Year 1920 Fun Facts, Trivia, and History Events

This quick read presents a collection of fun facts, trivia, and history events from the year 1920. Discover the year’s top news stories, most influential people, sports facts, historic firsts, entertainment news, and much more.

Take a journey through history in just minutes.

1. In 1920, Woodrow Wilson was the 28th president of the United States, and Thomas R. Marshall was the nation’s vice president.
2. Average annual household income: $2,160
3. Average cost of a new car: $525
4. Average price of a new house: $6,296
5. Average monthly rent: $15
6. Average retail price for a gallon of gas: 30 cents
7. Cost of a first-class stamp: Two cents
8. Homicide rate per 100,000 people: 6.8
9. Inflation rate: 15.61 percent
10. Minimum wage: 33 cents/hour
11. Price of gold: $20.67 per troy ounce
12. Unemployment rate: 5.2 percent
13. The United States population was 106,021,53. The most populated U.S. states were New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, and Texas. Conversely, Nevada, Wyoming, and Delaware had the least number of residents.
14. Farmers composed about 27 percent of the U.S. labor force. There were about 6,454,000 farms in the United States, averaging about 148 acres apiece.
15. American companies and brands established in 1920 included AMC Theatres, Eddie Bauer, Occidental Petroleum, Perdue Farms, Rubbermaid, Schlage Locks, and the Scholastic Corporation.
16. Consumer products launched during the year included Frank's RedHot sauce, the hair dryer, Kingsford charcoal, Kotex hygiene products, Peter Pan peanut butter, and the Pitney Bowes postage meter.
17. One of the most important consumer products in 1920 was the automobile. Back then, you could buy a Model T Ford for about $300. History.com explains that during the 1920s, "the automobile became the lifeblood of the petroleum industry, one of the chief customers of the steel industry, and the biggest consumer of many other industrial products."
18. On January 3, Harry Frazee, the owner of the Boston Red Sox baseball team, agreed to sell slugger Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees for $125,000 in cash and a $350,000 loan.
19. The 18th Amendment was ratified on January 16, 1919, and Prohibition officially began in the United States at midnight on January 17, 1920. Prior to Prohibition, various types of alcohol were produced throughout the U.S. For example, California was the country's biggest wine producer, and Kentucky and Tennessee were major producers of bourbon and whiskey. Massachusetts was the country's biggest rum producer, and Illinois and Indiana were major producers of gin.
20. January 19: Roger Baldwin, Crystal Eastman, and Albert DeSilver founded the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in New York City.
21. The League of Women Voters was founded in Chicago on February 14.
22. May 2: The first Negro National League baseball game was played in Indianapolis, Indiana.
23. May 17: The first KLM flight took place from Croydon Airport in London to Amsterdam. KLM's first pilot, Jerry Shaw, flew a leased Airco DH.16 with two British journalists and some newspapers on board. (By the way, KLM is the "oldest continually operating airline in the world.")
24. August 17: Ray Chapman, who played shortstop with the Cleveland Indians, was killed when he was struck in the head by a pitched ball during a game between the Indians and the New York Yankees.
25. Passed by Congress on June 4, 1919, and ratified on August 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution "granted women the right to vote."
26. On July 4, hotel tycoon Leona Helmsley, often referred to as "The Queen of Mean," was born. Helmsley was an American businesswoman who was known for her “flamboyant” personality and “tyrannical” behavior. She accepted nothing but perfection from her employees and routinely insulted them for every mistake, large or small. She was also convicted of underpaying income taxes and, after losing her appeal, began an eighteen-month prison term in 1992.
