Monday, August 27, 2007

1920s, Roaring Twenties

The 1920s is a decade that refers to the years from January 1, 1920 to December 31, 1929. It is sometimes referred to as the "Jazz Age" or the "Roaring Twenties," usually applied to America. In Europe the decade is sometimes referred to as the Golden Twenties.


Important Events of 1920s


Penicillin 1928

Penicillin was the first antibiotics ever made, in 1928. It was invented by a guy named Sir Alexander Fleming. But it wasn't a famous medicine at first, it helped reduce the number of bacteria orientated deaths.
Penicilin was invented during the WW I and it was very expensive for people in need to purchase it. The fact that it was illegal didn't help, as enough testing hadn’t been done on it to be approved by the FDA. Though the invention of Penicillin didn't help the general public at first, it did start research on whole new area of medicine.

Teapot Dome Scandal

The Teapot Dome Scandal was an oil reserve scandal during the 1920’s. The Teapot Dome oil field, where people got their oil, was in Wyoming. It was called the Teapot Dome because of a rock nearby that looked like a teapot.

Albert B. Fall got control of the Teapot Dome in 1921. He leased the Teapot Dome and he earned $400,000 from the oilmen in two other oil companies. He try to make this a secret, but it got out somehow. In 1924, it was revealed to the public that Albert B. Fall had put a lease on the Teapot Dome.

Stock Market Crash :1929
During the early 1920’s the stock market was booming. It was considered a time of prosperity. Foreign nations thought that the United States had a formula for unlimited prosperity, but that formula didn’t seem to be there in the stock market crash of 1929.
Business and investment during the 1920’s was based on unstable buying and selling which didn’t work very long. Investors borrowed money from the brokers who, went to the banks for the money they loaned off. A lot of stocks failed and a lot of money was permanently lost, people were upset and disappointed.




Important People of 1920s

Amelia Earhart
Amelia Earhart is known today as a famous woman aviator of the 1920’s. In 1920, she rode an airplane for the first time. She rode for only 10 minutes, but already she loved flying. In 1922, she set a woman’s altitude record of 14,000 feet.
In 1926, Amelia Earhart received a phone call from Captain H. H. Railey asking her if she wanted to be the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. Amelia said yes, but she was only going to be the passenger on the flight. In 1929, She became the President of the Los Angeles to Cleveland Woman’s Race Derby.




Herbert Hoover

Herbert Hoover was president during the 1920's. He believed that the government should stay not interfere with big business. In 1921, the Eighteenth Amendment banned the sale of alcohol. During that time, a lot of people were gambling money on the stock market. President Hoover knew that this was a bad idea but when he tried to warn people, they didn’t listen to him.
In 1928, Herbert Hoover ran for reelection for presidency. He won this election, but in 1929, the stock market crashed. This was important because a lot of people lose their money. People started to lose faith in him and he couldn’t do anything about it.
Henry Ford
The first car with a combustion engine was invented by Henry Ford. Earlier cars were built with steam engines and they were invented by Richard Dudgeon. Henry Ford founded the Ford Motor Company not long after he created cars with combustion engines. In 1927, he invented the Model T. The Model T was a big success and Henry Ford made a lot of money.
Henry Ford was best known for building the first affordable car. Before he came along, cars were expensive and only rich people were able to buy them. Henry Ford managed to sell cars for a cheaper price and everyone was able to afford one for themselves.


Technology

Bubble Gum

In 1928, an employee of the Frank H. Fleer Company, Walter Diemer invented the successful pink colored Double Bubble, bubble gum. The very first bubble gum was invented by Frank Henry Fleer in 1906. He called it Blibber-Blubber. Fleer's recipe was later perfected by Walter Diemer, who called his product Double Bubble.


Yo-Yo

The modern story of the yo-yo starts with a young gentleman from the Philippines, named Pedro Flores. In the 1920s, he found that his lunch break yo-yo playing drew a crowd was the first appearance of the name "yo-yo," which means "come-come" . He started a company to make the toys, calling it the Flores Yo-Yo Company. Donald F. Duncan, an entrepreneur first encountered the yo-yo during a business trip to California. A year later, in 1929, he returned and bought the company from Flores, acquiring not only a unique toy, but also the magic name "yo-yo."
Famous Musician
Louis Armstrong

Armstrong is known today as a famous jazz musician of the 1920’s. He started playing the cornet on the streets to help earn money for his family.
In 1921, Louis Armstrong was invited go to Chicago with Joe “King” Oliver, who was a famous cornet player. In 1922, he joined the Joe’s band. Between 1925 and 1927, he made his own band called "The Hot Five" and he also made his first recording. During this time, he stopped playing the cornet and started playing the trumpet. He performed in Broadway, starred in movies, recorded movies, and people all around the world started to know him.



Fad & Fashions

Flappers

The dresses of the flapper looked very colorful and bright, and it come up to your knees. They were layered on the bottom and slouchy on the top. It usually went with colorful jewelry, shoes and purses that matched it. They wear high heeled shoes, usually shaped cylindrical at that time. Women cut their hair up to their ears, so that their hair would wrap their face.The flapper was very, very popular all through the twenties. Everyone wanted to have the flapper look to them. It was a “in” style during those times, and everyone appreciated it.

Important Scientific Discoveries

Discovering New Galaxies


Astronomy went through a period of rapid change in the 1920s. Before the 1920s everybody, including scientists, thought that the Milky Way the galaxy that includes our solar system was the entire universe. By the end of the decade astronomers had found that the Milky Way is just one ordinary galaxy among a multitude of others.
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