Invention Of The 1920s Essay

The Roaring 1920s was a time where people were living the American dream. Many people called it the “age of excess” because it was the first time in American history that people could afford to buy in abundance and anything they pleased. The 20’s was affected by many inventions and new entertainment that American’s were adapting to. The movies and radio were some of the most influential industries of the twenties. They helped spread information faster, inspire people’s fashion and aspirations, and were they kickstarter for the entertainment and media industries today.

Due to the invention the radio in the 1920’s, information was more easily accessible and able to spread widely across the country and a shorter amount of time. After the first broadcast in 1920 by KDKA of the presidential election, the public became frantic to get their own radio even though very few people were actually able to hear the original broadcast. Radios were an expensive novelty when they were first on the market, but as they became more popular, the prices went down, and soon, over 60% of American households had one. By 1922 there were over 600 radio stations nationwide. Radio sales in 1922 were $60 million, and then they soared to

$426 million by 1929. Soon radio was America's main source of receiving information because it was a fast and popular option.

Movies became popular during this time as well going from about 100 movies released every year to over 800 by the mid 20s.

By 1925, 20,000 theaters dotted the nation. Popularity of the movies soared as they increasingly featured glamour, sophistication, and sex appeal. They were also so widely loved because easy entertainment was just around the corner while bringing communities together through the love of movies. People were striving to be like the famous actors and actress they loved to see on screen. Things such as fashion were greatly influenced by movies because now they were more widely known icons for people to aspire to. Some of the popular actors/actresses were Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin, Clara Bow, and Rudolph Valentino, to name a

few.

We wouldn't have advanced so much in the technology without these industries. When radio first hit the nation, many thought it wouldn’t last long due to the popularity of telephones and telegraphs. In fact,they were wrong. Radio has transformed society, not to mention giving birth to the entire field of electronics. Movies were also new form of entertainment that sparked the creation of all that we have today. Many of the original film studios are still the leading studios nowadays such as, Warner Bros. Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Universal, and 20th Century Fox. Not only were these inventions a means of entertainment and leisure time, but they brought America together and furthered advanced communication.

In conclusion, the 1920s proved itself to be the decade of mass entertainment in the spark the created the entertainment media we have today. The movie industry boomed and the actors were idols for people to aspire to and radio swept across the nation giving people a great form of entertainment and easily accessible information from home.All of these combined truly made the decade the beginning of a great mass entertainment industry for decades, maybe even centuries, to come.