How Well Do You Know This Decade in History? 1920-1929
Written by Colleen Curran History Expert
Last updated · 7 min play time
Remembered as a jazz-infused, flapper-filled decade, the 1920's showcased many changes at home and abroad between the two major World Wars.
This quiz was expert written by Colleen Curran. Colleen earned an MA in History at Boston College in 2016. She specialized in nineteenth and twentieth-century American race and labor history. She currently works as an Editor for the Massachusetts Historical Commission and continues her education in the Sustainable Development program at the Harvard Extension School.
Let's go back in time to the Roaring Twenties! Remembered as a jazz-infused, flapper-filled, over indulgent decade, the '20s showcase many changes at home and abroad between the two major World Wars. Test your skills and see what you can remember about this exciting time.
Quiz written by
Colleen Curran1920s Quiz Questions
20 Questions · 136.8K Plays · 3 Comments
Question 1
This medical contraption was first used for clinical purposes in 1928 on patients suffering from polio:
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AIron Lung
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BNebulizer
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CBack Brace
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DLeg Crutches
Iron Lung
Patients were put inside the iron lung, which acted as a ventilation system, to compress and depress the chest, simulating natural breathing patterns.
Question 2
American writer, F. Scott Fitzgerald, wrote this work, which was published in 1925. The book became popular following Fitzgerald's death during the WWII era.
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AThe Great Gatsby
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BThe Sound and the Fury
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CUlysses
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DThe Stranger
The Great Gatsby
A popular book that showcases the extravegent and expensive life of many people during the Roaring 20s.
Question 3
This parade is the largest parade in the world and first started in the fall of 1924.
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ASt. Patrick's Day Parade, Dublin
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BThe Philadelphia Mummers Parade, Pennsylvania
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CMacy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, NYC
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DDia De Los Muertos Parade, Mexico
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, NYC
This parade is frequented by millions of Americans every Thanksgiving in NYC.
Question 4
This device became a popular source for news and entertainment for Americans following World War One:
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AVideo
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BNewspaper
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CTelevision
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DRadio
Radio
The radio was used during WWI. After WWI, the radio became popular and accessible to American consumers. TV would be next.
Question 5
Organized crime spread during the era of Prohibition. What is the name of the infamous struggle between an Irish and Italian gang in Chicago that resulted in the deaths of seven by gangster Al Capone and the South Side Italian gang?
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ARosewood Massacre
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BLudlow Massacre
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CSaturday Night Massacre
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DSt. Valentine's Day Massacre
St. Valentine's Day Massacre
Gang violence was high during the 1920s as a result of Prohibition and the illegal sale and distribution of alcohol. Al Capone was a well-known gangster in charge of this distribution, as well as drugs, in Chicago.
Question 6
This famous baseball player set a home-run record in 1927. Not until 1974 did MLB player, Hank Aaron, beat this record.
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AJackie Robinson
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BBabe Ruth
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CLou Gehrig
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DTed Williams
Babe Ruth
Babe Ruth was the most celebrated athlete of his time. He played Major League Baseball for 22 years.
Question 7
In 1925, a teacher was convicted and fined for teaching evolution at a school in Tennessee. What is the name given to this highly publicized case that showcased the differences between fundamentalist and modern views of American values?
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AThe State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes
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BTexas v. Johnson
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CGideon v. Wainwright
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DMcCulloch v. Maryland
The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes
Not until the 1960s was evolution put into school books following this trial. This trial also drew prominent Christian and former presidential nominee, William Jennings Bryan, to the case as prosecutor.
Question 8
A speculation bubble developed throughout the roaring twenties and caused the stock market to crash, triggering the worst economic crisis and economic depression in the United States. This economic crash affected all industrialized nations, limiting production and trade worldwide. What year did the Great Crash happen?
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A1933
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B1927
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C1929
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D1928
1929
Land and stock speculation, Britain's return to the gold standard, record high trading, a series of booms and busts, burgeoned purchase of stocks on margin, and an influx of gold on wall street all contributed to the Great Crash. Income maldistribution, the structure of trusts and corporations, the unstable banking structure, foreign trade imbalances, and lack of economic intelligence all led to the Great Drepression.
Question 9
Americans witnessed the emergence of new sounds and dances, like the Charleston, during the Jazz Age of the 1920s. What musician was NOT part of the Jazz Age in the '20s?
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AWynton Marsalis
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BLouis Armstrong
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CBessie Smith
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DDuke Ellington
Wynton Marsalis
All listed musicians are associated with jazz, but Marsalis wasn't born yet. He is currently a famous American jazz musician.
Question 10
Chiang Kai-Shek was the president of what country from 1928 to 1975?
