3. INTRODUCTION
Throughout history, many things have changed. People wear different kinds of clothes, have different ways
to entertain themselves, invent new technologies, and improve their ways of life. In this book, students will
learn all about the decades within the 20th and 21st centuries in the United States of America. They will
discover past worlds and explore the cultures of today’s society.
Instructions: As you go through each chapter, summarize what you have learned in a paragraph for each
decade. At the end of the book, each student should have ten separate summary paragraphs. Present them
to the class to show what each student has learned!
4. USERS MANUAL
PARENTS/INSTRUCTORS
STUDENTS
This textbook was created by
instructors Rachel Ruoff, Trevor Roe,
and Jessica Ivetich with the intention of
teaching children about the decades
during the 1900s in order to complete
SS.1.1.1 2007*. This Indiana State
Standard deals with compare the way
individuals in the community lived in
the past with the way they live in the
present. Throughout this book, there is
information dealing with clothing,
technology, and events throughout the
time period with the hopes of showing
students how culture changes over time.
Three teachers from Indiana
University made this book just for you!
Inside, you will find interesting facts
about the decades of the 1900s. There
are paragraphs, pictures, videos, and
quizzes that will help you learn about
American culture and how it has
changed over time. Happy learning, and
enjoy!
*This Indiana State Standard deals with compare the
way individuals in the community lived in the past with
the way they live in the present.
6. • Section 1 •
Clothing
The fashion trends of the period of 1900s in the United States were greatly influenced by the Industrial Revolution
Era. During this time period, men often wore suits and trousers while women wore corsets with skirts and dresses,
lace, and feathered hats. A big fashion trend of this time were “duster” coats that protected the clothing of both men
and women while riding in an automobile.
5
7. • Section 2 •
Interactive 1.1
YouTube video
Technology
The 1900s
began a
historical
century. Many
inventions came about during this
innovative period that was the start of
an eventful era.
The Zeppelin was a rigid airship
developed in 1900 by Count Ferdinand
von Zeppelin.
Henry Ford sold the first Model T in
1908.
The vacuum cleaner was invented in
1901
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8. • Section 3 •
Events
President McKinley, the 25th president of the
United States, was a popular president who
had just started his second term in office and
the people seemed clearly glad to get a chance
to meet him. However, Leon Czolgosz had
made it into the building and it was his turn
to greet the President. Czolgosz held a .32
caliber revolver, which he had covered by
wrapping a handkerchief around the gun and
his hand. Although Czolgosz's swaddled hand
was noticed before he reached the President,
many thought it looked like it covered an injury instead. Also, since the day had
been hot, many the visitors had been carrying handkerchiefs in their hands to
wipe the sweat off their faces. When Czolgosz reached the President, he fired
two shots. One of the bullets did not enter the president - some say it bounced
off of a button or the president's sternum. The other bullet, however, entered
the president's abdomen, tearing through his stomach, pancreas, and kidney.
At 10:35 a.m. on December 17, 1903, Orville Wright flew the Flyer for 12 seconds over 120 feet of ground. This flight, conducted
on Kill Devil Hill just outside of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, was the very first flight by a manned, controlled, heavier-than-air
aircraft that flew under it's own power. In other words, it was the first flight of an airplane.
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10. • Section 1 •
Clothing
The fashion trends of the 1910s in the United States were influenced by World
War I. In this time period, men’s clothing was influenced by military
involvement and they often wore long trench coats. Women commonly wore
narrow “hobble” skirts with draping blouses.
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11. • Section 2 •
Interactive 2.1
Technology
Thomas Edison developed the talking
motion picture in 1910.
The toaster was created by Charles
Strite in 1919.
The zipper was invented in 1913 by
Gideon Sundback.
In 1913, Henry Ford and the Ford
Motor Company begins using the
assembly line. See the video above.
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12. • Section 3 •
Events
World War I was an
extremely bloody war that
engulfed Europe from 1914
to 1919, with huge losses of
The Versailles Treaty, signed on June 28, 1919, was
life and little ground lost or
the peace settlement between Germany and the Allied
won. Fought mostly by soldiers in trenches, World War
Powers that officially ended World War I. However, the
I saw an estimated 10 million military deaths and
conditions in the treaty were so punitive upon Germany
another 20 million wounded. While many hoped that
that many believe the Versailles Treaty laid the
World War I would be "the war to end all wars," in
groundwork for the eventual rise of Nazis in Germany
actuality, the concluding peace treaty set the stage for
and the eruption of World War II.
World War II.
11
14. • Section 1 •
Clothing
coats. Women would dress as flappers,
which meant that they wore loose dresses
that were shorter than past decades, and
long beads. They would also wear costume
jewelry and cloche’ hats.
