1920's Timeline

  • The Jazz Singer debuts (1st movie with sound)

    The Jazz Singer debuts (1st movie with sound)
    The first movie with synchronized dialogue was The Jazz Singer, an American musical film that was released in 1927. It signaled the rise of sound films and the conclusion of the silent movie era. Look over Lillian Gish's essay in the 1929 edition of Britannica about silent movies.
  • 1st Miss American Pageant

    1st Miss American Pageant
    Miss America 1921 known as the first Miss America pageant, at its start in 1921, an activity designed to attract tourists to extend their Labor Day holiday weekend and enjoy festivities in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
  • Sacco and Vanzetti arrested for armed robbery and murder

    Sacco and Vanzetti arrested for armed robbery and murder
    Sacco and Vanzetti were accused of robbing and killing at the Slater and Morrill shoe factory in South Braintree. During the afternoon of April 15, 1920, Frederick Parmenter, a payroll clerk, and Alessandro Berardelli, a security guard, were fatally shot and had more than $15,000 stolen from them.
  • KDKA goes on the air from Pittsburgh

    KDKA goes on the air from Pittsburgh
    KDKA went on the air in Pittsburgh as the world's first commercially licensed station on November 2, 1920.
  • Teapot Dome Scandal

    Teapot Dome Scandal
    The Teapot Dome scandal was a case of political corruption in the US during President Warren G. Harding's administration.
  • 1st Winter Olympics Held

    1st Winter Olympics Held
    The I Olympic Winter Games in 1924, also called Chamonix 1924, took place in Chamonix, France as a multi-sport event for the Winter Olympics.
  • The Great Gatsby published by F. Scott Fitzgerald

    The Great Gatsby published by F. Scott Fitzgerald
    The Great Gatsby through Charles Scribner's Sons in 1925. Taking place in the Jazz Age New York, the narrative follows Jay Gatsby, a wealthy self-made man, chasing after Daisy Buchanan, a rich young woman whom he adored in his younger days.
  • Scopes Monkey Trial

    Scopes Monkey Trial
    widely covered court case (referred to as the “Monkey Trial”) involving a high school teacher, John T. Scopes, in Dayton, Tennessee, accused of breaking the law by presenting Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.
  • Charles Lindberg completes solo flight across the Atlantic

    Charles Lindberg completes solo flight across the Atlantic
    Charles A. Lindbergh achieved the inaugural solo, nonstop transatlantic flight on May 21, 1927, traveling from Long Island, New York, to Paris, France aboard his Spirit of St. Louis.
  • Black Tuesday (Stock Market Crash)

    Black Tuesday (Stock Market Crash)
    The Great Crash of 1929, also referred to as the Wall Street Crash, Crash of '29, or Black Tuesday, was a significant stock market crash that took place towards the end of 1929 in America. It started in September with a sudden drop in stock prices on the NYSE and concluded in mid-November.
  • St. Valentine's Day Massacre

    St. Valentine's Day Massacre
    The Saint Valentine's Day Massacre occurred on Saint Valentine's Day in 1929, resulting in the killing of seven individuals linked to the North Side Gang in Chicago. The group of men convened at a garage in Lincoln Park, Chicago, on February 14, 1929.