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AVietnam
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BJapan
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CChina
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DKorea
China
He led the suppression of the Chinese Communist party. In 1946, civil war broke out between his party and the Communists. In 1949, the Communists won and made China the People's Republic of China. Chiang and his fled to Taiwan. There Chiang established a government and ruled as President of the Republic of China for 25 more years. His government was recognised by many countries as the legitimate government of China, and Taiwan controlled China's seat in the United Nations until the end of his life in '75.
Question 11
Before winning the 1928 presidential election, he was a worldwide engineer, who acted as United States food administrator during WWI, as well as the director general of the American Relief Administration:
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AHerbert Hoover
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BWoodrow Wilson
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CFranklin Delano Roosevelt
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DCalvin Coolidge
Herbert Hoover
Hoover did great things, helping others overseas during WWI, prior to becoming president. He became president at the worst possible time, right on the cusp of the Great Crash in '29. Little economic knowledge did not help his cause, trying to put millions of people back to work. Unfortunatly, Hoover is very rarely considered a good president.
Question 12
In 1923, Canadian scientist Frederick G. Banting and Scottish physiologist John Macleod, won the Nobel Prize for their medical co-discovery of:
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AGerm Theory
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BInsulin
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CAnaesthetic
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DPenicillin
Insulin
Discovering insluin has helped those suffering from Diabetes.
Question 13
The Soviet Union became a country in what year?
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A1926
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B1991
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C1945
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D1922
1922
This socialist state lasted from 1922-1992 when it collapsed. The Soviet Union formed following the Russian Revolution.
Question 14
The League of Nations was founded in 1920 following the first World War. The goal of the organization was to provide ways to resolve and prevent future international conflicts. What country failed to join the League of Nations?
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ABrazil
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BGreat Britain
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CUnited States
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DFrance
United States
American president, Woodrow Wilson, was an architect of the Leage of Nations. Many reasons kept the US from signing, though, including the US' isolationist policy. Some US senators argued that the League limited America's right to sovereignty.
Question 15
The Johnson-Reed Act of 1924 limited immigration into the United States through a national origins quota. What is another name for this law?
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AChinese Exclusion Act
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BHart-Cellar Act
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CTaft-Hartley Act
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DNational Origins Act
National Origins Act
Not until 1965 when the Immigration Act of 1965 was passed by President Johnson was the racist quota system removed. The 1965 immigration system lifted the quota system that allowed entry of people into the US based on race and limited how many people could come from certain countries, particularly Asian nations, and poor areas. The Immigration Act of 1965 was not without its flaws, however. From it emerged the terms "model minority" and "illegal alien."
Question 16
Which nation was given independence in 1922, but remained subordinate to British power until 1954?
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APakistan
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BKenya
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CIraq
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DEgypt
Egypt
The British Empire controlled a myriad of colonies and protectorates. The empire granted indepence to some territories following WWI, while maintaining economic control in the areas. The financial loss during WWII as well as nationalist/decolonization movements throughout the world forced the hand of the once powerful empire, leading to independence throughout. Egypt was an important location for GB due to the Suez Canal, a very important and busy waterway, located between Africa and the Middle East.
Question 17
In what year was the first modern-day Winter Olympics Games?
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A1924
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B1929
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C1920
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D1921
1924
The Olympic games model the original games in Greece from 8th century BC to 4th AD.
Question 18
Turkey became a country in ____ following the abolishment of the Ottoman Sultanate Empire, which began in 1299.
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A1935
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B1924
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C1923
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D1902
1923
The Ottoman Empire was weakened as a result of WWI and the nationalist movement that took place within the borders of what would become modern day Turkey.
Question 19
The first radio broadcast of this company took place in 1922:
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AThe British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
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BThe Cable News Network CNN
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CNational Broadcasting Company (NBC)
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DThe Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
The BBC operated under a royal charter in Great Britain and held a monopoly until 1954 on TV and on radio until 1972.
Question 20
Adolph Hitler wrote Mein Kampf while imprisoned for political crimes. In his autobiography, he described his political ideology, as well as his plans for Germany. What year was Mein Kampf published?
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A1923
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B1921
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C1925
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D1929
1925
Hitler would become leader of the Nazi Party and Chancellor of Germany from 1933-45. He started WWII by invading Poland after Allied countries appeased him. (WWII resulted due to the War Guilt Clause placed on Germany in the Treaty of Versailles after WWI).
Comments (3)
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Fantastic Quiz---Like so many. I learn History & not "revisionist" History. The true & real knowledge. For all its faults, this is & will always be the greatest creation of ALL countries. You quizzes make me very proud.....
I got 100% :)
Some good question in this quiz. Thanks