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Selective Service Act Passed
The Selective Service Act was enacted in 1917. It was authorized by the federal government to strengthen the national army in preparation for WWI. The act required all men between the ages of 21 and 30 to register for the United States Military.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/u-s-congress-passes-selective-service-act -
18th Amendment
Ratified in 1919, the 18th amendment prohibited the drinking, selling, making, and distributing of alcoholic beverages. The amendment was established based on the nationwide prohibition movement, encouraged by women. The amendment led to the rise of crime rates, gangsters, and the bootlegging movements.
http://www.history.com/topics/18th-and-21st-amendments -
Sacco and Vanzetti Trial
During a bank robbery in 1920, a paymaster and security guard were killed. In the midst, two Italian men, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were framed and trialed for the robbery and murder, although they were completely innocent and clear of involvement. This trial became known as one of America's most important cases in history.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-sacco-vanzetti-case-draws-national-attention -
19th Amendment
The nineteenth amendment was a great stepping stone for the equal rights movement by women, granting women the right to vote. The passing of the amendment followed immediately after WWI. The government acknowledged women's great efforts in the work force during the war, and it if were not for women, there would've been no successful war efforts in the US, so they were rewarded with the amendment. -
Emergency Quota Act
The Emergency Quota Act restricted the number of immigrants to 357,000 per year, and also set down an immigration quota by which only 3 per cent of the total population of any ethnic group already in the USA in 1910, could be admitted to America after 1921. The Emergency Quota Act was intended to be a temporary measure but the National Origins Formula continued until 1965.
http://www.american-historama.org/1913-1928-ww1-prohibition-era/1921-emergency-quota-act.htm -
Publication of The Great Gatsby
After WWI, arts and literature became widely known, and F. Scott Fitzgerald was a famous author of this time period. He wrote of the wealthy separation within the United States prior to the war and the distinction between the rich and the poor. The fictional novel surrounded the idea of a traditional, post-war, American lifestyle.
http://www.vox.com/2015/4/10/8377119/the-great-gatsby-was-published-90-years-ago-this-is-the-tiny-ad-it-got -
John Scopes Trial
John Scopes, a science teacher, challenged the law and taught sections on evolution and humans when he was supposed to be teaching based on the Bible. To the prosection, the case was very simple. They held that the state had the constitutional right to set the curriculum in state-funded schools.
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Harlem Renaissance
An African American cultural, literacy, and artistic movement centered in Harlem, an area in NYC, in the 1920s. Harlem, the largest black community in the world outside of Africa, was considered the cultural capital of African Americans. Art and music also flourished during Harlem's golden age. -
Flight of Charles Lindbergh
Charles Lindbergh was a famous aviator. He became the first man to successfully fly an airplane across the Atlantic Ocean. He made the first solo nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean
http://www.charleslindbergh.com/
http://www.charleslindbergh.com/history/ -
The Jazz Singer
The Jazz Singer, which included classical and popular music, as well as about 350 words of dialogue. The success of this film led directly to the motion-picture industry’s conversion to sound, as the major studios quickly lobbied to gain rights to use Vitaphone.Warner Brothers agreed to give up the exclusive rights to the system for a share of the royalties, and by the spring virtually every Hollywood studio had jumped on the sound wagon. -
St. Valentine's Day Massacre
Chicago’s gang war reached its bloody climax in the so-called St. Valentine’s Day Massacre of 1929. One of Capone’s longtime enemies, the Irish gangster George “Bugs” Moran, ran his bootlegging operations out of a garage on the North Side of Chicago. On February 14, seven members of Moran’s operation were gunned down while standing lined up, facing the wall of the garage. Some 70 rounds of ammunition were fired.
http://www.history.com/topics/saint-valentines-day-massacre -
Black Tuesday
On October 29, 1929, Black Tuesday hit Wall Street as investors traded some 16 million shares on the New York Stock Exchange in a single say. Billions of dollars were lost, wiping out thousands of investors. In the aftermath, America and the rest of the industrialized world spiraled downward into the Great Depression
http://www.history.com/topics/1929-stock-market-crash -
Herbert Hoover Elected President
Herbert Hoover took office in 1929,the year the U.S. economy plummeted into the Great Depression . Although his predecessors’ policies undoubtedly contributed to the crisis, Hoover bore much of the blame in the minds of the American people. As the Depression deepened, Hoover failed to recognize the severity of the situation or leverage the power of the federal government to squarely address it.
http://www.history.com/topics/1929-stock-market-crash -
Hoover Dam Construction
In 1929, Hoover signed the Colorado River Compact into law, claiming it was “the most extensive action ever taken by a group of states under the provisions of the Constitution permitting compacts between states.” Construction of the Hoover Dam began on July 7, 1930. The Hoover Dam’s construction sprinted forward: The contractors finished their work two years ahead of schedule and millions of dollars under budget.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/building-of-hoover-dam-begins -
Empirr State Building Built
The skyscraper soon became the most visible feature of the city. The sleek 102-story Empire State Building was for years the tallest building in the world. Most significantly, the skyscaper came to symbolize the new mass culture.