The fashion trends of the 1920s were
influenced by the Roaring 20s. During this
time, men often worm pin stripe suits,
fedoras, sweaters, knickers, and raccoon
13
15. • Section 2 •
Interactive 3.1
Insulin is a hormone that
lowers the level of
glucose (a type of sugar)
in the blood.
It's made by the beta
cells of the pancreas and
released into the blood
when the glucose level
goes up, such as after
eating.
Insulin helps glucose
enter the body's cells,
where it can be used for
energy or stored for
future use.
Technology
In diabetes, the pancreas
doesn't make enough
insulin or the body can't
In the 1920s, much of the technology
involved medicine.
In 1928, Scottish biologist Alexander
Fleming discovered penicillin.
Insulin invented by Sir Frederick Grant
Banting in 1922.
Walter E. Diemer invented bubble gum
in 1928.
14
16. • Section 3 •
Events
Beginning in
the 19th century,
many people,
especially women,
blamed many of society's problems upon alcohol. With the hope
of bettering society, organizations were formed to advocate
against the consumption of alcohol. By the beginning of the 20th
century, many states had already created state laws banning
alcohol. On January 16, 1919, the 18th Amendment to the U.S.
Constitution was ratified. Exactly one year later (January 16,
1920), this Amendment went into affect, making the
manufacture, sale, and transportation of liquor illegal and
beginning Prohibition in the United States.
The Great Depression, an immense tragedy that placed
millions of Americans out of work, was the beginning of
government involvement in the economy and in society as a
whole.
The Great Depression plunged the American people into an
economic crisis unlike any endured in this country before or
since. The worst and longest downturn in our economic history
threw millions of hardworking individuals into poverty, and for
more than a decade neither the free market nor the federal
government was able to restore prosperity.
15
18. • Section 1 •
Clothing
The fashion trends of the 1930s were
influenced by the era of the Great
Depression. Men commonly wore
sweater vests, wide overcoats, and
straight-leg trousers. Women would
dress in long, flowing gowns, patterned
17
19. • Section 2 •
Technology
Charles Darrow claims he invented the
game Monopoly in 1934.
Igor Sikorsky invents the first successful
helicopter in 1939
The ballpoint pen was invented by
Ladislo Biro in 1938.
In 1937, Chester F. Carlson invented the
photocopier
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20. • Section 3 •
Events
On March 3, 1931, U.S.
President Herbert Hoover
signed an act that
officially made "The Star
Spangled Banner" the
national anthem for the
United States. Before this
time, the United States
had been without any
national anthem.
The words of "The Star
Spangled Banner" were first written on September 14, 1814 by
Francis Scott Key as a poem titled, "The Defence of Fort
McHenry."
19
World War 2, also known as
the Second World War, was a war fought from 1939 to 1945 in
Europe and, during much of the 1930s and 1940s, in Asia. The
war in Europe began in earnest on September 1, 1939 with the
invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany, and concluded on
September 2, 1945, with the official surrender of the last Axis
nation, Japan. However, in Asia the war began earlier with
Japanese interventions in China, and in Europe, the war ended
earlier with the unconditional surrender of Germany on May 8,
1945. The conflict spilled over into Africa, included a handful of
incidents in the Americas, and a series of major naval battles. It
was the largest armed conflict in history, spanning the entire
world and involving more countries than any other war, as well
as introducing powerful new weapons, culminating in the first
use of nuclear weapons.
22. • Section 1 •
Clothing
The fashion trends of the 1940s were
influenced by World War II and the
military. Men would wear bomber
jackets, rolled-up blue jeans, hawaiian
shirts, and trousers. Women often wore
Eisenhower jackets, convertible suits,
sleek dresses, and halter tops.
21
23. • Section 2 •
Interactive 5.1
Technology
Peter Goldmark invented modern color
television system and Richard James invented
the slinky in 1940
In 1946, the microwave oven was invented by
Percy Spencer and Velcro was invented by
George de Mestral.
The atomic bomb was developed in 1945.
Robert Hope-Jones invented the Wurlitzer
jukebox. 1948
22
24. • Section 3 •
Events
On the morning of December 7, 1941, the Japanese
During World War II, the Allied powers planned to
launched a surprise air attack on the U.S. Naval Base at
create a two-front war by continuing the Soviet Union's
Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. After just two hours of
attack of Nazi-occupied lands from the east and by
bombing, more than 2,400 Americans were dead, 21
beginning a new invasion from the west.
ships* had either been sunk or damaged, and more
In June 1944, the United States and the United
than 188 U.S. aircraft destroyed.
