Weird and Wacky Facts of the 1920s
- Catherine Moscatt
- Oct 8
- 2 min read
Popular candy was introduced such as gummi bears, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup and and Baby Ruth bars.
A ten minute cross country phone call would today cost $426.
Just as “medical marijuana” is popular today, “medical whiskey” was a way people could get some booze from their doctors.
Brand names also emerged in the 1920s like Kool-Aid (damn, that guy’s been around for a while) and Velveeta Cheese. The 20s brought us alot of great stuff,
I can’t get this far and not mention prohibition which haven’t talked about \ yet because I feel like everyone knows about it. Prohibition made manufacturing, selling and consuming alcohol illegal. Alot of people got around this law by going to speakeasies, underground bars where alcohol was often sold.
Fun Fact: My favorite movie, Some Like It Hot, took place in the 1920s and involved speakeasies, alcohol and mobsters.
One fad that emerged was dressing in the style of an Egyptian. President Herbert Hoover named his dog “King Tut”
Competitions emerged that might surprise us today. These competitions include eating competitions (which are still popular today), kissing marathons, and gum chewing contests. There were even talking contests like the “World’s Championship Gabfest” I know a few people who could probably compete in that and maybe even win. This is also when beauty pageants began to come into fad.
President Woodrow Wilson had suffered a near fatal stroke but he still remained in the White House. Why? Because his ambitious wife Edith Wilson was really running the show, pulling all the strings and let no one know how sick he really was.
A terrorist attack struck the J.P. Morgan building in 1920 when a bomb went off killing 38 and injuring hundreds. Those responsible were never brought to justice and motive and criminals remained mere speculation.
Bonus: When I was thirteen I dressed up as a flapper for Halloween with a vintage dress I found at the thrift store. I had the perfect hair length and it was probably one of my favorite costumes.
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