Life in the Twenties Trivia Quiz

Answer: Runnin' Wild

In 1923, the Charleston dance became a global phenomenon. A tune of the same name, originating in the Broadway show 'Runnin' Wild', caught the public's imagination and came to symbolise the freedom and modernity of the Jazz Age.

Runnin' Wild was produced by the African-American theatrical team of Flournoy Miller and Aubrey Lyles and opened at the New Colonial Theatre in New York on October 29, 1923. It ran for 228 performances. 'The Charleston' was composed by James P. Johnson, a jazz pianist, with lyrics by Cecil Mack.

Answer: The New Negro Movement

The Harlem Renaissance, also known as the New Negro Movement, took place in Harlem, Manhattan, during the 1920s and early 1930s. It grew from the changes in African-American society that followed the abolition of slavery. The movement encompassed literature, music, fashion, visual arts, and intellectual thought.

Black artists and white patrons were attracted to jazz clubs, speakeasies, theatres, and literary salons in Harlem, which made it the heart of the movement. During this time, people like Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Langston Hughes, and Zora Neale Hurston were associated with Harlem.

Answer: A law making it illegal to teach evolution

The Scopes Trial of 1925, also known as the Scopes Monkey Trial, took place in Dayton, Tennessee. It was a famous courtroom case in which high school teacher John T. Scopes was accused of violating the state's Butler Act, which made it illegal to teach human evolution in public schools.

The case became a national sensation, pitting two famous lawyers against each other. William Jennings Bryan, a three-time presidential candidate and Christian fundamentalist, argued for the prosecution. Clarence Darrow led the defence. Scopes was found guilty and fined $100.

The trial brought widespread attention to the conflict between religious fundamentalism and scientific teaching in American education. The case later inspired the play and film 'Inherit the Wind'.

Answer: Cocktail ring

Cocktail rings first appeared during the Prohibition era (1920-1933), becoming a fashion statement for women who embraced the flapper lifestyle. The rings were oversized and extravagant, with large gemstones, pavé diamonds or intricate designs. They showed off independence, wealth, and a willingness to break rules in the booming 1920s economy.

Cocktail rings also carried a rebellious edge. They were worn on the right hand rather than the left, and flaunted while ordering illicit cocktails in speakeasies. This defiance of social norms made them far more than ordinary jewellery.

Answer: The 18th Amendment

The 18th Amendment, ratified in 1919, banned the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol from January 1920, launching Prohibition (1920-1933). It didn't ban consumption or private possession, but the Volstead Act defined intoxicating liquors so broadly that beer and wine were included. It was driven by the temperance movement and was seen as an experiment to improve public morals and health.

Prohibition proved deeply unpopular. Illegal bars called speakeasies flourished behind secret doors and passwords. Bootlegging became a huge industry, and organised crime syndicates like Al Capone's grew powerful controlling the illicit liquor trade. Prohibition was repealed in 1933 by the 21st Amendment. It's the first time in US history that one amendment repealed another.

Answer: Radio

The radio became very popular in the 1920s, because it transformed entertainment and communication by bringing music and news into people's homes. It became a dominant source of news and entertainment during the 1920s and 1930s.

In the evenings, families would gather around their radios to listen to music, comedy programmes and sports. It was a great way of connecting communities, because people could share their experiences of the same things, regardless of where they lived. This allowed them to feel part of a much larger community. The invention of the radio also helped to popularise the Jazz Age.

Answer: The Jazz Singer

The release of 'The Jazz Singer' in October 1927 marked the end of the silent film era. It introduced synchronised singing and speech to feature films. Starring Al Jolson, it used the Vitaphone sound-on-disc system from Warner Bros.

Jolson's ad-libbed line, 'Wait a minute, wait a minute, you ain't heard nothin' yet!', became instant cinema history. The film's commercial success forced rival Hollywood studios to rapidly upgrade their theatres for sound technology. Within a few years, silent movies were virtually obsolete.

Answer: Flagpole sitting

In 1924, a stuntman named Shipwreck Kelly climbed a flagpole in Los Angeles as part of a publicity stunt. This daring feat caught the attention of the public and soon other people across the United States were competing to see who could stay perched on a pole the longest. This started the flagpole-sitting fad.

By the mid-1920s, it had become a full‑blown craze. Sitters balanced on tiny platforms at the top of poles outside theatres, hotels, and city squares, drawing huge crowds below. Newspapers tracked their progress, and promoters offered prizes or sponsorships. Some contestants stayed there for days or weeks, supplied with food and water by pulley systems.

The fad faded by the early 1930s, when public tastes shifted and the Great Depression made these spectacles seem frivolous.

Answer: Dance for the longest time

Dance marathons began in the 1920s as endurance contests and later grew into a national obsession during the Great Depression. Couples competed to see who could dance the longest, often shuffling across the floor for days or weeks. Many contestants were poor, and saw marathons as a chance to win cash prizes or at least free meals.

Ballrooms and theatres across America hosted these events, with spectators paying admission to watch. Some dancers were exhausted, clinging to each other or collapsing from fatigue. Contestants were only allowed short breaks, but had to stay on their feet, often leaning on one another to keep moving.

In the late 1930s, the craze faded as critics condemned the contests as exploitative, and many states and cities introduced regulations or bans.

Answer: Bank run

The Wall Street Crash of 1929 triggered a wave of bank runs, as terrified depositors rushed to withdraw their savings all at once. Banks only held a fraction of deposits in reserve and quickly ran out of cash. This caused further panic. Crowds lined up outside banks demanding their money, and the crash shattered public trust in the financial system.

Rumours of insolvency spread rapidly. People assumed that if one bank failed, others would too, which triggered contagion panics across the country. Between 1929 and 1932, thousands of banks failed during the early years of the Great Depression, causing widespread panic among depositors. Newspapers published images of desperate queues outside banks, showing how quickly public confidence could collapse.