Year 1922 Fun Facts, Trivia, and History Events

This quick read presents a collection of fun facts, trivia, and history events from the year 1922. 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 1922, pedal cars, ping-pong, and poker games were all the rage. Deviled eggs and devil's food cake were crowd-pleasers, and John and Mary were two of the most popular baby names. Bread cost 10 cents a loaf, butter was 43 cents a pound, and bananas were 30 cents a dozen.
2. Warren G. Harding (R-Ohio) was the president of the United States, and Calvin Coolidge (R-Massachusetts) was the nation’s vice president.
3. Average annual household income: About $2,160
4. Average cost of a new car: About $515
5. Average price of a new home: About $6,296
6. Average monthly rent: About $15
7. Average price of gold: $20.67 per troy ounce
8. Average retail price for a gallon of gas: 33 cents
9. Consumer Price Index: $16.8
10. Cost of a first-class stamp: Two cents
11. Federal spending: $3.29 billion
12. Inflation rate: -6.15 percent (You would have spent 6.15 percent less in 1922 than in 1921 for the same item. Just so you know, this is a classic example of deflation.)
13. Minimum wage: 33 cents/hour
14. Unemployment rate: 6.7 percent
15. Fireman: $107.50/month
16. Gardener: $75.00/month
17. Private family cook: $80.00/month
18. American companies and brands established in 1922 included Allen Edmonds, Edward Jones Investments, La Choy, State Farm Insurance, Thom McAn, and Wish Farms.
19. Consumer products launched during the year included the blender, Chanel No. 22 perfume, the Charleston Chew candy bar, the Gibson L-5 guitar, La Choy Asian food products, the milkshake, and Purex laundry detergent.
20. In 1922, the number of radio stations in the United States increased from just a few dozen to over 500. For example, Pittsburgh now had four radio stations: KDKA, KQV, WCAE, and WJAS. On the other hand, San Francisco led the country with seven radio stations: KZY, KDN, KZM, KLP, KJJ, KLS, and AG1.
21. In 1921, Canadian scientists Frederick Banting and Charles Best co-discovered insulin and its "therapeutic potential." On January 11, 1922, "14-year-old Leonard Thompson [of Canada] became the first person to receive an insulin injection as a treatment for diabetes.”
22. January 24: Christian K. Nelson received a patent for the Eskimo Pie ice cream bar. The Eskimo Pie, now known as Edy's Pie, is "a chocolate-covered vanilla ice cream bar wrapped in foil. It was the first such dessert sold in the United States."
23. In February, Judge Kennesaw Mountain Landis became the first MLB commissioner.
24. February 4: The first part of Katherine Mansfield's acclaimed short story, The Garden Party, was published in the Westminster Gazette.
25. February 5: Dewitt and Lila Wallace published the first issue of Reader's Digest magazine.
26. February 10: President Harding had a radio installed in the White House.
27. February 20: WOR radio in New York City began broadcasting.
28. March 6: Babe Ruth signed a three-year contract with the New York Yankees for $52,000 a year. (Just so you know, $52,000 in 1922 is equivalent to almost $1,000,000 today.)
29. April 7: President Harding's Interior Secretary, Albert B. Fall, secretly leased the Teapot Dome oil reserves in Wyoming to Harry Sinclair, the founder of Sinclair Oil. Fall’s wrongdoing ignited the infamous Teapot Dome Scandal, "which shocked Americans by revealing an unprecedented level of greed and corruption within the federal government.”
30. May 5: Construction began on the new Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. Up until then, the New York Yankees played at the Polo Grounds in Upper Manhattan.
31. May 21: The Pulitzer Prize was awarded to Eugene O'Neill for his play, Anna Christie.
32. June 14: President Harding became the first U.S. president to have his voice “transmitted live” over the radio.
33. In July, Girl Scout cookies were sold for the first time in the U.S.
34. July 11: The Hollywood Bowl amphitheater in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles opened. HollywoodBowl.com remarks that "For more than 100 years, music and performance have had a central destination in Los Angeles. The Hollywood Bowl is a venue for showcasing artistic greatness and celebrating our global cultural heritage."
35. August 28: WEAF radio in New York City aired the first-ever radio commercial—a real estate ad for apartments in Jackson Heights, Queens.
36. September 4: William Walmsley and William Lyons jointly founded the Swallow Sidecar Company in Blackpool, England. The firm later became known as Jaguar Cars, a luxury vehicle company.
37. September 5: The New York Yankees played their final game at the Polo Grounds in Upper Manhattan.
38. September 13: The temperature reached 136 degrees in Aziziya, Libya, the highest temperature ever recorded on planet Earth.
39. November 14: The British Broadcasting Company (BBC) began daily broadcasts from Guglielmo Marconi's London studio.
40. December 22: Department store pioneer John Wanamaker passed away. He founded Wanamaker's department store in Philadelphia, which was the first store in the United States to have arc lamps.
41. Back in 1922, many Americans bought everything from kitchen gadgets to Christmas tree lights through mail-order catalogs issued from retailers like Sears Roebuck and Montgomery Ward. Mail order catalogs allowed the average American family to shop from the comfort of their home while keeping the household running "smoothly and up-to-date.”
42. In 1922, Robin Hood was the most popular film, If Winter Comes Back was the most popular fiction book, and Fanny Brice's My Man was the most popular song.
43. Walgreens introduced the malted milkshake.
44. William Isaly created the Klondike ice cream bar in Pittsburgh. The Klondike bar was made from "squares of ice cream covered with milk chocolate."
45. Gummy Bears were invented in Germany.
46. Better Homes and Gardens magazine began publication.
47. The term "Jazz Age" was coined by author F. Scott Fitzgerald when he used it in the title of his 1922 short story collection, Tales of the Jazz Age.
48. Famous people born in 1922 included Betty White, Bill Blass, Charles Schulz, Doris Day, Fred Shuttlesworth, Henry Bloch, Judy Garland, Jake LaMotta, Pierre Cardin, and Yitzhak Rabin.
49. Famous people who died in 1922 were Alexander Graham Bell, Nellie Bly, and Arthur Wesley Dow.
50. In 1922 as well, the words "air traffic controller," "baloney," "bathroom tissue," "brand name," "Dow Jones average," "inferiority complex," "Jekyll and Hyde," "polyester," "robot," and "taxi stand" all appeared in print for the first time.

References:

1. https://popculturemadness.com/1922-history-trivia-and-fun-facts/
2. https://www.merriam-webster.com/time-traveler/1922
3. https://www.infoplease.com/year/1922
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1922_in_the_United_States
5. https://onetuberadio.com/samaritan-ministries/
6. https://thekitchenchalkboard.com/1920s-themed-party-food/
7. https://www.onthisday.com/events/date/1922
8. https://www.foodreference.com/html/html/food-timeline-1921.html
9. https://www.scarymommy.com/lifestyle/1920s-slang
10. https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/1920s-slang-comeback

© 2026 Gregory DeVictor