The Explosive 1920's
... In the 1920’s, the advent of certain technologies helped to bring about the immense success of the movie industry. In 1922, improvements in sound recording technology enabled the filming and broadcasting of the first movie ever made with sound, "The Jazz Singer". In 1926, the advent of Technicolor enabled the creation and broadcasting of movies with color as well. Consequently, the movie industry became a major part of American industry in general. The popularity of these new "talkies" was so great that movie attendance in the United States increased from 60 million people in 1927 to 110 million two years later. With attendance figures skyrocketing, the public demanded more movies. More movies meant more competition, and more competition meant more advertising dollars. Today, movies are still in high demand and give way to a billion dollar industry. Thanks to early inventions, movie technology has become increasingly more advanced. An invention of smaller dimensions and lower cost was the radio, which had the same ability to bring people together and was one of the greatest crazes of the 1920s. Being substantially cheaper than a car, the radio became a part of virtually every home in America in only a few short years. The introduction of public radio allowed listeners to not only keep up with national issues and events, it also allowed listeners to experience new ideas, new entertainment, and to form opinions on matters that had never been publicized to a national degree. The radio was certainly one of the most important inventions of the 1920s, because it brought people together simultaneously. In the modern era, radios are still an important source of news, entertainment and information. They have become increasingly popular as small transportable devices and as a source of company when driving. In the 1900’s people were experimenting with ways to preserve food via mechanical and chemical methods. But in 1924, with $7 for an electric fan, buckets of brine, and cakes of ice, Clarence Birdseye invented a system of packaging fresh food into waxed cardboard boxes and flash-freezing them under high pressure. This invention was incredibly important because it indirectly improved the health and convenience of all in the industrialized world. Eventually, the process of freezing foods gave way to refrigerated display cases and the ability to ship foods via railway nationwide. Today, the original patent for Birdseye foods is owned and operated by General Foods Corporation. The perfected technology of preserving foods has allowed us to enjoy fruits and vegetables in the winter, and increase the storage time of our favorite meals. Scientific advancements during the 1920s were not limited to industrial technologies. Health and medicine advanced greatly during the same time period as well. Following the war, an interest developed in nutrition, caloric consumption, and physical vitality. Coincidentally, the discovery of vitamins and their effects also happened around the same time. Herbert McLean Evans discovered Vitamin E, and its anti-sterility properties in 1920. Elmer V. McCollum discovered Vitamin D, and its ability to prevent rickets in 1920. Vitamins A, B, C, and K were also discovered during the 1920s. The public learned of the benefits of consuming foods high in nutritional value, and thus, a generation of health fanatics was started. To this day, dieting trends and nutrition are heavily promoted because they affect our long-term health. In the medical arena, Frederick Banting and Charles Best discovered Insulin in 1921. Up until this time, patients with diabetes died within a few years of diagnosis. Although Insulin was not a cure for diabetes, it was considered a significant breakthrough in diabetes treatment. The discovery of Insulin was incredibly important to our time given the sheer number of individuals who suffer from diabetes. Because there is still no cure, Insulin must be used to treat the disease. Perhaps not as noteworthy as the discovery of Insulin, but equally important in every day use, was the invention of the band-aid. In 1921, Earle Dickinson created the ba...