Hanco*ck Historical Museum » 7 Inventions of the 1920s (2024)

FAQs

What were the new products in the 1920s? ›

Newly developed innovations like radios, phonographs, vacuum cleaners, washing machines, and refrigerators emerged on the market during this period. These new items were expensive, but consumer-purchasing innovations like store credit and installment plans made them available to a larger segment of the population.

Another interesting invention of the 1920s was the polygraph, or lie detector. It was invented in 1921 by a Californian policeman, John Larson. He used the ideas of other psychologists to make a machine that measured people's heart rate, breathing and blood pressure while they were asked questions.

This included automobiles, moving pictures, and radio that brought "modernity" to a large part of the population. At the same time, jazz and dancing rose in popularity, in opposition to the mood of World War I. As such, the period often is referred to as the Jazz Age.

The technological revolution of the 1920s was driven by the continued development and widespread adoption of the internal combustion engine, the development of electrical machinery and the spread of electrification to households and manufacturing.

The 20s gave us jazz, movies, radio, making out in cars, illegal liquor. And the 20s also gave us prosperity, although not for everybody.

For three decades starting in 1920, radio revolutionized American culture. At a time when most citizens still lived outside of big cities, radio technology—which allowed sound signals to be transmitted across long distances—made the sprawling nation feel smaller and more connected.

Magnetic tape, cellophane tape, and foam rubber were developed during the decade. So were the polygraph (lie detector) and the iron lung. Several vitamins were discovered or identified.

The 1920s was a decade of profound social changes. The most obvious signs of change were the rise of a consumer-oriented economy and of mass entertainment, which helped to bring about a "revolution in morals and manners." Sexual mores, gender roles, hair styles, and dress all changed profoundly during the 1920s.

In 1921, John Augustus Larson, a medical student and police officer in Berkeley, California invented a machine to help detectives determine if someone was telling the truth – or lying. He called it – the Polygraph.

What is the oldest lie detector? ›

In 1921, John A. Larson, a Canadian psychologist employed by the Berkeley (California) Police Department, developed what many consider to be the original lie detector when he combined the measurement of both respiration rate and blood pressure.

The first polygraph was created in 1921, when a California-based policeman and physiologist John A. Larson devised an apparatus to simultaneously measure continuous changes in blood pressure, heart rate and respiration rate in order to aid in the detection of deception (Larson, Haney, & Keeler, 1932. (1932).

On August 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is ratified prohibiting any U.S. citizen from being denied the right to vote based on sex. KDKA in Pittsburgh, PA, becomes the first radio station to offer regular broadcasts on November 2, 1920.

The 1920s was a decade of new inventions. This was the time directly after World War I, and when soldiers were eager to return to a more prosperous life. To help them enjoy their new lives new technologies such as the radio, silent movies and Henry Ford's automobile industry were invented.

1920 will be remembered as year when the League of Nations was created, the 19th Amendment was passed in America giving women the right to vote, and a flight from London to South Africa took 45 days. In this 1920 timeline, you'll find all the important events that happened in 1920, 100 years ago.

Stephen J. Poplawski creates an electric blender intended for making malts and milk shakes. Insulin is first used in a person to treat diabetes. Raymond DeWalt invents the radial arm saw, an efficient power tool used for crosscuts of long boards, and a standard tool that remains in use today.

The 1920s are often referred to as the decade of great change. Women gained the right to vote, movies evolved from silent to talkies, there was an explosion of activity in arts and literature, assembly lines were in full swing, and the list goes on and on.

But the most important consumer product of the 1920s was the automobile. Low prices (the Ford Model T cost just $260 in 1924) and generous credit made cars affordable luxuries at the beginning of the decade; by the end, they were practically necessities.

Which invention had the greatest impact on American life and business in the 1920s? ›

Perhaps no invention affected American everyday life in the 20th century more than the automobile. Although the technology for the automobile existed in the 19th century, it took Henry Ford to make the useful gadget accessible to the American public. Ford used the idea of the assembly line for automobile manufacturing.

The power of radio and the world of sports. After being introduced during World War I, radios became a common feature in American homes of the 1920s.

The automobile changed many things in the United States. These included changes for industry and technology and everyday life. Automobile manufacturing became one the first industries to use the assembly line. The automobile gave people more personal freedom and access to jobs and services.

At the same time, the 1920s were a time in which the rise of Jazz, the Great Migration of African Americans to the North, the flapper aesthetic, and the cultural churn of the reaction to prohibition all saw the rise of national subcultures as well.

The cars brought the need for good roads. The radio brought the world closer to home. The telephone connected families and friends. Prosperity was on the rise in cities and towns, and social change flavored the air.

Major health breakthroughs included the discovery of Vitamins C and E, penicillin - the first of the modern antibiotics, innovations in immunization, and the discovery of insulin which made the treatment of diabetes possible.

The Einstein refrigerator is invented by Albert Einstein and Leo Szilard. Ulster-born engineer Harry Ferguson is granted a British patent for his 'Duplex' hitch linking tractor and plough. German engineer Andreas Stihl patents and develops an electric chainsaw.

from "coffee and cakes," which refers to something cheap or of little value. Crab: Figure out • Crate: Car • Croak: To kill • Croaker: Doctor • Crush: An infatuation. Crushed out: Escaped (from jail) • Cush: Money (a cushion, something to fall back on) • Cut down: Killed (esp.

Flappers

In addition to their dress, the public smoking, drinking, dancing, and liberal stance on sex of these young women scandalized polite society. As great as generational divides seem today, it is helpful to remember that youngsters have frustrated and mystified their elders for centuries.

Roaring Twenties fads ranged from the athletic to the ludicrous. One of the most popular trends of the decade was the dance marathon. New dance steps such as the Charleston swept the nation's dance halls, and young Americans were eager to prove their agility.

What inventions were made in 1921? ›

July 27 – Researchers at the University of Toronto led by biochemist Frederick Banting announce the discovery of the hormone insulin. American biochemist Elmer McCollum identifies the presence of a component in cod liver oil which cures rickets, which he calls vitamin D. Fidel Pagés pioneers epidural anesthesia.

Stephen J. Poplawski creates an electric blender intended for making malts and milk shakes. Insulin is first used in a person to treat diabetes. Raymond DeWalt invents the radial arm saw, an efficient power tool used for crosscuts of long boards, and a standard tool that remains in use today.

It was Clarence Birdseye who developed a system of preserving fresh, frozen foods. Vladimir Zworykin, known as the “father of television,” invents the iconoscope – an electronic camera tube used to scan an image.

The Assembly Line and Scientific Management

The Assembly Line and Management were two revolutionary methods of production and management that were introduced in the early 20th century and had a significant impact on American society, particularly in the 1920s.