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19th Amendment Part 1
Women had been fighting for suffrage for a long time, and the 19th Amendment was finally ratified on this date and guaranteed all women the right to vote. It was a long and hard struggle that women had fought to get this amendment involving protests, writing, and more. This was a big victory for women, and gave women a lot more power in society than they had before the amendment was ratified. -
19th Amendment Part 2
I selected this as one of my thirty important events because it was a huge milestone for women’s suffrage and equality. -
KDKA Radio Broadcast Part 1
The KDKA Pittsburgh radio station made its debut on November 2, 1920 becoming America’s first commercial broadcast. Radio was the most powerful communications method, and this broadcast was the beginning of radio’s emergence. This broadcast was even more important because it was on election day, and listening to the radio, people could hear the results of the presidential race before they read about it in the newspaper. -
KDKA Radio Broadcast Part 2
I selected this as one of my thirty important events because it was the beginning of the radio age, and showed how a whole new form of media can be beneficial to the people. -
Presidential Election
In the presidential election of 1920, the Republican candidate Warren Harding made a landslide victory against James Cox. Harding campaigned on the “return to normalcy”, and gained over 16 million votes to Cox’s 9 million. This election was also the first that women had the right to vote in. I selected this as one of my thirty important events because it was the first election that was very accurate and representative of the population since women could vote. -
Teapot Dome Scandal Part 1
In Wyoming on April 7, 1922, the US Secretary of the Interior, Albert Fall, leases the Teapot Oil Reserves. Harry Sinclair’s company, Mammoth Oil, then had the right to extract oil and gas from the Teapot Dome reserve. Fall wanted the lease to be secret, but a week later on April 14, there was a front page story on the Wall Street Journal about the lease which caused a big commotion in the oil industry, and the Teapot Dome Scandal had started. -
Teapot Dome Scandal Part 2
I selected this as one of my thirty important events because it was a huge political scandal and caused government corruption and fights in the oil industry. -
The Indian Citizenship Act Part 1
Before the Indian Citizenship Act, Indians had an unusual status under law, and had trouble acquiring citizenship. Some acquired citizenship through marriage of whites, while some acquired citizenship through military service. On June 2, 1924, Congress and President Coolidge granted citizenship to all Native Americans born in the United States. -
The Indian Citizenship Act Part 2
I selected this as one of my thirty important events because it allowed all Indians to have American citizenship without having to earn it through long processes and hard fighting. -
Scopes Trial
A school biology teacher named John Scopes was taken to trial in Tennessee for teaching evolution which violates the state law. William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow who were country famous lawyers prosecuted and defended in the trial. Scopes was declared guilty and and fined $100.
I selected this as one of my thirty important events because the teaching of evolution was a significant argument and conflict in science in the 1920s and 1930s. -
Liquid Fueled Rocket
On March 16, 1926, Robert Goddard tested liquid fueled rockets in Auburn, Massachusetts for the first time ever. His rocket reached an altitude of 41 feet, landed 184 feet away, and took 2.5 seconds. I selected this as one of my thirty important events because it was a big milestone in science using liquid as a new fuel to power the rockets, and Goddard became the first person to give hopes to travel in space. -
Lindbergh's Flight Part 1
Charles Lindbergh made the first nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean. On May 20, 1927, he took off to start his flight in the Spirit of St. Louis near New York City. Lindbergh ended up at the Le Bourget airfield outside of Paris, France after 33 hours and 29 minutes of flying. Everyone began celebrating his amazing accomplishment, and gave him the nickname the “Lone Eagle”. -
Lindbergh's Flight Part 2
I selected this as one of my thirty events because Lindbergh’s flight paved the way for the rest of the air force, and made others get involved in brave aerial feats. -
Sacco-Vanzetti Trial Part 1
Sacco and Vanzetti were anarchist immigrants from Italy. Sacco was a shoemaker and Vanzetti was a fish peddler. On April 15, 1920, a paymaster and payroll guard were murdered carrying a large factory payroll in Massachusetts. A few weeks later, Sacco and Vanzetti were accused of the crime. Many people believed that Sacco and Vanzetti were being charged for a crime they didn’t commit because of their immigrant background and radical beliefs. -
Sacco-Vanzetti Trial Part 2
Sacco and Vanzetti went to trial on July 14, 1921, and the jury found them guilty of first-degree murder. On this date, Sacco and Vanzetti were executed, even though there was never actual proof that they were the murderers. As Vanzetti was getting ready to be executed, he said “I wish to tell you I am innocent and never connected with any crime... I wish to forgive some people for what they are now doing to me”. -
Sacco-Vanzetti Trial Part 3
