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Roaring Twenties Timeline
(1920 - 1929)The Roaring Twenties was a decade of dramatic social, cultural, and economic change in the United States and Western Europe, marked by jazz music, flapper culture, Prohibition, mass consumerism, technological innovation, and unprecedented prosperity that ended with the 1929 stock market crash. More Less
Politics & Society
League of Nations holds its first council meeting
Jan 16, 1920
The League of Nations convened its first Council meeting in Geneva, formally beginning operations as the world's first intergovernmental organization dedicated to maintaining peace. Though the United States never joined, the League became a centerpiece of post-World War I diplomacy during the 1920s.
Image source: League of Nations
18th Amendment ushers in Prohibition
Jan 17, 1920
The Eighteenth Amendment took effect, banning the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol in the United States. Prohibition gave rise to speakeasies, bootlegging, and organized crime figures like Al Capone, defining much of the era's cultural landscape.
Image source: Prohibition in the United States
19th Amendment grants women the right to vote in the US
Aug 18, 1920
The Nineteenth Amendment was ratified, prohibiting the denial of the vote on the basis of sex. It marked a landmark victory for the American women's suffrage movement after decades of activism led by figures such as Susan B. Anthony and Alice Paul.
Image source: Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
Warren G. Harding elected US president
Nov 2, 1920
Republican Warren G. Harding won a landslide victory over James M. Cox, campaigning on a 'return to normalcy' after World War I. His administration promoted pro-business policies but was later tarnished by scandals such as Teapot Dome.
Image source: 1920 United States presidential election
Tulsa Race Massacre devastates Greenwood district
May 31, 1921 - Jun 1, 1921
A white mob attacked the prosperous Black neighborhood of Greenwood in Tulsa, Oklahoma, known as 'Black Wall Street,' killing as many as 300 people and destroying some 35 blocks of homes and businesses in one of the worst episodes of racial violence in American history.
Image source: Tulsa race massacre
Washington Naval Conference begins
Nov 12, 1921 - Feb 6, 1922
Nine nations met in Washington, D.C., to negotiate naval disarmament and address tensions in the Pacific. The resulting Five-Power Treaty set battleship tonnage ratios among the great powers, marking a major effort at arms limitation between the wars.
Image source: Washington Naval Conference
Mussolini's March on Rome brings fascists to power
Oct 28, 1922
Benito Mussolini and his Fascist Party staged a coup-like march on the Italian capital, prompting King Victor Emmanuel III to appoint Mussolini prime minister. The event marked the rise of fascism in Europe with far-reaching consequences for the following decades.
Image source: March on Rome
Calvin Coolidge becomes president after Harding's death
Aug 2, 1923
President Warren G. Harding died suddenly in San Francisco, and Vice President Calvin Coolidge was sworn in by his father at their Vermont home. 'Silent Cal' went on to win election in 1924 and presided over the booming mid-decade economy.
Image source: Calvin Coolidge
Scopes Trial debates evolution in Tennessee
Jul 10, 1925 - Jul 21, 1925
Teacher John T. Scopes was tried in Dayton, Tennessee for teaching evolution, clashing famed lawyers Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan. The 'Monkey Trial' dramatized the conflict between modern science and religious fundamentalism in 1920s America.
Image source: Scopes trial
Locarno Treaties signed to secure European borders
Oct 16, 1925 - Dec 1, 1925
Germany, France, Belgium, Britain, and Italy agreed to mutually respect the borders established by the Treaty of Versailles. The treaties eased Franco-German tensions and paved the way for Germany's admission to the League of Nations in 1926.
Image source: Locarno Treaties
Key Facts
- The 18th Amendment took effect in January 1920, launching Prohibition, which banned alcohol and fueled bootlegging and organized crime.
- The 19th Amendment, ratified in August 1920, granted American women the right to vote, empowering the era's 'New Woman' and flapper culture.
- Jazz music exploded in popularity, with figures like Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington defining the Harlem Renaissance and African American cultural expression.
- Mass production techniques, especially Henry Ford's Model T assembly line, made automobiles affordable and transformed American life and suburbs.
- The decade ended abruptly with the Wall Street stock market crash in October 1929, triggering the Great Depression.
Source
This Roaring Twenties timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.
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