A flapper doing the Charleston, courtesy of The Chronicle of America
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F. Scott FitzGerald, a popular author of the era, poses with his wife Zelda. Courtesy of The Chronicle of America.
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Rudolph Valentino, the heartthrob actor of the 1920's. Photo Courtesy of David Pietrusza.
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During the 1920's....
...America saw some dramatic changes in society after World War I. Two significant changes were that of the shortened work week and the raise in wages. While people had worked nearly 60 hours a week in the 1890’s, average work weeks in the 20’s were around 45 hours. Wages rose to sometimes 30% more than what they were. What did people do with all this extra time and money? That’s where entertainment comes in. Entertainment was an important part of society in the 1920’s, and new forms of it were becoming increasingly popular. Between 1919 and 1929, nearly 4 billion dollars a year was spent on entertainment. This huge part of society in the 20’s still affects us today. Most forms of entertainment today can be related back to things that were still brand new to people in that time period.