We did it, we’re almost there – 2020 is just around the corner! With such a busy 100 years, we often forget what life was like for our ancestors back in the Roaring 1920s. But if we’re not careful, we might miss these huge milestones of century anniversaries!
The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald published his famous novel, The Great Gatsby, in 1925. If you weren’t forced to read it in high school or post secondary, I would definitely recommend a read of this twisted tale of lavish parties, a mysterious man, and a surprising death. In just five years, this iconic book will be celebrating its 100th anniversary!
Winnie the Pooh
A.A. Milne first published his short stories about a ragtag group of imaginary animal friends in the 100 Acre Woods back in 1926. If you don’t know, Milne named his title character after his son’s teddy bear, Winnie the Pooh. Milne’s son, Christopher Robin, also became a part of his stories, as Pooh Bear’s best friend. Christopher himself named his teddy after a famous Canadian black bear named Winnie. For more on that history, watch the 2004 film A Bear Named Winnie.
World Series on Radio
1921 marked the very first radio broadcast of a World Series Baseball game from the United States. It was the New York Giants vs. the New York Yankees, and the Giants won 5 games to 3. The broadcast was done by KDKA (AM), and was hosted by Grantland Rice. Two years from now will be the 100 year anniversary of sports on the radio!
First Transatlantic Non-Stop Flight
Although the tragic story of his infant might be more famous that his achievements, in 1927, Charles Lindbergh became the first solo person to fly non-stop from New York to Paris. It took Lindbergh and his plane, The Spirit of Saint Louis, 33 hours to complete the trip. His landing in Paris caused the largest traffic jam in Paris history, as French residents all stopped to watch him finish his flight.
Mickey Mouse
Walt Disney released the animated short Steamboat Willie in 1928, with an all-new black and white character named Mickey Mouse. Since then, Mickey has appeared in over 130 short films and movies, as well as the video game Kingdom Hearts. Mickey was the first cartoon character to get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1978.
Women’s Right to Vote in Canada
By the end of 1922, women in Canada had earned the right to vote. However, this only applied to white and African-Canadian women, and did not include Indigenous, Asian, or other minorities. While it was a good start for the suffrage movement, it was not until 1960 that all men and women in Canada had the right to vote.
King Tut’s Tomb Discovered
It was in 1922 that Howard Carter and his team of British and Egyptian archaeologists stumbled upon the tomb of King Tutankhamun, the boy king. King Tut, as he is otherwise known as, took to the Egyptian throne when he was under the age of ten. The discovery of his tomb yielded over 5000 individual artifacts, including his famous golden death mask.
With all of these amazing achievements and creations in the past century, I can’t wait to see what the next 100 years has in store for us. See you all in 2020!