Dust storm sweeps from Great Plains and outer states

On this day in US history, a massive dust storm sent millions of tons of topsoil flying across the Great Plains and as far east as New York on May 11, 1934. Due to the excessive demand for wheat as the US entered WWI, farms pushed their land to the limit, plowing under the much-needed moisture-carrying prairie grass. As the crops died due to infertile soil, dust storms swept across the region. The event forced thousands to migrate out of the Great Plains and forced federal regulations on crop rotations in the New Deal.