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1920s ‑ Stories

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.

Ruins of the St. Francis Dam

The St. Francis Dam Collapse: Los Angeles’ Forgotten Disaster

When it opened in 1926, the St. Francis Dam was an engineering marvel. Just two years later, it became an engineering catastrophe. 

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When WWI, Pandemic and Slump Ended, Americans Sprang Into the Roaring Twenties

After enduring dark times, Americans were eager for a comeback.

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Workers strike oil in Osage territory. (Credit: David Grann)

How Marriage and Murder Were Used to Steal Osage Oil Riches

When wealthy Native people died during the Osage Reign of Terror, it was often their white spouses and court‑appointed guardians who stood to profit most.

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William Hale’s Brutal Role in the Osage Murders

The self‑styled ‘King of the Osage Hills’ masterminded a heinous spate of killings targeting oil‑rich Indians.

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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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Tulsa Race Riots

The Tulsa Race Massacre: Facts About the Attack

The Greenwood district of Tulsa, Oklahoma had flourished as a neighborhood built by Black people, for Black people. In 1921 it was destroyed by a white mob. Get the facts on the attack and subsequent coverup.

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Tulsa Race Riots

‘Black Wall Street’ Before, During and After the Tulsa Race Massacre: PHOTOS

Historic images of Tulsa, Oklahoma’s Greenwood district reveal how the 1921 mob attack devastated the nation’s Black cultural and economic mecca.

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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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Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921: The Aerial Assault

What Role Did Airplanes Play in the Tulsa Race Massacre?

Few historians dispute that planes flew low over the city’s prosperous Black district during the 1921 attack. What’s less clear: whether bullets were fired or incendiaries were dropped.

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How America's Aviation Industry Got Its Start Transporting Mail

How America’s Aviation Industry Got Its Start Transporting Mail

Before carrying passengers, America’s most iconic airlines hauled the mail. It was one of the riskiest jobs around.

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Why the Roaring Twenties Weren’t 'Roaring' for Everyone

Why the Roaring Twenties Left Many Americans Poorer

For some, the Great Depression began in the 1920s.

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Why Organized Labor Declined in the 1920s

Why Labor Unions Declined in the 1920s

Stripped of wartime protections and branded as anti‑American, labor unions languished in the Roaring Twenties.

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