![<p>Unemployed men queued outside a depression soup kitchen opened in Chicago by Al Capone, 1931 (U.S. Information Agency via <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Unemployed_men_queued_outside_a_depression_soup_kitchen_opened_in_Chicago_by_Al_Capone,_02-1931_-_NARA_-_541927.jpg">Wikimedia Commons</a>)</p>](/-/media/images/recessions-depressions_720x450.jpg)
Economic downturns in American history have ranged from mild recessions to severe depressions.
![A bread line at Sixth Avenue and 42nd Street, New York City, during the Great Depression](/-/media/images/great_depression_1_720x450.jpg)
Great Depression
The worst downturn in U.S. history lasted from 1929 to 1941
![Store closing signs at a furniture store in 2009](/-/media/images/great_recession_1_720x450.jpg)
Great Recession
This 2007-09 economic downturn was the longest since WWII
![Job seekers line up to apply for positions at an American Apparel store April 2, 2009, in New York City.](/-/media/images/great_recession_and_its_aftermath_1_720x450.jpg)
Great Recession and After
The deep, protracted downturn in 2007-09 was followed by an unusually slow recovery
![Unemployed Chicagoans line up to apply for insurance at the Bureau of Unemployment, 1981.](/-/media/images/recession_of_1981_82_1_720x450.jpg)
Recession of 1981-82
This economic downturn was triggered by tight monetary policy in an effort to fight inflation
![Men wearing sandwich boards reading "I voted for ham and eggs" and "I believed the banks" walk down a Los Angeles street, Oct. 24, 1938. ](/-/media/images/recession_of_1937_38_1_720x450.jpg)
Recession of 1937-38
America’s third-worst downturn of the 20th century