I selected this as one of my thirty important events because it was a big deal about how people were treated wrong just because of their beliefs and home nation. -
Television Invention
The first all-electronic television was first invented by Philo Taylor Farnsworth. He transmitted television’s first image at his lab in San Francisco. A year later, he eventually had created the system good enough to show the press. I selected this as one of my thirty important events because it was a leap in technology showing how images can be presented electronically. -
Start Building Mount Rushmore
Construction on the giant sculpture Mount Rushmore began. Mount Rushmore had the busts of the four presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. It ended up taking fourteen years of carving and chiseling to finish this masterpiece. I selected this as one of my thirty important events because it was a significant sculpture recognizing four amazing presidents for their hard work and dedication to America. -
Talking Pictures
The musical film Jazz Singer came out in New York City on October 6, 1927 featuring six songs performed by Al Jolson. It declined the popularity of the silent film era and started a new era called the talking pictures. I selected this as one of my thirty important events because talking pictures gave many new opportunities in the film industry, and was the start of many new forms of entertainment. -
Amelia Earhart's Flight Part 1
Amelia Earhart departed from Trepassy, Newfoundland with co-pilots Wilmer Stultz and Louis Gordon. They flew in a plane named Friendship across the Atlantic Ocean. It took 20 hours and 40 minutes for them to cross the Atlantic Ocean. On June 18, they landed in Burry Port, South Wales, and Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. -
Amelia Earhart's Flight Part 2
I selected this as one of my thirty important events because it paved the way for all women showing them that they can do amazing, brave tasks just like men. -
Kellogg-Briand Pact Part 1
The Kellogg-Briand Pact was an international agreement trying to eliminate war in a peacekeeping effort after World War I. The pact was created by the US Secretary of State, Frank Kellogg, and the French Foreign Minister, Aristide Briand. In the pact, countries promised not to use war to fix conflicts, and to settle those conflicts peacefully. The pact ended up being ineffective because of self-defense and specific military commitments. -
Kellogg-Briand Pact Part 2
I selected this as one of my thirty important events because this pact was an important agreement that tried to resolve war and conflict after World War I had majorly affected everyone. -
St. Valentine's Day Massacre Part 1
An Irish American gang and the South Side Italian gang led by Al Capone had a struggle to take control of organized crime in Chicago. Seven men were lined up against a wall in the Lincoln Park neighborhood, and were murdered. They were shot by four men with Thompson submachine guns. Two of those men were wearing police uniforms so witnesses thought they were police officers. The massacre was planned by Al Capone to kill George Moran and his North Side Gang. -
St. Valentine's Day Massacre Part 2
I selected this as one of my thirty important events because during the prohibition era, there were a lot of organized gang crimes, and the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre is considered “the most spectacular gangland slaying in mob history”. -
Black Tuesday Part 1
On Black Tuesday, investors panicked about the stock market’s standing, and began selling their shares quadruple the normal amount making the Dow Jones Industrial Average fall -12%. This became a huge economic problem, and led to the beginning of the Great Depression. As a result, stocks ended up losing more than $26 billion in value, thousands of banks failed, and many businesses closed. -
Black Tuesday Part 2
I selected this as one of my thirty important events because Black Tuesday was the most disastrous stock market crash that caused many economic problems. -
Pluto Discovery
Clyde Tombaugh discovered the small, dwarf planet Pluto using photographic plates with a blink microscope at the Lowell Observatory. Later, on March 13, 1930, his discovery was confirmed by multiple other astronomers and publicly announced. I selected this as one of my thirty important events because the discovery of Pluto was a big step in science, and made many more people interested in the universe and want to explore space. -
Frozen Food Invention
Using a quick freezing process, Clarence Birdseye invented and patented his concept of frozen food. His invention created a new way for packaging frozen foods, and led the way in technology and the food industry. I selected this as one of my thirty important events because his invention made a lasting impact on preservation in nutrients and flavor for mass-distributed foods. -
The Star-Spangled Banner
In 1814, Francis Key wrote a poem while in Baltimore harbor during the War of 1812. It took until March 3, 1931 for President Hoover to sign and make “The Star Spangled Banner” America’s official national anthem. I selected this as one of my thirty important events because the Star Spangled Banner was America’s first national anthem, and became a tradition to be performed at sports game, with people standing and looking at the flag. -
The Bonus Army Part 2
More than 1,000 people were gassed, and two people were shot, stunning and outraging Americans at the government’s treatment of veterans, and hurting President Hoover’s image.
