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1920s

During the 1920s (often referred to as the "Roaring Twenties"), a surging economy in the U.S. created an era of mass consumerism, as Jazz-Age flappers flouted Prohibition laws and the Harlem Renaissance redefined arts and culture.

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January 1922: A Roaring Twenties-era Carnival on the roof garden at the Criterion in London.

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The Roaring Twenties

The Roaring Twenties were a Jazz Age burst of prosperity and freedom for flappers and others during the Prohibition era, until the economy crashed in 1929.

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Flappers

Women’s Independence Multiple factors—political, cultural and technological—led to the rise of the flappers. During World War I, women entered the workforce in large numbers, receiving higher wages that many working women were not inclined to give up during peacetime. In August 1920, women’s independence took another step forward with the passage of the 19th Amendment, […]

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Cabinet member Albert B. Fall found guilty in Teapot Dome scandal

Teapot Dome Scandal

The Teapot Dome Scandal of the 1920s shocked Americans by revealing an unprecedented level of greed and corruption within the federal government.

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Tulsa Race Riot

1921 Tulsa Race Massacre

Tulsa’s Black Wall Street In much of the country, the years following World War I saw a spike in racial tensions, including the resurgence of the white supremacist group the Ku Klux Klan, numerous lynchings and other acts of racially motivated violence, as well as efforts by African Americans to prevent such attacks on their […]

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Harlem Renaissance

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2:22 minTV-14
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Teapot Dome Scandal

Warren Harding’s presidency was rocked by scandal, including one that didn’t come to light until after he left office.

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0:54 secTV-PG

Prohibition Raid

Police raid a garage in Chicago that contained five hundred and thirty‑seven barrels of alcoholic beverage, $30,000 worth of illegal drink.

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2:46 minTV-PG

18th and 21st Amendments

Did you know it wasn’t illegal to drink during Prohibition? Get the whole story behind the “noble experiment.”

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2:16 minTV-PG

Flashback: Scopes Monkey – Rare Footage of the “Trial of the Century”

The 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial was one of the most important legal battles of its time. Two of the greatest speakers of the era, Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan, faced off in a debate encompassing science, religion, and Constitutional rights.

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President Warren G. Harding.

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The Multiple Scandals of President Warren G. Harding

Hush money to mistresses, secret payments for an out‑of‑wedlock child and far‑reaching corruption tainted the 29th president’s legacy.

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Customers stand outside Berry's Service Station in Tulsa.

9 Entrepreneurs Who Helped Build Tulsa’s ‘Black Wall Street’

Before the Tulsa Race Massacre, the city’s African American district thrived as a community of business leaders and visionaries.

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Langston Hughes, circa 1942.

7 Writers of the Harlem Renaissance

These writers were part of the larger cultural movement centered in New York City’s Harlem neighborhood and offered complex portraits of Black life in America.

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Prohibition Organized Crime

How Prohibition Put the ‘Organized’ in Organized Crime

Kingpins like Al Capone were able to rake in up to $100 million each year thanks to the overwhelming business opportunity of illegal booze.

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This Day in History

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1921

Chanel No. 5 perfume launches

1920s

This Day in History Video: What Happened on February 14

1920s

This Day in History Video: What Happened on August 23

1920s
1927

Charles Lindbergh takes off across the Atlantic in the Spirit of St. Louis

1920s
1926

Star of the silent screen Rudolph Valentino dies

1920s
1927

Sacco and Vanzetti executed

1920s
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