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The Roaring 20s
An age of prosperity, freedom, and a burst in creativity. -
Prohibition
As a result of the temperance movement, president Wilson passed the 18th amendment. This banned the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcoholic beverages in the US. It aimed to reduce crime rates but ironically they only increased. The prohibition started in 1920 and lasted 13 years while being enforced by the IRS. -
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Prohibition
Prohibition made it illegal to sell, transport, or make alcoholic drinks with the exception of medical or religious use. It lasted from 1917 to 1933. -
A Woman President?
In early 1920, president Wilson suffered a disabling stroke. His condition was kept quiet and away from the public while his wife Edith Wilson was making most executive decisions. Now, historians say that Mrs. Wilson was effectively the US president during the remainder of Wilson's term. This means that a woman was running the country throughout 1920. -
The Invention of the Band-Aid
In 1920 Earle Dickson combined 2 Johnson and Johnson products and created the Band-Aid. The original product was a long strip of adhesive tape and gauze. He created the Band-Aid because his wife was very accident prone and these would allow her to apply them herself. Once they hit the market they were sold in little reusable canisters which people most commonly filled with buttons or screws. -
The Creation of Disney
Walt Disney started his career in animation with the Kansas City Film Ad Company in Missouri. In 1923 he combined live action and animation to produce the short film Alice in Cartoonland. The objective was to bring happiness and entertainment, and to his surprise, his movie was a hit. Thus marked the creation of the Disney Corporation. -
40 Hour Work Weeks
In 1926 Ford Motor Company was the first to introduce the new idea of the 40 hour work week for its factory employees. This consisted of 8 hours a day for 5 days a week, which amounts to 40 hours a week. This new practice increased productivity and other businesses were catching on. This new work week soon became standard practice throughout the US and most of the world. -
King Tuts Tomb Discovery
King Tuts tomb was discovered by archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922. It was discovered at the Valley of the Kings more than 3,000 years after his death. His tomb consisted of more than 5,000 artifacts which had to be very carefully removed as they were fragile. This new discovery inspired industries to produce a wave of Egyptian related designs which became very popular for their time. -
BRANDS!
Many well known brands today were created in the 1920s like Velveeta cheese, Kool Aid, and even Reese's. Reese's peanut butter cups were invented in 1928 by former Hershey's employee H. B. Reese. He quit his job at Hershey's farm because he wanted to start his own business selling candy out of his basement in Pennsylvania. The original Reese's cups were called penny cups because they could be bought for one cent. -
Stock Market Crash
In 1929 all of America was affected by the stock market crash. It was mainly caused by people buying stocks on margin and not understanding how credit worked at the time. As a result, money lost its value and in some countries it was actually more efficient to burn the money rather than buy firewood.This also caused many other big economic problems and kick-started the Great Depression. -
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The Great Depression
The longest and deepest economic crisis in US history. -
The New Deal
FDR passed his new deal in 1933 which aimed to get the industry back on its feet and reshape the economy forever. In the US, it established unions and a program of price supports which boosted workers rights and supported farmers. FDR's new deal was crucial in our recovery from the great depression. -
Kissing Marathons
Competitions became very popular in the 1930s and among the eating competitions and flagpole sitting competitions, there were also kissing competitions. In Coney Island New York in late August 1933 a young couple continued to kiss for over 3 hours straight. Being interviewed by the press afterward, the girl said she didn't think they would win because they were both so inexperienced. They actually did win and took home a loving cup while kissing contests still exist today. -
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FDR's New Deal
A series of programs, public work projects, financial reforms, and regulations enacted by Franklin D Roosevelt in efforts to recover the economy. It lasted from 1933 to 1940.