Celebrate the Century - 1920s

The Roaring Twenties

Two Constitutional amendments went into effect in 1920, turning the nation upside down. The 18^th Amendment prohibited the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages, and the 19th gave women theright to vote. Prohibition backfired, leading to widespread disrespect for the law. A federal highway system was organized and the number of automobiles nearly tripled. Spreading electrification spawned the golden age of radio.

The Roaring Twenties, as the decade came to be known, was an age of thrill seekers and heroes. In 1926 Gertrude Ederle swam the English Channel faster than any man had. The following year Charles Lindbergh flew nonstop across the Atlantic alone and Babe Ruth hit 60 home runs.

The first feature-length film with talking parts, The Jazz Singer, appeared in 1927 and the first Academy Awards were presented in 1929. The prosperous times ended with the stock market crash of Thursday, October 24, 1929. New words: motel, robot, fan mail, teenage.

Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth hit 54 home runs in 1920. He went on to hit 59 homers in 1921, and 60 in 1927. Twice he hit three home runs in a single game of the World Series. One of his nicknames was the Sultan of Swat.

The Gatsby Style
F. Scott Fitzgerald exposed the lavish and insensitive lifestyle of the rich and glamorous in his classic 1925 novel, The Great Gatsby.

Prohibition Enforced
The 18th Amendment prohibited the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages. The detail from the Ben Shahn painting, from the Museum of the City of New York, shows federal agents disposing of wine.

Electric Toy Trains
Children played with colorful and elaborate electric toy trains, complete with stations, houses, accessories, track, and transformers. The most popular sets were produced by Lionel.

19th Amendment
The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified August 26, 1920. The fight for Woman’s suffrage had been won, ending a struggle that began in the mid-19th century.

Emily Post’s Etiquette
In an era of social mobility, Emily Post defined modern good manners and conduct. Her books, radio programs and syndicated newspaper column set the standard for etiquette throughout the 20^th century.

Margaret Mead, Anthropologist
Anthropologist Margaret Mead explored the effect of culture on the behavior and personalities of children and adults, as well as the differences between men and women.

Flappers Do The Charleston
Caricaturist John Held Jr. portrayed the fun-loving, escapist lifestyle of the Roaring Twenties. His drawings of young women called flappers symbolized the decade.

Radio Entertains America
By the end of the 1920s, radio had become a national obsession. Families crowded around their sets to listen to newscasts, comedy and children’s shows, variety hours, and presidential speeches.

Art Deco Style
The Art Deco style in architecture and the decorative arts combines sleek elegance, geometric shapes, and varied materials. One of the finest examples of the style, the Chrysler Building in New York, reflects America’s exuberance in the 1920s.

Jazz Flourishes
Created in the Unites States, jazz was spread by radio and recordings in the 1920s. Among the leading performers were Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, Joe "King" Oliver, Fletcher Henderson, and Bix Beiderbecke.

Four Horsemen of Notre Dame
In the 1920s, college football’s most famous backfield was Notre Dame’s Four Horsemen: Don Miller, Elmer Layden, Jim Crowley and Harry Stuhldreher. None of them weighed more than 170 pounds.

Lindbergh Flies Atlantic
On May 20-21, 1927, Charles Lindbergh completed the first nonstop solo trans-Atlantic flight. He left from Long Island and flew 3,600 miles to Paris in 33 1/2 hours.

American Realism
Painter Edward Hopper (1882-1967) is possibly the most important American realist of the period. The detail from the Automat (1927), at the Des Moines Art Center, typifies his attention to the human feelings of alienation and introspection.

Stock Market Crash 1929

Stock market prices plummeted on Black Thursday, October 24, 1929, and collapsed on October 29. Banks and businesses closed and the Great Depression soon followed.