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In the wake of World War I, some radical labor unions and communists agitated for a socialist revolution in the United States. In addition to labor strikes, some activists resorted to violent measures, such as sending bombs to prominent officials. Revolutionaries sent one such bomb to Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer, though it exploded harmlessly on his doorstep. In response, Palmer conducted massive arrests of suspected "Bolsheviks" in 33 U.S....
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On March 16, 1926, Robert Goddard launched the first liquid-fueled rocket. The rocket flew 41 feet into the air and remained aloft for 2.5 seconds. During his lifetime, Goddard received over 200 patents for inventions related to rocketry; his research contributed heavily to the eventual construction of rocket capable of reaching outer space. Copyright The WPA Film Library.
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It was called "Black Tuesday" - the day the bottom fell out of the stock market ushering in the Great Depression. Soon, soup kitchens and breadlines replaced the flappers and speakeasies of the Roaring Twenties. When the nation looked for leadership, they found it in the indelible character of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, a bright and shining light in the darkness of despair.
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Emmeline, Christabel, and Sylvia Pankhurst founded the Women's Social and Political Union in 1903, with the aim of securing the right to vote for women in Great Britain. In 1916, the Pankhursts led a demonstration at London's Trafalgar Square. Copyright The WPA Film Library.
69) This Day In History: January 6, 1922 – World Leaders Meet in Cannes to Discuss German Reparations
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The Allies meet to discuss German reparations for WWI
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Eamon De Valera, one of the most prominent members of the movement toward Irish independence, became Ireland's prime minister in 1932. During his 32-year hold on power, De Valera worked toward severing Ireland's links to Great Britain, including engaging in a trade war and refusing to join the Allies during World War II. Copyright The WPA Film Library.
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In 1922 the Irish assembly approved the passage of the Anglo-Treaty, which granted Ireland independence, but stipulated that Northern Ireland would remain under the control of Great Britain. The treaty also forced Ireland to pledge allegiance to the British monarch. Eamon De Valera, leader of the Sinn Fein political party, resigned from the Dail Eireann (Irish parliament), along with all other members of the party. A civil war broke out and president...
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The "Charleston" is both a song and the social dance that came to accompany it. The music was composed by James P. Johnston, a ragtime jazz composer influenced by African-American church music, and music and dance were part of the musical Runnin' Wild, performed on Broadway in 1923. The dance was popular with white "flappers" in the later 1920s. Copyright The WPA Film Library.
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Sinn Fein, a political group aimed at Irish autonomy, was greatly radicalized following the Easter Rebellion of 1916. By 1918, with the support of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), Sinn Fein defeated the more moderate Irish Parliamentary Party, won the Irish seats in Great Britain's general election, and formed a provisional government in Dublin. Throughout the Anglo-Irish War, the IRA took the lead and Sinn Fein acted as the political organization....
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In 1922 Benito Mussolini led the Fascists in a march on Rome. King Victor Emmanuel III granted him permission to form a coalition government. With visions of a return to Roman greatness, Mussolini restructured Italy's economy and began aggressive foreign policy campaigns, including the invasion and annexation of Ethiopia in the mid-1930s. Allied with Hitler, Mussolini brought Italy into World War II in June 1940. In July 1943 Mussolini was dismissed...
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Following his first solo transatlantic flight, Charles Lindbergh landed amid a crowd of onlookers at Croydon Airport in London. The crowd swarmed over his plane; Lindbergh greeted them, urging them not to break any of his equipment. Although he landed first in Paris, Lindbergh also visited Brussels and London. Copyright The WPA Film Library.
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Prohibition, which rendered the sale, production, and distribution of alcohol a crime, lasted from 1920 to 1933, when it was repealed by the Twenty-First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The term bootlegging refers to the illegal sale of alcohol during this period. Bootlegging was common during Prohibition and became heavily linked to the black market and activities of gangsters such as Al Capone.
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Following the Chinese revolution of 1911, the Chinese Nationalist Party (the Kuomintang) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) allied with one another in an attempt to bring unity to heavily splintered and warlord-controlled China. This alliance shattered in April 1927, when Kuomintang forces, led by Chiang Kai-Shek, forced Chinese Communist Party members out of Shanghai and executed a number of party leaders, driving most Chinese communists underground....