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First Commercial Radio Broadcast
It is commonly attributed to KDKA in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which in October 1920 received its license and went on the air as the first US licensed commercial broadcasting station. (Their engineer Frank Conrad had been broadcasting from his own station since 1916.) Technically, KDKA was the first of several already-extant stations to receive a 'limited commercial' license. -
Junior Colleges Established
The junior colleges were to provide a quality, accessible, and inexpensive education for the state’s students. Originally junior colleges did not charge tuition to in-county students but charged small fees to students from other counties. All students were guaranteed work on the school farm or campus at a rate of 15 cents per hour. -
Women First Voted in Primary
After the state of Mississippi ratified the 19th Amendment women were finally able to vote. "The hour has come. The battle has been fought and won!" -
Scopes Trial in Tennessee
The Scopes Monkey Trial was a landmark American legal case in 1925 in which high school science teacher, John Scopes, was accused of violating Tennessee's Butler Act which made it unlawful to teach evolution in any state-funded school -
The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927
The most destructive river flood in the history of the United States. The river topped levees at 56 ft, a level that remains a record to this day, even exceeding the devastating 2010 floods.
Flooding overtook the levees causing the Mounds Landing to break with more than double the water volume of Niagara Falls. The Mississippi River broke out of its levee system in 145 places & flooded 27,000 square miles. Water flooded 30 ft deep, 60 miles wide, & more than 99 miles long. 246 people died. -
Theodore Gilmore Bilbo Elected Governor for Second Term
Thirty-ninth and Forty-third Governor
1916-1920; 1928-193
A master of filibuster and scathing rhetoric, a rough-and-tumble fighter in debate, he made his name a synonym for white supremacy. Proud of being a racist, Bilbo believed that black people were inferior, defended segregation & was a member of the Ku Klux Klan.
Only 5 ft 2 in, Bilbo wore flashy clothing, and was nicknamed "The Man" because he tended to refer to himself in the third person. -
Lindbergh Flew Solo Across the Atlantic
Lindbergh equipped himself with four sandwiches, two canteens of water and 451 gallons of gas. Midway through the flight "sleet began to cling to the plane. That worried me a great deal and I debated whether I should keep on or go back. I decided I must not think any more about going back." -
Mechanical Cotton Picker Invented
The star of the show was a thirty-year-old singer, Al Jolson, a Russian-born Jew who performed in blackface -
First Talking Movie-"The Jazz Singer"
The Jazz Singer is a 1927 American musical film. The first feature-length motion picture with synchronized dialogue sequences, its release heralded the commercial ascendance of the "talkies" and the decline of the silent film era. The star of the show was a thirty-year-old singer, Al Jolson, a Russian-born Jew who performed 6 songs in blackface. -
Stock Market Crash: Great Depression Begins
The Wall Street Crash of 1929, was the most devastating stock market crash in the history of the US. The crash signaled the beginning of the 10-year Great Depression that affected all Western industrialized countries & did not end in the United States until 1947. -
Martin S. Conner Won Primary
Forty-fourth Governor
1932-1936
Governor Conner inherited a bankrupt treasury and a $13 million deficit. At age forty-one, Martin Conner was one of the state’s youngest governors, but few had entered the office better trained or with more experience in public service. When he left office, the state had a surplus of over $3. -
Sales Tax Adopted
In 1932, Mississippi adopted a 2 percent general sales tax, becoming the first state to opt for this form of regressive taxation as a source of revenue. -
Franklin D. Roosevelt Elected President
Roosevelt won 57% of the vote and carried all but six states. Historians and political scientists consider the 1932-36 elections a realigning election that created a new majority coalition for the Democrats, one made up of organized labor, blacks, and ethnic Americans such as Italian-Americans, Polish-Americans and Jews -
Dust Bowl
On November 11, 1933, a very strong storm stripped topsoil from South Dakota farmlands. Then, beginning on May 9, 1934, a two-day storm removed massive amounts of Great Plains topsoil. The clouds blew to Chicago, where they deposited 12 million pounds of dust. On April 14, 1935, known as "Black Sunday", 20 of the worst "black blizzards" occurred, causing extensive damage and turning the day to night. -
Hitler Became Chancellor of Germany
On 2 August 1934 President von Hindenburg died. The previous day, the cabinet had enacted a law to take effect upon Hindenburg's death which abolished the office of president and combined its powers with those of the chancellor. Hitler thus became head of state as well as head of government, and was formally named as Führer und Reichskanzler (leader and chancellor). -
Bilbo Elected to US Senate
Bilbo’s strongest support came from the poor white regions in the hills of Mississippi. His appeal to the masses continued to generate much interest. “Hypnotic in his power, a master of invective, and making astute use of his familiarity with the Bible, he swayed the white tenants, small planters and the bankrupt with his assaults on Wall Street." -
Social Security Act Passed
The Social Security Act established a system of old-age benefits for workers, benefits for victims of industrial accidents, unemployment insurance, aid for dependent mothers and children, the blind, and the physically handicapped. -
BAWI Program
Balance Agriculture with Industry - offered incentives and advertised. -
World War II Began in Europe
On 1 September 1939, Germany attacked Poland. On 3 September France & Britain, followed by the countries of the Commonwealth, declared war on Germany but provided little support to Poland. Britain and France also began a naval blockade of Germany on 3 September which aimed to damage the country's economy & war effort. -
US Entered WWII
On 7 December 1941, Japan attacked the American fleet at Pearl Harbor. These attacks led the U.S., Britain, Australia and other Allies to formally declare war on Japan. Germany and the other members of the Tripartite Pact responded by declaring war on the United States. -
President Roosevelt Died
Three months after his third inauguration Roosevelt died of a massive cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 63. Americans mourned the death of the man who led the United States through two of the greatest crises of the 20th century: the Great Depression and World War II. Roosevelt's unparalleled 13 years as president led to the passing of the 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which limited future presidents to a maximum of two consecutive elected terms in office. -
Harry S. Truman Became President
Truman had just adjourned the House of Representatives for the day & was preparing to have a drink in House Speaker Sam Rayburn's office when he received an urgent message to go immediately to the White House. Truman assumed that President Roosevelt wanted to meet with him, but upon his arrival, Mrs. Roosevelt informed him that the president had died. Truman asked if there was anything he could do for her, & she replied, "Is there anything WE can do for YOU? You are the one in trouble now!" -
World War II Ended
Benito Mussolini was killed by Italian partisans on 28 April. Two days later, Hitler committed suicide. German forces surrendered in Italy on 29 April. The German surrender was signed on 7 May. On 11 July, the Allied leaders reiterated the demand for unconditional surrender of all Japanese forces, stating that "the alternative for Japan is prompt and utter destruction". When Japan ignored this, the US dropped two atomic bombs. One on Hiroshima & one on Nagasaki. Japan surrendered.
