Which 1929 event is commonly used to mark the beginning of the Great Depression?

The Wall Street Crash is the 1929 event commonly used to mark the beginning of the Great Depression.

U.S. stock prices had risen dramatically during the 1920s, encouraging speculation and purchases made with borrowed money. In October 1929, selling intensified on Black Thursday, Black Monday, and Black Tuesday. The market collapse destroyed wealth and weakened confidence, although it was not the sole cause of the Depression.

The Great Depression involved a broader chain of events, including bank failures, falling demand, debt problems, reduced international trade, and contraction of industrial production. Unemployment rose sharply in the United States and many other countries during the 1930s.

The crash did not instantly create all of these problems, and the Depression’s exact start date is debated by historians. The National Bureau of Economic Research identifies a U.S. business-cycle peak in August 1929. The stock-market crash remains the best-known symbol and a major early turning point.