Popular Culture 1920's
Due the new technology available allowing movies to have both sound and colour the movie industry in Hollywood grew fast as did the number of Cinemas showing the films. In 1919 laws were passed for the Prohibition of consumption and even possession of alcohol making them illegal and due to these laws the 20's provided some of the most well known gangsters a means to create vast wealth by opening illegal bars called speak easiest to provide drinks for the people that required alcoholic beverages. Possibly the most well known of these was Al Capone
Also this period saw the growth of the Ku Klux Klan and the growth of the Vigilante groups who took the law into their own hands and lynched victims most often black without any trial.
The other great change in people's lives came from an invention and technology prior to the 20's but after World War I became a significant part of life providing news and entertainment to the masses in their homes , this was the birth of commercial radio for all.
Music
Jazz was the music of popular choice and some of the best known musicians were jazz musicians including Duke Ellington and Al Jolson. One other popular musician ( Composer ) was George Gershwin and many of his songs are still recorded and listened to today. a popular dance of the times was the Charleston
The 1920's
The 20's were a time of radical change caused by the many changes happening in technology with new advancements, discoveries, and inventions and is often known as the Roaring Twenties
Money and Inflation
To provide an estimate we have given a guide to the value of $100 US Dollars for the first year in the decade to the equivalent in todays money
If you have $100 Converted from 1920 to 2005 it would be equivalent to $1005 in todays money
Cars
Possibly the most significant change during the 20's was the mass production of the Car started by Henry Ford, he had manufactured and sold some 15 million Model-Ts by 1927
Cars And Car Prices From The 1920'sEvents
At the end of the 20's after a time of excesses in all areas the stock market crash of Black Thursday ( Oct 24th 1929 ) caused the start of the The Great Depression
Fashions
During the 20's mens fashions became less stuffy and they tried to look more youthful but womens fashions changed much more drastically with women ( flapper style of clothing ) dressing in a way they felt comfortable with not to accentuate the feminine attributes but as a statement of who they were .
Fashion and Clothes Prices From The 1920'sToys 1920s
Toys From The 1920sTechnology
There were many inventions and new technology developed during the 20's but possibly the one that had the greatest impact before the turn of the next decade was Radio. It soon became a staple of peoples lives providing entertainment , News , and new ideas . Another very important invention also started to impact peoples lives and that was the uses of airplanes apart from as a weapon of war , Air Mail would provide some of the impetus and investment needed to improve stability and provide a practical use , as a byproduct the airplane became used as a means for entertainment with stunts at fairs also man realised he could push the bounds by attempting previously un thought of ideas a good example is Charles A. Lindbergh crossing the Atlantic Ocean by himself in an airplane
It was during the 20's that automatic vending machines began to appear to dispense soft drinks
Inventions The Year Invented Inventors and Country ( or attributed to First Use )
Aerosol Sprays ----- 1926 Norway by Erik Rotheim
Antibiotics ----- 1928 England by Alexander Fleming
Colour Television ----- 1927 Scotland by John Logie Baird
Frozen Food ----- 1924 USA by Clarence Birdseye
Hair Dryer ----- 1920 Germany
Hearing Aid ----- 1923 England
Iron Lung ----- 1928 USA by Philip Drinker
Liquid Fuel Rocket ----- 1926 USA by Robert Goddard
Quartz Timekeeping ----- 1927 Switzerland by Hans Wilsdorf from England
Sticky Plasters ----- 1920 USA by Earle Dickson
Talking Pictures ----- 1927 USA
Television ----- 1923 Scotland by John Logie Baird
Ultracentrifuge ----- 1923 Sweden by The Suedberg - separates proteins
Videophone ----- 1927 USA
Period Leading up to the 1920's
You can not talk about the 20's without mentioning "The Great Pandemic" from 1918 - 1919 , this influenza epidemic was a global catastrophe ( Also Known as Spanish Flu ) which is believed to have caused the death of over 40 million people worldwide. This is one of the main reasons governments round the world are still so concerned with "Bird Flu"