The Automobile

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Ford Model T
    One of the most important inventions of the 1920s was the invention of the automobile. The man who started it all was Henry Ford. He was the first person to create an automobile with a combustion engine. Ford later founded the Ford Motor Company. Ford was a pioneer of mass production and is considered by many, the father of the automobile. With the creation of Ford Model T, Ford created an affordable car that was available for average Americans. The automobile soon became part of everyday life for Americans.

The Airplane

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Charles Lindbergh and The Spirit of St. Louis
    The invention of the airplane started in 1903 by the Wright Brothers being the first to successfully fly a powered, controlled plane with a sustained flight. It was a groundbreaking invention but it failed to gain popularity due to its safety hazards. However, by the 1920s improvements in technology made the airplane safer and made the it into one of the most significant inventions of the 1920s.
    One of the first public uses of the airplane was for entertainment. Pilots would fly around performing tricks in carnivals across the country. The airplane later became used to carry mail and supplies. This sped up transportation time tremendously. Eventually, people began being transported by airplane as well. It was expensive at first for the average American to fly but prices soon dropped and flying became common.
    The popularity of the airplane in America soon skyrocketed on May 20, 1927 when Charles Lindbergh became the first person to fly across the Atlantic in a non-stop flight. He then won many awards such as the Medal of Honor and helped promote the development of US commercial aviation. 

Movies and Radio

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    Although movies and radio were invented before the 1920s, they just started becoming very popular during this time. For movies, early 1920s film production occurred on the west coast in or near Hollywood. By the mid 1920s, the movie industry really boomed and was worth over $2 billion. As films became longer and improved in quality, its popularity went up drastically. During this time period, an average of 800 movies were made per year which still stands as the greatest output of films in US history. Currently there are an average 500 films made per year.  
    The first radios were invented in the 1870s. However, they were not very popular because of their bulkiness and poor reception. But during the 1920s, new innovations made the radio more practical thus making it more popular. Since radio signals were clearer now, new radio stations began to pop up. In 1922, the first public radio broadcasting station opened in Pittsburgh. Many others then followed. The radio became so popular among Americans for multiple reasons. It quickly became an important source of information for Americans providing them with news from local issues to world affairs. In addition to news, the radio soon provided entertainment ranging from concerts to sermons.

Thinking Like a Historian: Change and Continuity

    Technology is always changing and the 1920s is a prime example of technological change. Many new things were invented or previous inventions were improved. Technology improved from before the WWI through the 1920s and continues to evolve today. One thing that has remained the same is the human mindset of creating new things. Beneficiaries of all these inventions include every human around the world.