The Era of Wonderful Nonsense
By John Bigelow and Marla Pinckney
Popular First Names
Boys
Girls
1. John
2. Robert
3. William
4. James
5. Charles
1. Mary
2. Dorothy
3. Helen
4. Margaret
5. Betty
US Events
- 1920 - 19th Amendment allows women to vote.
- 1922 - Time Magazine is founded.
- 1926 - Army Corps established.
- 1929 - St. Valentines Day massacre in Chicago, Illinois.
- 1929 - New York Stock Market crashes.
World Events
- 1920 - Adolf Hitler forms Nazi Party.
- 1920 - The League of Nations is formed in Paris.
- 1922 - Mussolini formed facist goverment.
- 1924 - Lenin died, Stalin came to power.
- 1928 - Chiang Kai-Shek elected president of China.
People
- Charles Lindbergh - American pilot and the first man to fly solo across the Atlantic.
- Babe Ruth - One of the greatest baseball players of all time.
- Henry Ford - Founder of the Ford Motor Company.
- D.W. Griffith - Important movie director and one of the founders of the Hollywood Film Industry.
- Langston Hughes - African-American poet, novelist, and playwright.
U.S Presidents
*All Republican presidents
Clothes
Hair
Sporting News
In 1920, most hair was worn
short and curled. The most popular
hairstyle for women was the "Bob". Men wore their hair straight and silked down.
Biotechnology Advances
In 1920, clothing changed with
womens changing role in modern
society. Young women wore
shorter skirts with pleats, gathers,
or slits to allow motion to rule
womens fashion for the first time
in history.
Developments in biotechnology were mainly focused on genetics during this decade. Studies of genetic changes, such as, mutations were focused on too. Not much else was focused on during this time period.
- During this decade baseball, tennis, golf, swimming, football and boxing were promoted publicly.
- In 1922, Johnny Weismuller swam the 100m in 58.6 seconds.
- Before this no swimmer could swim in under a minute.
- In 1926, Gertrude Federle swam the English Channel and was the first woman to do so.
- In 1927, Babe Ruth broke the home run record with 60 home runs and the record remained that way until 1961.
Music
The most popular music during the time was Jazz, which was the most mainstream, Ragtime, and Broadway Musicals. Al Jolsons "Swanee" was the most popular sond of the decade. Other poluar songs included :
- "West End Blues" by Louis Armstrong`
- "Margie" by Con Conrad
- "Rhapsody in Blue" by Paul Whiteman
- "Blank and Tan Fantasy" by Duke Ellington.
- "Crazy Blues" - Mamie Smith
- "Waiting For A Train" - Jimmie Rodgers
Scientific Discoveries
- 1922 - Sir Frederick Grant Banting discovered Insulin, which regulates blood sugar and helps diabetics live a normal life.
- 1928- Alexander Fleming discovers Penicillin, an atibiotic that helps to fight infection.
Scientific Inventions
- 1920 - Earle Dickson invented the Band Aid, which helps cover up and protect small cuts and scrapes.
- 1921 - John Larson invented the lie detector, which helps see if your lying and is an advancement in the Justice System.
- 1926 - Robert H. Goddard invented liquid-fueled rockets. THis is beneficial to us today because it helps us launch missiles, the space shuttle, and even probes and satellites.
Popular Literature
Popular Movies
Hunchback of Notre Dame
1923
The Phantom of the Opera
1925