1920 -     
     1929

If you look in any American history book at the decade of the 1920s you are sure to find a reference to, "The Roaring Twenties" and for good reason. It was a unique and exciting time in our country's history. As you read through some of the highlights below you'll see it was not only roaring but also soaring. Of course, as we all know, there is no such thing as a one sided coin. At the end of the decade the roar had turned into a groan.

POLITICS and SOCIAL LIFE

​1920     

-Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is ratified on August 18, giving women the right to vote.

-The 18th Amendment (Volstead Act / National Prohibition Act ) goes into force at the beginning of the decade which in turn leads to increased black market alcohol that is sold in speakeasies and run by mobsters who pay off local politicians.

1922
-The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) is created.

-On May 5, Construction begins on Yankee Stadium in New York City, often dubbed the House that Ruth Built.

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1924

-The first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is held on November 27th.

-Ellis Island closes as an immigration entry point to the US.

-The very first Winter Olympics are held. They take place in Chamonix, France.

-The Indian Citizenship Act confers citizenship on all Native Americans born within the United States.
 

1925

-The Butler Act, which prohibits evolution from being taught in public schools, is passed in Tennessee. It is not repealed until 1967.

-Sears Roebuck opens its first retail store in Chicago, Illinois. Sears had been selling through Home Shopping Catalogs since 1893 and would continue selling through catalogs for next 70 years. At the same time, it was building one of the largest brick and mortar chain stores in the country.

-The first television transmitter is developed by John Logie Baird in Great Britain.

1928
-Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin which changed the world of modern medicines by introducing the age of antibiotics.
-Walt Disney's famous Mickey Mouse cartoon character appears for the first time in "Steamboat Willie."
 

1929

-During most of the decade turf wars between rival gangs were frequent and extremely violent. The best known of the many was Al Capone's Saint Valentine's Day Massacre in Chicago during this year.

-The first "Oscars" were given for film-making and film actors in Los Angeles.

-At the end of the 20's after a time of excesses in all areas, the stock market crashed on Black Thursday, October 24th, and triggered the The Great Depression of the 1930s.

AVIATION

1924

-On April 6, eight U.S. Army Air Service pilots and mechanics in four airplanes left Seattle, Washington, to carry out the first circumnavigation of the globe by air. They completed the journey 175 days later on September 28, after making 74 stops and covering about 27,550 miles.

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1927

-Charles Lindbergh flies "The Spirit of St. Louis" across the Atlantic Ocean nonstop from New York City to Paris, as the first solo transatlantic flight.

1928

-Amelia Earhart flies across the Atlantic Ocean as a passenger, becoming the first woman to do so successfully.

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AUTO TRANSPORTATION
1926

-Route 66, a major U.S. road running from Chicago to Los Angeles, is opened.

-The Oakland Motor Company introduced a "companion car" named Pontiac. Just over 50,000 were sold that first year. Its lower price and no-nonsense styling made it more popular than the Oakland in just a few years.

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1927

-The Holland Tunnel under the Hudson River opens connecting New York City with New Jersey.

-Ford Motor Company celebrates as the 15 millionth Model T rolls off its Highland Park, MI, assembly line on May 26.