1931 was the worst, but notice that 1930 was not far behind.
31 December 2008
2008 Was the Third Worst Year for US Stocks Since 1896
Category:
Great Depression,
stock market crash,
worst years
“All governments suffer a recurring problem: power attracts pathological personalities. It is not that power corrupts but that it is magnetic to the corruptible. Such people have a tendency to become drunk on violence, a condition to which they are quickly addicted."
Frank Herbert, Chapterhouse Dune, March 1985