Black Blizzard blankets the National Mall

Title: Black Blizzard blankets the National Mall
Creator: John Hugh O'Neill
Date: 3/21/1935
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.
Source: National Archives at College Park.
Coverage: 1920-1949
Event Type: Environmental Disaster