Black Blizzard blankets the National Mall
Item
Title
Black Blizzard blankets the National Mall
Description
In March 1935, the sky went dark over Washington, DC as a dust storm from the midwest blanketed the city. As this offshoot of the Dust Bowl moved over the nation's capitol, Hugh Bennett, head of the Soil Erosion Service in the Department of Agriculture, was testifying before Congress about the urgent need for money and programs to combat the Dust Bowl. As he spoke the air became thick with dust. People swarmed out of government buildings and onto the Mall to watch the sky. The black blizzard brought home the need for action. One month later Congress voted permanent funding for an independent Soil Conservation Service.
Creator
John Hugh O'Neill
Source
National Archives at College Park.
Date
3/21/1935
19350321
Coverage
1920-1949
Type
Environmental Disaster
topic
environment
politics & protest