Kingdom (with help from many other western
The attack at Pearl Harbor so outraged Americans that
countries) began the long-awaited attack from the
the U.S. abandoned its policy of isolationism and
west, the Normandy Invasion (Operation Overlord).
declared war on Japan the following day -- officially
June 6, 1944, also known as D-Day, was the very first
bringing the United States into World War II.
day of this massive amphibious invasion, which
23
25. brought thousands of ships, tanks, planes, and troops
across the English Channel.
With the end of World War II imminent and the
Russians nearing his underground bunker under the
Chancellery building in Berlin, Germany, Nazi leader
Adolf Hitler shot himself in the head with his pistol,
likely after swallowing cyanide, ending his own life just
before 3:30 pm on April 30, 1945. In the same room
with Hitler was his new wife, Eva Braun, who ended her
life by swallowing a cyanide capsule. After their deaths,
SS men carried their bodies up to the Chancellery’s
courtyard, covered them with gasoline, and lit them on
fire.
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27. • Section 1 •
Clothing
The fashion trends of the 1950s were
influenced by rock and roll. Men would
often wear flannel suits, cardigan
sweaters, and hats, while teen boys
would wear button down shirts, tight
jeans, t-shirts, and leather jackets.
Women would wear full skirts with
petticoats and long dresses, while teen
girls would wear poodle skirts and capri
pants.
26
28. • Section 2 •
Interactive 6.1
Technology
In 1950 the first credit card was
invented by Ralph Schneider.
Bette Nesmith Graham invented
"Mistake Out," later renamed Liquid
Paper, to paint over mistakes made with
a typewriter. 1956
The internal pacemaker invented by
Wilson Greatbatch in 1959.
27
29. • Section 3 •
Events
In 1896, the Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court case
On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, a 42-year-old African-
determined that "separate but equal" was constitutional. The
American seamstress, refused to give up her seat to a white
opinion of the Supreme Court stated, "A statute which implies
man while riding on a city bus in Montgomery, Alabama. For
merely a legal distinction between the white and colored races
doing this, Rosa Parks was arrested and fined for breaking the
-- a distinction which is founded in the color of the two races,
laws of segregation. Rosa Parks' refusal to leave her seat
and which must always exist so long as white men are
sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott and is considered the
distinguished from the other race by color -- has no tendency
beginning of the modern Civil Rights Movement.
to destroy the legal equality of the two races, or re-establish a
state of involuntary servitude."
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31. • Section 1 •
Interactive 7.1
Clothing
The fashion trends of the
1960s were influenced by
Civil Rights. During this
time period, men wore
bright colors, nehru jackets,
30
and turtlenecks. Women
would often wear
miniskirts, pantsuits, and
pillbox hats.
32. • Section 2 •
Interactive 7.2
How a CD is made.
Technology
The audio cassette was invented in
1962.
Soft contact lenses were also invented
in 1965.
In 1965, The compact disk was invented
by James Russell.
Douglas Engelbart invented the
computer mouse in 1968
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33. • Section 3 •
Events
On November 22, 1963, the youth and idealism of America in the
1960s faltered as its young President, John F. Kennedy, was
assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald while riding in a motorcade
through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas. Two days later, Oswald was
shot and killed by Jack Ruby during a prisoner transfer.
In response to the Gulf of Tonkin Incident of August 2 and 4,
1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson, per the authority given to him
by Congress in the subsequent Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, decided
to escalate the Vietnam Conflict by sending U.S. ground troops to
Vietnam. On March
8, 1965, 3,500 U.S.
Marines landed
near Da Nang in
South Vietnam;
they are the first
U.S. troops arrive
in Vietnam.
A landmark piece of civil rights legislation in the United States[4]
that outlawed major forms of discrimination against racial, ethnic,
national and religious minorities, and women.[5] It ended unequal
application of voter registration requirements and racial
segregation in schools, at the workplace and by facilities that
served the general public
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34. At 6:01 p.m. on April 4, 1968, civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. was hit by a sniper's bullet. King had been standing on the
balcony in front of his room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis,
Tennessee, when, without warning, he was shot. The .30-caliber
rifle bullet entered King's right cheek, traveled through his neck,
and finally stopped at his shoulder blade. King was immediately
taken to a nearby hospital but was pronounced dead at 7:05 p.m.
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36. • Section 1 •
Interactive 8.1
Clothing
The fashion trends of the 1970s were influenced by the
hippy and disco eras. Men would wear leisure suits, bold
neckties, and flared pants. Women would wear bold
flower prints, denim, and flared pants. The fashion trends
of this time period were often unisex.
35
37. • Section 2 •
Technology
Many of the technologies that we use
today were first developed in the 1970s.
The ink-jet printer was created in
1976.