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Bonus Army
While waiting on a vote on the issue, the veterans conducted themselves in a peaceful fashion, on June 15th the Patman Bill passed in the H.O.R. Two days later its defeat in the Senate infuriated the marchers. In a tense situation, the fed. gov't provided money for the protesters’ trip home, some refused the offer and continued to protest. July 28, Pres. Hoover ordered the army to evict them forcibly.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/bonus-marchers-evicted-by-u-s-army -
1st election of Franklin Roosevelt
Franklin Roosevelt was in his second term as New York Governor when he was elected as the 32nd president. The country was mired in the depths of the Great Depression and Roosevelt immediately acted to restore public confidence, proclaiming a bank holiday and speaking directly to the public in a series of radio broadcasts or “fireside chats”. His New Deal programs and reforms redefined the role of the federal government in the lives of Americans. -
Hitler Elected Chancellor of Germany
Jan. 30, 1933, Pres. Hindenburg names Hitler leader of National Socialist German Workers Party, as chancellor of Germany. Hitler’s emergence as chancellor marked a turning point for Germany. He ordered a rapid expansion of the state police, & putting Hermann Goering in charge of a new security force, composed entirely of Nazis & dedicated to stamping out whatever opposition to his party might arise.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/adolf-hitler-is-named-chancellor-of-germany -
FDR's 100 First Days
FDR was in his 2nd term as governor of New York when he was elected as the nation’s 32nd pres. in 1932. With the country mired in the depths of the GD, FDR immediately acted to restore public confidence, proclaiming a bank holiday & speaking directly to the public in a series of radio broadcasts or “fireside chats.” His ambitious slate of New Deal programs & reforms redefined the role of the federal gov. in the lives of Americans.
http://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/franklin-d-roosevelt -
FDIC Passed
Franklin Roosevelt spent his first one hundred days in office working on the national banks. He called for the closing of all banks nation wide for inspection by federal officials. FDR's goal was to restore consumer trust in the banking system, which is what the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation did. This organization promised all citizens their money back up to a certain amount. -
21st Amendment
Prohibition, failing fully to enforce sobriety and costing billions, rapidly lost popular support in the early 1930s. The 21st amendment was passed and ratified, ending national prohibition after it lead to a flourish of organized crime. After the repeal of the 18th amendment, some state continued prohibition by maintaining statewide temperance laws.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/prohibition-ends -
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
The Securities and Exchange Commission was established in 1934 to regulate the commerce in stocks, bonds, and other securities. After the October 29, 1929, stock market crash, reflections on its cause prompted calls for reform. Controls on the issuing and trading of securities were virtually nonexistent, allowing for any number of frauds and other schemes.
http://www.history.com/topics/securities-and-exchange-commission -
National Labor Relations Act
The National Relations Act or the wagner act created a National Labor Relations Board. The act outlawed a variety of union-busting tactics. This act led to the revitalization of the American labor movement and a change in labor-management relations.
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Social Security Act Passed
The Social Security Act was originally created to combat unemployment. Franklin Roosevelt hoped that act would prevent senior citizens from ending up impoverished. It now functions primarily as a safety net for retirees and the disables, and provides death benefits to taxpayer dependents.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/fdr-signs-social-security-act -
Neutrality Act
In 1935, FDR ruled that the United States would remain completely neutral throughout the war. The act banned the exportation of "arms, ammunition, and Implementation of war towards ant foreign nation. Originally, Roosevelt opposed the acts but was eventually swayed by majority opinion.
