Inventions & Improvements in the
way of life
The Roaring 20’s was one of the liveliest
decades in history. It was a prosperous
time and people embraced the new forms
of entertainment and new trends that
altered America’s cultural landscape. You
will now explore those changes and
understand how the 20’s earned its
nickname.
1. Radio: a household necessity
The radio was as important to people as
cars. People were no longer isolated and
could hear about the weather and news in
distant cities as well as listen to the same
drama and comedy episodes.
Click on the radio to find
out more……
Men to remember…
Guglielmo Marconi is known as
the “Father of Radio”. Marconi
produced and detected waves
over long distance, inventing and
laying the foundations of the
radio as we know it.
David Sarnoff created the
broadcast industry.
His first attempt to bring radio into the
homes of millions was ignored in 1915.
When he became General Manager of
RCA in 1921 he seized an opportunity
to give a blow by blow of DempseyCarpentier boxing match and it was a
great success. The idea of
broadcasting caught on.
2.
Silent Films progressed to “talkies” and 35
million people went to the movies each
week. The movie palaces of the 20’s were
huge and lavish. Some really big theaters
in places like New York and Detroit could
seat up to 5000 people.
The movie palace was
designed to make
customers feel like
royality. This movie
palace was located in
San Fransico.
The first “talkie”
“The Jazz Singer”
ushered in the
talkies. It was the
first film to replace
cards with dialogue
along with plot.
G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S
The most glamorous of all during the
1920’s were the movie stars. Because of
the money movies made, the stars made
millions even that long ago.
The Big Stars…
Click on
Charlie
Charlie Chaplin- silent film
Rudolph Valentino – The Great
Lover
Mary Pickford –America’s
Sweetheart
Which famous cartoon character
was “born” in 1927?
Click the question
mark to find out!
3. Telephone
Even though Alexander
Graham Bell invented
the telephone in the
late 1800’s, there was
much more increased
availability in the
1920’s.
“Let’s Go Motoring”
Henry Ford
Henry Ford’s assembly-line system
drastically reduced the time it took to make
a car and the amount it would cost. In
1920 a Model T cost roughly $800 but by
1925 it was reduced to $260, making very
affordable to most. By the late 1920’s
about 23 million cars were registered in
the U.S.
A New Freedom
The automobile provided a new freedom
to people. It allowed isolated farmers to
travel into cities, workers find more
affordable housing away from their jobs,
and gave young people a chance to get
out more.
Results of the automobile:
1- greater mobility
2- creation of jobs (assembly line,
construction)
3- growth of auto related industries (oil,
steel, road construction)
The Wright Brothers’
In 1903 Orville and Wilbur Wright made
the first engine powered flight. By 1929
planes were being used to carry
passengers for profit.
Click the plane to find
out how long
the first flight lasted.
Electrification
Electric lighting began to replace candles.
Cities lit up first, followed by rural areas
and by the end of the 1920’s, most people
had electricity.
Labor Saving Products
Because of electricity spreading and
Ford’s perfection of the assembly line
method, industry of the 1920’s focused
heavily on consumer goods that saved
time on household chores.
Ex: washing machines, refrigerators
stoves, vacuum cleaners
water pumps
Advertising
In 1850 the national annual income was
about $95 per person but had risen to
$586 by 1918. With the increase of
income there was also a powerful new
business that emerged-modern
advertising- to convince consumers to
spend their money.
The psychology of buying
Advertiser's focused on the psychology of
buying and ads soon appeared that
appealed to people’s needs, frustrations,
and anxieties.
See the following ads for example of how
advertisers convinced people to buy a
product:
Listerine mouthwash
pledged to save
young people from
the loneliness caused
by unpleasant breath.
Holeproof Hosiery
Company featured
what were, for that
time, a rather scantily
clad young woman
wearing the
company’s silk
stockings saying,
“Make the public want
what you have to sell.
Make ‘em pant for it.”
Advertising
played on
women’s fear of
aging and losing
their looks to sell
their products.
Billboards
Because of the
increase in the
automobile,
advertiser's used the
billboard to reach
many new
consumers.
Effects of Advertising
Ex: Listerine saw profits rise from roughly
$100,000 in 1920 to more than $4
million in 1927.
It was a boom time for U.S. companies
and the economy. For those who didn’t
have money on hand to buy goods, a
solution was proposed that was irresistible
at the time:
Buying on Credit
The growth of the installment plan also
fueled consumerism of the 1920’s. These
plans allowed people to buy goods on
credit by paying a small amount down and
then make monthly installments until it was
paid off.
Ex: a vacuum could be bought for $28.95.
A consumer would pay $2 down and $4
a month.
Changing Role of Women
Women’s roles in society changed a great
deal during WWI and throughout the
1920’s. After working in a traditionally
male job during the war, it increased their
motivation to be treated as equals.
Women began to rally for better wages
and more rights. After winning the
women’s suffrage movement there was a
diminish in political interests and turned
more towards a social life.
Fads & Fashion
For many women the 1920’s brought new
freedoms and independence. There was
more leisure time and money and women
began to challenge traditional ideas of
women's role in society. Women’s
fashions became an outlet or personal
expression and there was more focus on
women’s body image.
Not everyone agreed with this new
found freedom.
Women wearing
bathing suits were
measured to see if
they were showing to
much leg. Chicago
police are arresting a
girl for “indecent
exposure” in 1922.
Men’s Fashions
Baggy knickers called
“plus fours” after the
yards of fabric needed to
make them.
Zoot suit often worn by
gansters
Flappers:
Flappers were
rebellious young
women who wore
short skirts, danced
wildly, used
cosmetics, and
proudly displayed the
signs of their
independence,
sexuality, and
energetic youth.
Sports Mania
All areas of entertainment became
big business in the 1920’s, and sports
were no exception.
Baseball, college football, and boxing were
spectacles for the masses.
The Babe
By 1927 Babe Ruth was a better-known
American to most foreigners than
President Coolidge. He rivaled the Prince
of Wales as the most photographed man
in the world. He was the greatest player of
his times. Click on the bat to find out how
many home runs the Babe had and how
long his record held: