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The industrial revolution american invention of the 19th century
The industrial revolution american invention of the 19th century
The industrial revolution in the 19th century
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The increased financial prosperity of the 1920s perpetuated the notion of mass entertainment resulting in a dominating emphasis on entertainment and leisure. The influx of wealth, in conjunction with innovative technological advancements, fueled the increasing popularity of radio programs. After the initial broadcast of KDKA, which is now known as CBS Pittsburgh, the American public was overcome with radio mania thus the radio became an integral aspect of everyday life in the 1920s.
By the late 1920’s, radio shows had rapidly increased in number with content spanning across multiple genres to accommodate specific consumer tastes. Westerns, murder mysteries, children’s shows, romances, soap operas, and comedies grew more sophisticated with carefully orchestrated plots, evocative soundtracks, and dynamic dialog. Syndicated radio shows, such as Amos ‘n’ Andy, entertained the nation. The nationwide popularity and mass consumption of programs like Amos ‘n’ Andy cultivated a consumer connection, obfuscating the “regional differences in dialect, language, music, and even consumer taste”
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(Khan Academy). Such programs were easily understood, connected people from California to New York, and appealed to a vast array of consumers regardless of social standing or economic background. The dissemination of the radio amongst different classes, situations, and upbrings allowed for a sense of social homogenization and created a shared national culture. Radio broadcasts of national news, religious services, lectures, weather updates, and sporting events could be listened to while performing other tasks; therefore, an active schedule could not impede the rapidly growing dependency and solicitude for radio programs.
Families during the 1920s scheduled their “day-to-day activities around popular radio shows” (MortalJourney). It was a habitual custom to end the day gathered around the radio as a family to listen to a witty skit or the local news. The radio affected not only the daily life of urban families but also agrarian families. In the photograph entitled “Milkman Listens to Radio”, a middle-aged farmer can be seen milking a cow while listening to a radio (George Mason University). The increase in consumerism was not limited to specific demographic; rather, the impact of the radio was seen across the entirety of the
nation. Since its advent in 1920, the radio has flourished throughout all succeeding decades. Despite the lack of the traditional radios popular in the early and mid-20th century, the influence of the radio has changed the way we consume media through programs like Pandora, Spotify, Sirius XM, and iHeartRadio as well as podcasts and radio talk shows. The introduction of the radio served as the impetus for mass consumer culture and spawned innovative entertainment such as sound films.
The power of television is strong and inevitable. Television has the ability to draw people in and view the world through a perspective one would think unimaginable. After the second world war ended in 1945, electronic sales boomed and more families started to gather around the tv at night to view widely famous television shows. Specifically, The Ed Sullivan Show was known for its plethora of celebrities and up and coming entertainers. The shows popularity was able to take a small town artist and make he or she into an enormous success, specifically, Elvis Presley who was, “something new under the Sun” (Altschuler 30). Teenagers, however, viewed the television as an escape and a look into the unknown and intriguing world of African American culture. Through the extreme recognition of The Ed Sullivan Show, the power of mass media and the fascination with African American culture, Elvis Presley’s success skyrocketed and made him one of the most famous performers of all time whose fame became an inspiration for many.
Radio waves were first discovered in 1887, but radio itself was initially invented by Italian Guglielmo Marconi in 1895 (1). His biggest mentioned success was in 1901, when he managed to broadcast the letter “S” across the Atlantic Ocean (1). However, he focused primarily on point-to-point transmissions, not large scale broadcasts from one point (F). As such, three American inventors - Lee De Forest, Edwin Howard Armstrong, and David Sarnoff - took credit for making radio as it is today a success (F). De Forest was born and raised in Alabama and he thought of everything in terms of patents and eventually held more than 300, but many claimed that he simply stole the inventions of others (2). In 1900, he patented a device to enhance weak signals and in 1902, he formed the De Forest Wireless Telegraph Company (1). In the same year. Reginald Fessenden, a Canadian, invented the “electrolytic detector”, which later became the spade detector that brought De Forest so much fame (F). In 1904, John Fleming invented the oscillation valve, which later became De Forest’s audion, and De Forest won the gold medal at the St. Louis World’s Fair for his “spade detector” (F). De Forest gained quite a bit of fame by broadcasting music live from the Eiffel Tower and from the Metropolitan Opera; however, many believed that this was a scam and that he had actually had the device broadcasting the signal only a few blocks away (F). In 1906, he envisioned bringing music and voices to all American households, but as it turns out Canadian inventor Fessenden had already broadcasted a Christmas greeting and music to the crew of a ship off the coast of Canada on Christmas Eve a year earlier (F). In 1912, Armstrong became prominent by inventing regeneration, wh...
“Radio” is a movie released in 2003, starring Cuba Gooding Jr. and Ed Harris. It is based on the true story of James Robert Kennedy, also known as Radio. Radio was a mentally ill, African American who lived with his mother and enjoyed spending most of his days pushing his shopping cart through the streets of Anderson, South Carolina. Radio got his name because of his love for old, vintage radios. At the beginning of the movie, Radio is pushing his cart through the street as a man stares at him, one lady pulls her daughter away from him and another man almost hits him with his car while calling him a “moron”. Every day, Radio pushes his cart by the high school where Coach Jones (Ed Harris) and the football team practice. Coach Jones soon
Entertainment in the 1920s began changing after World War I. Because people had more money and were more prosperous, they were able to go to theatres, clubs, and sporting events. Although the greatest form of entertainment had been motorcars, it was a form of freedom that people had never experienced. Sports began to become more popular. “Baseball became popular with the great mass of people for the first time”(Fischer). Because of another form of entertainment gaining popularity, the radio made it easier for fans to keep up
Portrayal of African Americans on television is frequently a controversial topic. Throughout its rather brief history, television, in its programming, has skewed predominantly white, (Pringozy, 2007). This was clearer in the 1950s and early 1960s, and it even remained true throughout the 1970s, when television shows with mainly all African American casts became hits, (Strausbaugh, 2006). The success of The Cosby Show in the 1980s helped to improve race relations somewhat, or at least on television, (McNeil, 1996). Still, controversy continued, and still does to this day, as to which shows present negative stereotypes of African Americans and which ones do not, (Strausbaugh, 2006). Therefore, when talking about the history of African Americans on television, it is best to begin with the show that is widely considered to be the epitome of negative stereotypes of African Americans on television: The Amos and Andy Show, (McNeil, 1996). This paper will examine the portrayal of African Americans through two shows from two generations and the impacts both shows had on Black America; The Amos and Andy Show (1928) and The Cosby Show (1984).
Many of the inventions during the 1920s modernized America. Inventions of the 1920s include the American Hammond Organ, adhesive bandages, car radios, loudspeakers, electric shavers, and traffic signals. Household items like electric irons, toasters, refrigerators, air conditioners, radio, television, and vacuum cleaners made daily life very different from previous generations. The radio was in almost every home and provided listeners with sports, concerts, and news. Radio quickly became a national obsession. For those that could not afford a radio, the radio in public places became a gathering place and allowed people to keep up with issues and share ideas and opinions. The first movie with sound was introduced and started the movie industry. As automobiles became more affordable, movie theatres became more popular. The 1920s not only introduced sound to movies, but also Technicolor. Movies soon became America’s favorite form of entertainment. The aviation industry was also stimulated with Charles A. Lindbergh’s first flight across the Atlantic Oce...
When people think of the 1920s they think of the great depression. What people don’t know is that twenties were much more than the depression. The 1920s were one of Americas most prosperous eras. This era brought peace, new technology, inventions, new dances, flappers, entertainment, prohibition and much more. The twenties have been described in many ways including the Roaring Twenties, the Jazz age and the era of wonderful nonsense. The name that best illustrates this time period is the era of wonderful nonsense because the crazy fads.
The 1920’s was a period of extremely economic growth and personal wealth. America was a striving nation and the American people had the potential to access products never manufactured before. Automobile were being made on an assembly line and were priced so that not just the rich had access to these vehicles, as well as, payment plans were made which gave the American people to purchase over time if they couldn't pay it all up front. Women during the First World War went to work in place of the men who went off to fight. When the men return the women did not give up their positions in the work force. Women being giving the responsibility outside the home gave them a more independent mindset, including the change of women's wardrobe, mainly in the shortening of their skirts.
The 1920's brought many advancements in technology which allowed Americans to entertain themselves at home; the radio was one of them. The radio was actually developed before the 1920's; however, it was banned during World War I and allowed to reappear after the Prohibition ended in 1919 (Events 72). After the Prohibition ended, and radio broadcasting was being brought back to life, many people started up their first stations, like Frank Conrad (Events 72). Frank Conrad's first broadcast consisted of the Presidential Election results (Events 72). As Conrad was one of the first people to broadcast, KDKA was one of the first radio stations to appear in the Unite...
Wukovits, John F., ed. America's Decades: The 1920's. San Diego: Greehaven Press Inc., 2000. Print.
...y and western music was the norm; and mainstream pop was practically everywhere in urban settings. However, as populations shifted, word of mouth spread, and radio stations were able to amplify the reach of their signals – white, middle-class teenagers came to discover a whole other world of music. Take for example, Alan Freed’s radio program, The Moondog Show, which played hit R&B records when other major stations refused to play them. Like radio stations, who utilized recorded music to garner an audience, TV shows did the same by holding special guest appearances by a famous musician or band. These appearances would not only generate views to keep the show on air, but it also elevated its popularity. As an example, consider Ed Sullivan’s television show, Toast of the Town, which went on to boost the popularity of Elvis Presley and several musicians and bands after.
Buying the same stuff, listening to the same music, and even using the same slang terms. Many people across the United States and even across the world were becoming more and more similar in the way they talked and the purchases they made. This could partially be accredited to the radio. This simple device was revolutionizing the nation’s economy. The value of radio sales in the U.S. jumped from $60 million in 1922 to almost $850 million in 1929. Popular network programs such as “Amos ‘n’ Andy” and “the Philco hour” provided an effective ...
In the 1930s, the United States was recovering from the Great Depression, and the urban audience needed products that would bring comfort and get-away opportunities. At the same time, radio broadcasting became more common in the country, bringing affordable entertainment to the public. In one account, ordinary southerners would listen to the radio on Saturday night as “there wasn’t nothing else doing.” Producers travelled in the South, including the Appalachian region, to record the rich, local, and traditional mus...
Carlisle, Rodney P. Handbook To Life In America. Volume VI, The Roaring Twenties, 1920 To 1929. Facts on File, 2009. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 30 May 2012
Television influenced people’s lives like no other phenomenon of its time in the 1950’s. Culture and politics was effected by the 1950’s through television programming as shows changed how people viewed the world, commercials stimulated the growth of both new and old products and news could be seen and not just read in the newspapers. When television first came on the scene, it was considered a toy for the wealthy but by the 1950’s most homes had a television as their new form of entertainment. Families changed their routines so they could gather together to watch their favorite television program. As television brought information and entertainment into homes, the world became smaller as people watched the same programs at the same time