Abacus | This Easter, 100 years on, I’m wondering if the Twenties could roar again
- The Roaring Twenties were the antidote for World War I and the last global pandemic, a dimension of tough times we have all but forgotten
- History has a curious habit of repeating itself, especially the bad bits – but could there be a period of prosperity and spontaneous creativity once we deal with current crises?
KICKING OFF THE 20TH CENTURY
The early part of the 20th century was an exciting time to be alive. With the development of electric railways, subway trains, and the mass production of double-decker buses, people could travel inexpensively and comfortably.
The art of cinema was finding its feet, films became longer, and movie theatres became a good way to spend a night out. A bourbon-laced Old Fashioned was the cocktail of choice at the time, before your newly invented vichyssoise was served. People suddenly dined out a lot.
Household electrical goods were popular by the 1910s as vacuum cleaners and washing machines became available, suburban homes were hooked up to mains electricity, and consumers could also buy refrigerators and early air conditioners. Another hot product was the telephone, with millions of homes connected for a chat. And what better thing to chat about than the news, back in the heyday of the newspaper business?
Assembly-line mass production made cars affordable and put them within reach of many more families. But to travel long distances, you’d likely opt for a cabin on a luxurious ocean liner such as the brand new Titanic, or perhaps even a rigid airship. It was at this time that tea bags and instant coffee first arrived on grocers’ shelves. Aside from the lack of consumer electronics, one can imagine that life back then wasn’t all too different from today.