Key Individuals of the 1920s & 1930s
Henry FordFord used the assembly line and interchangeable parts in the automobile industry to help produce the Model T, a car affordable for most Americans,
Wright Brothers
They were the first men to fly with their invention of the airplane; brought air travel to America
David SarnoffHe helped to build the broadcast industry—“foresaw radio as a mass medium built around a network, then did it again for television”; led RCA and NBC and built them to broadcast giants.
Guglielmo Marconi
He was an Italian inventor, best known for his development of a practical radiotelegraph system” -- responsible for the development of the radio—wireless transmission.
John Scopesaccused of having
violated the Butler Act while teaching in a high
school biology class. The act forbade the
teaching of the theory of evolution in public schools. Scopes trial
also called the “Monkey Trial.”
Clarence DarrowAttorney in the 1925 Scopes trial in which he defended John T. Scopes,
Warren G. Harding
President from 1921 to 1923, when he became the sixth president to die in office. His administration was full of scandals including the Teapot Dome Scandal
Calvin CoolidgeBecame president after Harding died. He said, “The least government was the best government.” Nickname “Silent Cal.” Famous quote: “The business of America is business.”
Eleanor Rooseveltwife of President Franklin D.
Roosevelt; became the ‘eyes and ears’ of FDR
during the Great Depression; encouraged him to allow women to
participate in his government.