How are the financial crisis that led to the Great Depression similar/differ from the financial crisis today?

It's not. Everything in the news is largely exaggerated. Inflation is around 4%, unemployment almost 7%, and GDP down by 0.3% last quarter (it was up last quarter so it's not even officially a recession). During the Carter administration, inflation and unemployment was in the double digits (and people say Bush is the worst). During the Great Depression, unemployment was 24%. No comparison.