27. August 20: The American Professional Football Association (APFA) was founded in Canton, Ohio. The APFA was renamed the National Football League (NFL) in 1922.
28. On September 16, an unsolved bombing took place on Wall Street, killing 38 people and injuring hundreds more.
29. September 24: Future Baseball Hall of Fame member Babe Ruth became the first MLB player in history to achieve 50 home runs in a season.
30. On September 29, the Joseph Horne department store in downtown Pittsburgh began selling Westinghouse radios at $10 apiece—equivalent to about $160.00 in purchasing power today.
31. October 12: Construction began on the Holland Tunnel, which connects New York City and New Jersey. NJBMagazine.com reveals that the tunnel took nearly seven years to build and cost $48 million. There are 3.1 million ceiling tiles and 2.9 million wall tiles inside the tunnel. The north tube of the tunnel spans 8,558 feet, and the south tube spans another 8,371 feet.
32. October 12: The Cleveland Indians won the World Series by defeating the Brooklyn Robins, 5 games to 2. It was also the Indians' first championship.
33. November 2: In the 1920 presidential election, Republican U.S. Senator Warren G. Harding defeated Ohio Governor James M. Cox, the Democratic candidate. It was also the first national election in which women had the right to vote.
34. November 2: KDKA 1020 AM radio in Pittsburgh became the first commercial radio station in the United States. It began broadcasting during the evening of November 2, 1920, just in time for a newscast about the Harding-Cox presidential election.
35. In 1920, the United Kingdom controlled about 20 percent of the world's land area, including the Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Ceylon, Egypt, Grenada, Hong Kong, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Newfoundland, Singapore, Swaziland, Uganda, and the Union of South Africa.
36. The Mounds, Oh Henry!, Good Humor, and Zero candy bars all appeared in the marketplace for the first time.
37. Earle Dickson, a Johnson & Johnson employee, invented the Band-Aid.
38. Architectural Digest magazine began publishing.
39. Popular movies: Double Speed, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (I), Pollyanna, Something to Think About, and The Mark of Zorro
40. Top songs: Al Jolson’s Swanee, Paul Whiteman’s Whispering, and Mamie Smith’s Crazy Blues
41. In 1920 as well, the words "age spots," "antiperspirant," "B vitamin," "loudspeaker," "market research," "open enrollment," "penny stock," "stovetop," "T-shirt," "vitamin A," "vitamin B," "vitamin C," and "wimp" all appeared in print for the first time.
42. Bacon: 29 cents a pound
43. Baking powder (Calumet): 30 cents for a 16-ounce can
44. Bread: 12 cents for a 16-ounce loaf
45. Buffalo vacuum-packed coffee: 50 cents for one pound
46. Cabbage: Two cents a pound
47. Dixie Queen tobacco: 90 cents for a one-pound can
48. Eggs: 47 cents a dozen
49. Flour: Five pounds for 41 cents
50. Graham crackers: 22 cents a pound
51. Lard: 10 pounds for $2.50
52. Milk (fresh): 60 cents a gallon
53. Oranges: 63 cents a dozen
54. Post Toasties: 12 cents a box
55. Potatoes: 10 pounds for 63 cents
56. Prunes: Three cents a pound
57. Puffed wheat: 14 cents a box
58. Round steak: 40 cents a pound
59. Sugar: Five pounds for 97 cents
60. Trout (fresh): 22 cents a pound
61. Walnuts (soft-shell, high-quality): 30 cents a pound

References:

1. https://www.infoplease.com/year/1920
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1920_in_the_United_States
3. https://popculturemadness.com/1920-history-trivia-and-fun-facts/
4. https://www.merriam-webster.com/time-traveler/1920
5. https://www.oed.com/discover/words-from-the-1920s/?tl=true
6. https://onetuberadio.com/2020/11/29/1920-grocery-prices/
7. https://www.mclib.info/Research/Local-History-Genealogy/Historic-Prices
8. https://www.foodreference.com/html/html/food-timeline-1916.html
9. https://huffenglish.com/gatsby/slang.html
10. https://www.1920-30.com/food/
11. https://www.tasteofhome.com/collection/vintage-recipes-from-the-1920s/
12. https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/1920s-slang-comeback

© 2026 Gregory DeVictor