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An Italian inventor, Guglielmo Marconi, sent the first transatlantic radiotelegraph message. He proved that radio communication was possible and paved the way for other people to advance this technology. https://www.thoughtco.com/invention-of-radio-1992382 -
Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, F. Scott Fitzgerald had a Catholic family. With a father who was deeply indulged in the Old South, and a second-generation Irish immigrant mother.
https://sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/university_libraries/browse/irvin_dept_special_collections/collections/matthew_arlyn_bruccoli_collection_of_f_scott_fitzgerald/life_of_fitzgerald/index.php#:~:text=Scott%20Fitzgerald%20were%20aspiration%2C%20literature,author%20of%20the%20National%20Anthem. -
Brothers, Orville, and Wilbur Wright created the first gasoline-powered, propeller-driven plane. They flew it in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, and worked to improve their design. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/first-airplane-flies -
In 1908, this model of car was first put on the market. It became the most popular and mass-produced vehicle due to it being inexpensive and somewhat durable. https://glcp.uvm.edu/landscape_new/dating/automobiles/1900s_automobiles.php#:~:text=The%20Ford%20Model%20T%2C%20often,%2C%20relatively%20inexpensive%2C%20durable%20body. -
The start of World War 1 happened with the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand. Fitzgerald mentions The Great Gatsby takes place after the war in the beginning of the novel. https://www.preceden.com/timelines/168121-1890-1950 -
While not doing well in university and on academic probation, Fitzgerald joins the U.S. military. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the infantry and wrote his book, "The Romantic Egotist." https://sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/university_libraries/browse/irvin_dept_special_collections/collections/matthew_arlyn_bruccoli_collection_of_f_scott_fitzgerald/life_of_fitzgerald/index.php -
This was one of the most severe pandemics, as it affected about 500 million people. It had a high mortality rate, even in younger healthy people. There were no medical treatments to help, so people were limited to isolation, personal hygiene, and the use of disinfectants. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic-resources/1918-commemoration/1918-pandemic-history.htm#:~:text=The%201918%20influenza%20pandemic%20was,with%20genes%20of%20avian%20origin. -
Fitzgerald was discharged right before he had to go overseas. This was after he met Zelda, his soon-to-be wife. He went to New York to earn money so he could get married. https://sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/university_libraries/browse/irvin_dept_special_collections/collections/matthew_arlyn_bruccoli_collection_of_f_scott_fitzgerald/life_of_fitzgerald/index.php -
The 18th Amendment was ratified. This was the prohibiting of the manufacturing, selling, and transporting of intoxicating liquors. https://guides.loc.gov/18th-amendment#:~:text=Ratified%20on%20January%2016%2C%201919,or%20transportation%20of%20intoxicating%20liquors%22. -
The war ended with the Treaty of Versailles and also introduced other things. In America, people wanted to celebrate, and in turn, was the start of the Jazz Age. https://blogs.loc.gov/loc/2018/01/world-war-i-american-jazz-delights-the-world/#:~:text=World%20War%20I%20brought%20many,albeit%20halting%20and%20incomplete%2C%20integration. -
In the Prohibition Era, lasting from 1920 to 1933, speakeasies became increasingly popular to defy the laws against alcohol. These were secret drinking enterprises that introduced a number of things, such as music, dancing, prostitution, and drugs. https://www.legendsofamerica.com/ah-prohibitionspeakeasy/ -
Fitzgerald gets married to his wife, Zelda Fitzgerald. She was an American writer and artist. She was known for personifying the carefree ideals of a 1920s flapper. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Zelda-Fitzgerald -
The 19th Amendment was ratified, and this allowed woman's right to vote. This was the start of freedom in woman's lives, a lot started partying in their newly liberated days. https://www.legendsofamerica.com/ah-prohibitionspeakeasy/ -
After a year of marriage, the Fitzgeralds welcomed their own child into the world. A girl named Frances Scott "Scottie" Fitzgerald. https://sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/university_libraries/browse/irvin_dept_special_collections/collections/matthew_arlyn_bruccoli_collection_of_f_scott_fitzgerald/life_of_fitzgerald/index.php -
The Fitzgeralds moved to Great Neck, Long Island to be closer to Broadway. The reasoning for this is because of the play, The Vegetable, Fitzgerald wrote and hoped to be wealthy from. https://sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/university_libraries/browse/irvin_dept_special_collections/collections/matthew_arlyn_bruccoli_collection_of_f_scott_fitzgerald/life_of_fitzgerald/index.php -
At this time, one of Fitzgerald's writings failed. He saved his family from debt by writing short stories, also around this time, the life of Great Neck and New York distracted him. He was unable to finish his third novel and his drinking increased. https://sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/university_libraries/browse/irvin_dept_special_collections/collections/matthew_arlyn_bruccoli_collection_of_f_scott_fitzgerald/life_of_fitzgerald/index.php -
The Fitzgerald Family went to France in the Spring of this year. This is the time when he started writing his novel, The Great Gatsby. His marriage was also rocky, with his wife having an affair. https://sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/university_libraries/browse/irvin_dept_special_collections/collections/matthew_arlyn_bruccoli_collection_of_f_scott_fitzgerald/life_of_fitzgerald/index.php -
After writing his book for a few years prior, Fitzgerald's third novel was finally published. It was published by Charles Scribner's Sons. https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Great-Gatsby -
The Roaring 20's came to an end. The Depression was the biggest downturn of the U.S. economy, and it started with the stock market crash of 1929. This is a time when everyone suffered to make a living. https://www.federalreservehistory.org/essays/great-depression#:~:text=The%20Depression%20was%20the%20longest,financial%20crises%20punctuated%20the%20contraction. -
In addition and contributing to the Great Depression, there was a period of severe dust storms. This was caused by drought and had an effect on the production of farmed goods, in addition to the lungs of many as they were filled with dust. https://www.history.com/topics/great-depression/1930s -
In the 1930s, people were still suffering through the Great Depression, but they still needed entertainment. As movies were being shown in color now, many watched them to escape reality. https://www.history.com/topics/great-depression/1930s -
With the end of the Great Depression, came the start of WW2. Germany had invaded Poland which led to the declaration of war between the Allied and Axis Powers. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/world-war-ii-history -
At age 45, he passed due to a heart attack in his Hollywood home. It has been said that it was due to the alcoholism that he had suffered with throughout his life. https://www.britannica.com/question/How-did-F-Scott-Fitzgerald-die -
After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. joins the war. This pulls them out of the Great Depression as the production of war supplies created jobs and boosted the economy. https://www.loc.gov/classroom-materials/united-states-history-primary-source-timeline/great-depression-and-world-war-ii-1929-1945/overview/#:~:text=Mobilizing%20the%20economy%20for%20world,in%20well%2Dpaying%20defense%20jobs. -
The start of 13 trials to hold contributors of Nazi Germany and their war crimes accountable. This was to bring justice to their crimes against humanity. https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/nuremberg-trials