This car, fittingly, found its way to Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney , descendent of both oil and railroad tycoons, and needless to say, someone to whom the Great Depression wasn't a significant deterrent to the enjoyment of the good life.

FORBES: Vehicles Feature

On day one, we took the reins and we said are going to make sure that we don't slip into a Great Depression.

WHITEHOUSE: Fairmont Hotel, San Francisco, California

That's the loans they'll make directly to banks, but not just to commercial banks as usual but also to securities dealers, which is something they haven't done since the Great Depression.

NPR: Bailing out Bear Stearns