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The 18th Amendment
The 18th Amendment (Prohibition Amendment) goes into effect at midnight. Although the law is challenged in some states (New Jersey), the Supreme Court later declares the law valid. (Map of "wet" and "dry" states from 1893-1920) -
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein lectures in New York about his theory of relativity. -
Margaret Sanger
Margaret Sanger forms the American Birth Control League. -
Grtrude Ederle
She was olympics freestyle swiming champon. She is the first woman who swam for 35 miles long. -
Charles Lindbergh
Charles Lindbergh flies The Spirit of St. Louis from New York to Paris, traveling 3600 miles in 33 and a half hours. -
Al Jolson
The Jazz Singer, starring Broadway star Al Jolson, debuts as the "first" talking picture, and its success spells the beginning of the end for silent movies. -
The Ford Model A
The Ford Model A, the successor to the Model T, is produced under great secrecy. Production lines have been shut down and retooled to produce it. Public curiosity is finally satisfied on December 2 when the car goes on sale. By 1929, 1.5 million Model A cars had been sold. Songs like the humorous "Henry's Made a Lady out of Lizzie" -
St. Francis Dam
In southern California, the two-year-old St. Francis Dam gives way, killing over 500 people. The dam is part of the water system designed by William Mulholland, creator of the Los Angeles Aqueduct systerm. -
The Great Depression
At the end of the 20's after a time of excesses in all areas, the stock market crashed on Black Thursday and caused the start of the The Great Depression. -
Black Thursday
On "Black Thursday," 24 October, 13 million shares are sold on the New York Stock Exchange; despite efforts to shore up prices by J. P. Morgan and John D. Rockefeller, prices fall again on 29 October, "Black Tuesday," as 16 million shares are sold. By 13 November, $30 billion has been lost in devalued stocks. Although all of the effects are not felt immediately, the stock market crash marks the beginning of the Great Depression.
