-
Sacco and Vanzetti trial starts
On April 15, 1920, a paymaster for a shoe company in South Braintree, Massachusetts, was shot and killed along with his guard. The murderers, who were described as two Italian men, escaped with more than $15,000. After going to a garage to claim a car that police said was connected with the crime, Sacco and Vanzetti were arrested and charged with the crime. -
Ratification of the 19th admenment
At the time the U.S. was founded, its female citizens did not share all of the same rights as men, including the right to vote. It was not until 1848 that the movement for women’s rights launched on a national level with a convention in Seneca Falls, New York, organized by abolitionists Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott. -
Yankee stadium opens
The house that Babe Ruth built," Yankee stadium, first opened its doors on April 18, 1923. Over 74,000 fans packed the stands as the New York Yankees took on the Boston Red Sox. Baseball history played out many times in Yankee Stadium with the likes of Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio and Lou Gehrig. Although the legendary stadium was torn down in 2008 and replaced with a new one, the memories captured on that field are part of the bedrock of baseball history. -
Great Gatsby Publishd
The Great Gatsby is a novel by the American author F. Scott Fitzgerald. First published on April 10, 1925, it is set on Long Island's North Shore and in New York City during the summer of 1922 and is a critique of the American Dream. It is considered one of the greatest novels of the 20th century. -
Scopes Monkey trial begins
When Darwin announced his theory that humans had descended from apes, he sent shock waves through the Western world.
In the years that followed his 1859 declaration, America's churches hotly debated whether to accept the findings of modern science or continue to follow the teachings of ancient scripture. By the 1920s, most of the urban churches of America had been able to reconcile Darwin's theory with the Bible, but rural preachers preferred a stricter interpretation. -
Grand ole Opry Starts on WSM
Even in its early days, the Grand Ole Opry presented a broad range of what would become known as country music. Born as a barn dance program in a downtown office building, the show emphasized old-time fiddlers and harmonica players, as well as what George D. Hay called “hoedown bands” like the Possum Hunters and the Gully Jumpers that gave the show a rural feel. Here are just some of the stars whose names appeared on the Opry roster during its first years of existence. -
Charles Lindbergh crosses the Antlantic Ocean solo
At 7:52 A.M., May 20, 1927 Charles Lindbergh gunned the engine of the "Spirit of St Louis" and aimed her down the dirt runway of Roosevelt Field, Long Island. Heavily laden with fuel, the plane bounced down the muddy field, gradually became airborne and barely cleared the telephone wires at the field's edge. The crowd of 500 thought they had witnessed a miracle. Thirty-three and one half-hours and 3,500 miles later he landed in Paris, the first to fly the Atlantic alone. -
The Jazz singer premieres
New York movie-goers were treated to the premiere of Warner Brothers’ film The Jazz Singer, starring Al Jolson.
It is widely accepted as the film that swept the silent movie era aside, with Jolson’s famous line “Wait a minute! Wait a minute! You ain’t heard nothin’ yet!”, it ushered in a fantastic new world of ‘talkies’.
Jolson, born Asa Yoelson in what is now Lithuania, was a massive star at the time Elvis and The Beatles massive. He was known as “The World’s Greatest Entertainer”. -
Steamboat willie premieres
Steamboat Willie is a 1928 American animated short film directed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. It was produced in black-and-white by Walt Disney Studios and was released by Celebrity Productions. -
Black Tuesday
Black Tuesday was the most catastrophic shock crash market in the history, in 1929 was when the price of stocks completely collapsed.