In 1971, VCR or videocassette was
developed.
Cell phones were invented in 1979.
36
38. • Section 3 •
Events
In light of his loss of political support and the near-
resigning for the good of the country and asked the
certainty of impeachment due to the Watergate
nation to support the new president, Gerald Ford.
scandal, Nixon resigned the office of the presidency on
Nixon went on to review the accomplishments of his
August 9, 1974, after addressing the nation on
presidency, especially in foreign policy.
television the previous evening. The resignation speech
was delivered from the Oval Office and was carried live
on radio and television. Nixon stated that he was
37
40. • Section 1 •
Interactive 9.1
Clothing
The fashion trends of the 1980s were influenced by the yuppie
movement. Men returned to wearing pinstripe suits, narrow
lapels, bright vests, and skinny ties. Women wore exercise
wear, logos, designer jeans, flounced skirts, business suits,
and khakis.
39
41. • Section 2 •
Technology
The Apple Macintosh was invented in
1984
In the 1980s, two large computer
manufacturers were developed. They
still remain the top two leading
competitors today.
A year later, Windows software
invented by Microsoft in 1985.
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42. • Section 3 •
Events
On July 7, 1981, President Ronald
Reagan nominated Sandra Day O'Connor
to be the first woman on the U.S.
Supreme Court. On September 21, the
United States Senate confirmed
O'Connor in a vote of 99 for and zero
against. Sandra Day O'Connor was
officially sworn in and took her seat on
the U.S. Supreme Court on September
25, 1981.
41
44. • Section 1 •
Interactive 10.1
Clothing
The fashion trends of the 1990s were influenced
by the technology era. In this time period, men would were clothes that were grunge
with an oversized fit, baggy pants, and hooded sweatshirts. Women would often
wear grunge clothing, halter tops, two piece formal wear, and puffy jackets.
43
45. • Section 2 •
Technology
The World Wide Web and Internet
protocol (HTTP) and WWW language
(HTML) was created by Tim BernersLee in 1990.
In 1995 the DVD (Digital Versatile Disc
or Digital Video Disc) was developed.
44
46. • Section 3 •
Events
The Hubble Space Telescope's launch in 1990
sped humanity to one of its greatest advances
in that journey. Hubble is a telescope that
orbits Earth. Its position above the
justice, on
atmosphere, which distorts and blocks the light that
December 19,
reaches our planet, gives it a view of the universe that
1998. Two other
typically far surpasses that of ground-based telescopes.
impeachment
articles, a second perjury charge and a charge of abuse
Bill Clinton, the 42nd President of the United States,
of power, failed in the House. He was acquitted by the
was impeached by the House of Representatives on two
Senate on February 12, 1999
charges, one of perjury and one of obstruction of
45
48. • Section 1 •
Clothing
The fashion trends of the 2000s were influenced by
pop culture. Men often wore graphic t-shirts, blazers,
and jeans. Women would wear halter tops, tank tops,
t-shirts, skinny jeans, and low-rise pants.
47
49. • Section 2 •
Technology
On October 23, 2001 Apple Computers
created their portable music digital
player-the iPod
that decides how soft or firm support
the wearer needs.
YouTube - the online video sharing and
viewing community - was invented in
2005 by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley and
Jawed Karim
Adidas 1 are thinking shoes developed
in 2004 with a built in microprocessor
48
50. • Section 3 •
Events
On September 11th, 2001, a series of coordinated suicide
to 1st May and involved troops from the US (248,000), UK
attacks took place in the United States. On that day, 19 al-
(45,000), Australia (2,000) and Poland (194).
Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial airplanes. The
hijackers intentionally crashed two of the airliners into the
According to then President George Bush, and then UK Prime
Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City,
Minister Tony Blair, the reasons for the invasion were "to
killing those on board and many others working in the
disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction, to end Saddam
buildings.
Hussein's support for terrorism, and to free the Iraqi people."
According to Blair, the trigger was Iraq's failure to take a "final
The invasion of Iraq was led by the United States, alongside
opportunity" to disarm itself of nuclear, chemical and
the United Kingdom and smaller contingents from other
biological weapons that US and UK officials called an
countries. The initial invasion phase lasted from 20th March
immediate and intolerable threat to world peace.
49
51. Barack Obama was elected the 44th president of the U.S. in
January 2009, becoming the first African American to hold
office. His immediate actions were focused on the financial
crisis plaguing the country. He subsequently introduced
several economic stimulus packages, with billions upon billions
of dollars being spent in an effort to reinvigorate the financial
system and free up credit. A country-wide cleanup of the
banking system, with the aim of removing any toxic bank
assets or loans, was soon begun.
50
