The first quarter of the 20th century was an era of incredible accomplishment, a time when science was unlocking the secrets of the universe and improving lives.

It was the era of Edison and Tesla, of Ford and Einstein.

The world was changing as more people were using cars, phones, radios, and airplanes. It seemed that there wasn't

anything man couldn't achieve. In 1928, the American people elected a president who seemed to reflect

the greatness and ingenuity of the age. He was an engineer who had wielded the power of the

government to save millions of lives during World War I.

He had played a critical role in fostering the prosperity of the 1920s. He seemed to know the answer to every issue of national importance.

He was elected president in a landslide, and many people couldn't wait to see him fix the great

problems of the age. It seemed as if a great nation had chosen a great man to lead the way. That man

was Herbert Hoover. Four years later, Hoover would leave office a rejected and broken man,

widely repudiated by his fellow citizens.

The faith that the American people had for him had disappeared forever.

His name would forever be associated with failure.

How and why did this happen?

We will explore the answer to those questions on this episode of This American President. He was born Herbert Clark Hoover on August 10, 1874.

He had one of the humblest origin stories of all the presidents.

He came from a quiet Quaker community in West Branch, Iowa,

the second child of Jesse and Holda Hoover.

Herbert had an older brother named Theodore, and would

eventually have a younger sister named Mary. His father, Jesse, was a blacksmith. His mother,

Hilda, was a deeply religious woman. Herbert's story almost ended as quickly as it began. When he was

two years old, he developed a severe coughing

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