled the "Century of Progress". Prohibition has started to be repealed and in March the sale of 3% beer and wine is allowed (though 3% beer is barely enough to get drunk by). Radio is at its heyday in popularity and by the end of the decade over 80% of the population will have one. A year ago in 1932, car radios were introduced and are becoming more and more popular. The first drive-in movie has been established and the railroads are a major way to travel and migrant workers and hobos alike travel the rails trying to make a living.