https://history.state.gov/milestones/1921-1936/neutrality-acts -
Hindenburg Disaster
On May 3, 1937, the Hindenburg left Frankfurt, Germany, for a journey across the Atlantic to Lakehurst’s Navy Air Base On May 6, 1937, the airship Hindenburg, the largest dirigible ever built and the pride of Nazi Germany, bursts into flames upon touching its mooring mast in Lakehurst, New Jersey, killing 36 passengers and crewmembers. Rapidly falling 200 feet to the ground, the hull of the airship incinerated within seconds.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-hindenburg-disaster -
Golden Gate Bridge Completion
Following the Gold Rush boom, speculators realized the land north of San Francisco Bay would increase in value in direct population to its accessibility to the city.On Jan. 5, 1933, construction begins on the Golden Gate Bridge, as workers began excavating 3.25 million cubic feet of dirt for the structure’s huge anchorages. The Golden Gate Bridge officially opened on May 27, 1937, the longest bridge span in the world
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/golden-gate-bridge-is-born -
Nazi Germany Invades Poland
In Poland, German forces advanced at a dizzying rate. They began employing a military strategy known as blitzkrieg, armored divisions smashed through enemy lines and isolated segments of the enemy. They were then encircled and captured by motorized German infantry while the panzer tanks rushed forward to repeat the pattern.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/germans-invade-poland -
Lend-Lease Act Signed by FDR
The Lend-lease act replaced the Cash-and-Carry act. This new act, passed in 1941 during WWII, allowed for the US to remain indirectly involved in the war. The act allowed for the federal government to provide weapons and ammunition to foreign allies in exchange for national security.
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/lend-lease-act -
Pearl Harbor
Several Hundred Japanese Fighter planes attacked Honolulu, Hawaii, the home to American naval bases. Nearly twenty vessels were destroyed in the fire, and more than 2000 American lives were lost. The following day, President Franklin D Roosevelt requested declaration of war on Japan.
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/pearl-harbor -
D-Day
During the night, three divisions parachuted down behind the German defenses. By dawn, the British and American troops fought their way ashore at five points along a sixty mile stretch of beach. By the end, Eisenhower had won his beachhead and pushed back the German forces.
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Concentration Camps Liberated
Auschwitz, also known as Auschwitz-Birkenau, opened in 1940 and was the largest of the Nazi concentration and death camps. Located in southern Poland, Auschwitz initially served as a detention center for political prisoners. However, it evolved into a network of camps where Jewish people and other perceived enemies of the Nazi state were exterminated, often in gas chambers, or used as slave labor.
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/auschwitz -
Yalta Conference
February 4-11 1945 Yalta Conference was the second wartime meeting of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin and U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The three leaders agreed to demand Germany’s unconditional surrender and began plans for a post-war world. They scheduled another meeting for April in San Francisco to create the United Nations.
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/yalta-conference -
Battle of Iwo Jima
This was the major battle in 1945 in which the United States Navy landed on the island of Iwo Jima and captured it from Japan in the midst of conflict. Iwo Jima was protected by nearly 23,000 Japanese Naval troops. The Japanese fought with elaborate war tactics, and America lost nearly 6,000 troops and almost 1,200 prisoners of war.
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-iwo-jima -
FDR's Death
After FDR returned from Yalta, he was so weak that he was forced to sit down while addressing Congress. In early April 1945, FDR left Washington and traveled to his cottage in Warm Springs, Georgia, where he had long before established a nonprofit foundation to aid polio patients. On April 12, FDR suffered a massive cerebral hemorrhage; he died later that day, and was succeeded in office by his vice president, Harry S. Truman.
http://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/franklin-d-roosevelt -
VE Day
VE is marked by the great victory by the United States and Great Britain in Europe, hence the name Victory in Europe Day. This victory is marked by the German surrender in attempts to invade the Soviet Union. After this victory, Great Britain, the US, and preoccupied western European nations all put out flags and banners to celebrate defeat of the Nazis.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/victory-in-europe -
Hiroshima Atomic Bomb
On August 6, the US dropped its second successful atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. The dropping of the bomb was intended to scare the Japanese into unconditionally surrendering. The bomb caused destruction for miles, killing thousands and ultimately resulting in nuclear radiation damage. -
Nagasaki Atomic Bomb
On August 9, 1945, a second atomic bomb was dropped on Japan by the United States, at Nagasaki. As a result of this atomic bomb, between 60,000 and 80,000 people were killed. This atomic bomb resulted in the unconditional surrender of Japan.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/atomic-bomb-dropped-on-nagasaki -
V-J Day
On August 14, 1945, Japan surrendered to the United States after two of the nation's major ports were destroyed by the first atomic bombs in WWII. This day marked the official end to the war and became known as the "victory over Japan Day," or V-J Day. September 2, 1945 is also called V-J Day for the official surrender of Japanese forces. -
United Nations Established
On Oct. 24, 1945, the United Nations Charter, which was adopted and signed on June 26, 1945, is not effective and ready to be enforced. The U.N. was born of perceived necessity, as a means of better arbitrating international conflict and negotiating peace than was provided for by the old League of Nations. The principles of the U.N. Charter were first formulated at the San Francisco Conference, which convened on Apr. 25, 1945.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-united-nations-is-born
