1930s: Texas Panhandle agriculture is hit hard by a devastating drought and unusually strong wind storms and becomes part of what is referred to as the Dust Bowl. Some counties in Texas lose as many as 25 percent of their farms. This time period is also called the "dirty thirties."

Today: Great aquifers supply water to the agricultural lands in Texas as farmers learn better ways to prevent soil erosion. The economy of Texas is bolstered by oil drilling, tourism, and the building of massive prison systems.

1930s: American Eugenics Society is in full strength. Among their tenets is to prevent "the undesirables"—such as people who suffer from alcoholism, poverty, and epilepsy, to mention a few—from reproducing.

Today: Although the American Eugenics Society lost favor after its concepts were used by Hitler in his bid to create an Aryan race, many...