With unemployment so high and jobs so scarce during the 1930s, people tended to hold onto whatever work they could get. Oftentimes the only thing available were odd jobs painting, cleaning, or picking fruit. Many employers took advantage of the depressed market by increasing hours and dropping wages. Both employer and employee knew there was always somebody willing to work for less. The mine owners in the coal industry exploited this sobering reality. Historically, miners had always endured hardship, but during the Depression the conditions in the coal mines of such states as Kentucky were inhuman.

The people who couldn't find regular jobs resorted to the many get-rich-quick schemes that seemed to flourish during the thirties. Marathon dancing and flagpole sitting were two ways to get into the record books and possibly earn a little money. There were fees and disqualifications that weren't apparent...