I selected this as one of my thirty important events because this showed how President Hoover did not deal with problems in the best ways for the country and its appearance, and did not effectively face the Great Depression. -
The Bonus March Part 1
The Bonus Army was formed by World War I veterans and their families, and they marched into Washington DC on July 28, 1932. They demanded for cash-payment of their service certificates. Attorney General William D. Mitchell forced the veterans to get off the government property, and when the veterans didn’t immediately leave, Washington police came to the scene and resisted, shooting and wounding two veterans. President Hoover then sent a force of 1,000 soldiers to disband the army. -
FDR's New Deal Part 1
The US President Franklin Roosevelt spoke his first address, and he promised “a new deal for the American people”. He then began to make new reforms to improve the government’s role in American life, such as reforms in banking and finance to improve the American economy. He also began to have fireside chats to talk to the Americans about issues of public concern, since Americans were not satisfied with the downward economy, increasing unemployment, and decreasing wages. -
FDR's New Deal Part 2
I selected this as one of my thirty important events because the New Deal was FDR’s idea to improve America after the Great Depression. -
21st Amendment Part 2
I selected this as one of my thirty important events because this amendment showed how prohibition failed due to even more criminal and illegal activities than there were before prohibition was put in place to solve those problems. -
21st Amendment Part 1
The 21st Amendment was ratified on this date, and repealed the 18th Amendment that launched the era known as prohibition where the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages were illegal. Only 19% of Americans supported prohibition in the mid-1920s, so on December 5, 1933, the 18th Amendment was repealed by the 21st Amendment. -
US Securities and Exchange Commission
The US Securities and Exchange Commission was put into law in Section 4 of the Securities Exchange Act by President Roosevelt to enforce federal law securities, propose security rules, and regulate the security industry. I selected this as one of my thirty important events because the commission protected investors and kept fair, orderly, and efficient markets. -
The Dust Bowl
Through the early 1930s, there had been terrible dust storms, especially in Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Texas, where storm clouds blew tons of topsoil off of fields. About 100 million acres of farmland had lost their topsoil as a result of the dust storms. On this day, The Dust Bowl got its name.
I selected this as one of my thirty important events because it spread through all of America, and horribly affected farmers since all their land got destroyed. -
Social Security Act
The Social Security Act is created by a committee chaired by Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins. The act was a big achievement of the New Deal giving insurance for retirees 65 years old or older, an unemployment compensation system, and aid to families with dependent children. I selected this as one of my thirty important events because it provided great benefits to millions of Americans helping them financially. -
Boulder Dam Part 1
In the fall of 1929, President Hoover got the approval to begin the construction of the Boulder Dam. The dam was completed at 726 feet high and 1,244 feet long. It provided electricity and flood control, a regular water supply, and more that helped the growth of California’s agricultural economy. On March 1, 1936 it was opened and turned over to the federal government. -
Boulder Dam Part 2
I selected this as one of my thirty important events because the dam is the world’s tallest dam and second largest, and helped provide a lot of help to improve agricultural growth in California. -
The National Minimum Wage
The National Minimum Wage is created in the Fair Labor Standards Act. On this date, the minimum wage was established at $0.25, and time and a half for overtime. Most employment of minors was also prohibited. I selected this as one of my thirty important events because the national minimum wage helps workers financially by making sure they receive enough money for their needs, and is still used to this day even though it has increased. -
The New York World Fair
The New York World Fair opens. The purpose of the fair was to prove to the American people that good, fun times could occur after the long depression, and to lift the people out of depression. The fair was the second most expansive America world’s fair. I selected this as one of my thirty important events because the fair was at the height of the depression and was a big step towards getting America out of the depression. -
Einstein Alerts Roosevelt about Atomic Bomb
Albert Einstein informs President Roosevelt about an atomic bomb opportunity, and lets him know that he should take action. Einstein tells Roosevelt that he should keep the government informed about bomb development and provide funds to laboratories to speed up the experimental work.
I selected this as one of my thirty important events because it led to the creation of the Manhattan project which produced the two atomic bombs that ended World War II. -
US Declares Neutrality
After World War II had started, Germany invaded Poland, and many European countries attempted to stop Hitler’s and the Nazi’s actions, the United States officially declared their neutrality in the war and banned the export of weapons. The United States also established Neutrality Patrol to watch military operations in the western hemisphere. I selected this as one of my thirty important events because America’s neutrality was a significant step to not get involved in war and cause depression.
