Notes from the 1920s

Chronology Notes for the 1920s

 

1920 - First trans-continental airmail begins. New York-San Francisco.

 

1920 - Woodrow Wilson wins Nobel Peace Prize for his post - WWI efforts.

 

1920 - George Herman “Babe” Ruth signs with New York Yankees - Curse of the Bambino begins.

 

1920 - 19th amendment is ratified - Women’s suffrage becomes nation wide.

 

1920 - U.S. athletes win most of the medals in Summer Olympics - hosted by war-torn Belgium.

 

1920 - RCA (Radio Corporation of America) is founded. Radio to become next big medium.

 

1920 - Cleveland Indians defeat Brooklyn Dodgers in World Series - 5 games to 2

 

1920 - U.S. Census shows nations population surpasses 105,000,000

 

1920 - Prohibition becomes official - United States is legally "dry". Illegal clubs & bars (speakeasies) spring up everywhere.

 

1921 - William Howard Taft becomes Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court.

 

1921 - Subway series in baseball. N.Y. Giants defeats New York Yankees 5-3.

 

1921 - Margaret Gorman wins first Miss America Pageant - held in Atlantic City, NJ.

 

1921 - Sports broadcasts begin on radio. Baseball and boxing are most popular.

 

1921 - Future president Franklin Roosevelt stricken with polio.

 

1922 - Teapot Dome scandal investigated- oil fields illegally leased to two California oil men. Secretary of the Interior, Albert Fall indicated for accepting bribes. President Harding unaware for the most part.

 

1923 - New York Yankees build new stadium for their ball club.  Dubbed “the house that Ruth built”

 

1923 - President Warren Harding dies in San Francisco while on west coast trip.  V.P. Calvin Coolidge sworn in as president.

 

1923 - Jacob Schick patents new razor-the electric shaver.

 

1923 - Dance marathoner (Homer Morehouse) dies after 87 hours of competition - winners of contest last 90 hours.

 

1924 - America now has 2.5 million radios - only 2000 in 1920.

 

1924 - Former president Woodrow Wilson dies.

 

1924 - The Dawes Plan is put into effect. Germany would be loaned money to pay war reparations.

 

1924 - US dominants the Summer Olympics - held in Paris. Americans get gold & silver in the decathlon.

 

1924 - Voters “Keep Cool With Coolidge” Republican Calvin Coolidge defeats Democrat John Davis in presidential election 362-136 electoral votes.

 

1924 - Women elected governor in two states. Wyoming (Nellie Taylor Ross) and Texas. (Miriam Ferguson)

 

1925 - Ford Motor Co. reaches new efficiency heights - new car rolls off the assembly line every 10 seconds.

 

1925 - (3/28/25) Super storm produces dozens of tornadoes in the Midwest - 800+ killed. Damage in the millions of dollars.

 

1925 - Led by coaching legend Knute Rockne, the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame defeat Stanford in the Rose Bowl by a score of 27-10.

 

1925 - Tennessee teacher, John T. Scopes, put on trial for teaching Darwin’s theory on evolution. ACLU hires Clarence Darrow to defend Scopes. William Jennings Bryan leads the prosecution.

 

1925 - Food fight at Yale hall includes pie plates from the Frisbee Baking Company of Bridgeport, Connecticut.

 

1925 - Sunny Florida is the scene of massive real estate boom. Thousands of acres purchased.

 

1926 - Henry Ford shortens factory work week to 40 hours - 5 day schedule and increases workers’ pay. $6.00 a day is twice the national average for factory workers in America.

 

1926 - 19 year old Gertrude Ederle swims the English Channel in record time - beats previous record by more than 2 hours (14:13).

 

1926 - Screen star Rudolph Valentino dies at the age of 31. His death was the result of a perforated ulcer.

 

1927 - Charles Lindbergh is the first ever to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean- wins $25,000 prize. After a 33 ½ hour flight he lands in Paris.

 

1927 - Gene Tunney and Jack Dempsey fight it out in heavyweight title bout at Soldier Field in Chicago. Attendance topped 104,000. - Tunney retains boxing crown. Dempsey fails to go to neutral corner after knocking down Tunney. Referee delays the count until he does.

 

1927 - Work on the gigantic sculpture at Mount Rushmore began.  Sculptor Gutzon Borglum would complete the task of chiseling the busts of four presidents; George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt, fourteen years later.

 

1927 - Hollywood films bound by “Hays Code”- many activities banned on film.

 

1927 - Babe Ruth slugs 60th home run of season on Sept. 30th – the most ever by a player in a 154-game season. He bats #3 in the line up. Lou Gehrig bats #4.

 

1927 - After producing over 15 million model T’s, Ford introduces new line – the Model A.

 

1927 - “Talkies”- Movies with soundtracks, are introduced, Al Jolson stars in the first, The Jazz Singer.

 

1928 - Steamboat Willie, an animated short film, introduces new Walt Disney character - Mickey Mouse.

 

1928 - Amelia Earhart is first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean – she does so as a passenger. Would later pilot a solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean.

 

1928 – Republican Herbert Hoover defeats Democrat Al Smith in presidential election. Hoover promises “a chicken in every pot”.

 

1928 - United States wins most medals at Summer Olympics held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands - despite winning only one event in track and field.

 

1928 - Kraft food company introduces new product – VELVEETA.

 

1929 - Al Capone’s men, disguised as police officers, gun down rival gang (headed by Bugs Moran) in St. Valentine’s Day massacre.

 

1929 - Film makers honor their best with the first Academy Awards – first “Best Picture” Oscar goes to “Wings”.

 

1929 - Detroit auto manufacturers collectively produce 5.3 million cars in one year.

 

1929 - Stock market takes huge plunge in October - $ billions lost by investors.