Popular Culture
Radio
The first radio broadcast started in 1920 by the radio station KDKA Pittsburgh. Not many people were able to hear the broadcast because of the lack of radio receivers at the time. The public, however, was overcome by a radio craze after the first broadcast. Radio became a product of the mass market. Manufacturers were overwhelmed by the demand for receivers, as customers stood in line to complete order forms for radios after dealers had sold out. Between 1923 and 1930, 60 percent of American families purchased radios. Families gathered around their radios for night-time entertainment. As radio ownership increased, so did the number of radio stations. In 1920, KDKA was not actually the only operating radio station, but it remains a benchmark in most accounts. And by 1922, 600 radio stations had sprung up around the United States. Many people tuned in every day to listen to the news, music, and daily radio shows. Undeniably the most popular show in the United States was “Amos ‘n’ Andy”. “Amos “n’ Andy” was a comical series that followed the lives of two black men from Alabama who went to Chicago to find their fortunes.
America's Heroes
Babe Ruth may be the single most influential person in American sports history. He took America by storm in the 1920’s with his powerful home run blasts out of the park. "Ruth’s home runs, according to Hall of Fame pitcher Walter Johnson, made the fans so crazy with excitement that they were ready to tear up the stands." Babe Ruth arrived on the baseball scene at a time when America’s past time was in shambles.
Charles Lindbergh accomplished what was then a dangerous flight, paving the way for those to come. He became a hero, much in the way that astronauts did later. The '20's was a time of confidence and even recklessness, and Lindbergh symbolized the national "we can do anything" attitude. |
Movies
The movie industry skyrocketed in the 1920's and Hollywood boomed, providing a new and accessible form of entertainment. Technology called synchronized sound was developed, which allowed motion pictures to have talking and singing. Americans love the "talkies," as they were called. The first successful talking film, The Jazz Singer, was released in October 1927. The film featured Al Jolson, a popular singer, humming the song "Mammy" in black face. The first animated film to feature sound was a Warner Brothers comedic production called Steamboat Willie.
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