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On the date

Saturday, June 12, 1920

From the day

Perspective: The Anxious Local · Sound

The roar of the motorcars is getting louder every day, and now those new-fangled radio broadcasts are filling the air with a static-heavy rendition of John Schonberger’s "Whispering." I can’t even enjoy the tune with bread hitting eleven cents a loaf and the papers screaming about Senator Lodge’s chaos at the convention. Everyone’s clacking their T-strap heels on the pavement, whispering about an "attack" from Borah while clutching their silk purses a little tighter. God, I’d trade every "hotsy-totsy" gadget in this city for a real return to normalcy and a steady price for a gallon of gas.

Memories from that day

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The Headlines

ADJOURN AFTER FOUR VOTES; Lodge Disregards Strong Opposition to Permit Conferences. BORAH ATTACK ALSO FEARED Threatened Openly to Take Platform to Make Sensational Attack on Wood and Lowden. TWO LEADERS MAKE GAINS Johnson, Harding and Sproul Change Little--Butler Drops from 69 Votes to 20.

Read in The New York Times →

Best-selling Sheet Music

Whispering

John Schonberger

The must-have

Raggedy Andy

Slang

Slang of the decade

General

applesaucebaloneycheaterscrush

Flapper

bee's kneescat's pajamasgiggle watershebahotsy-totsy

Gangster

big cheesebump offstool pigeongatfall guy

Catchphrases of 1920

  • Return to normalcy

Tech Check

Commercial Radio Stations (KDKA), Hair Dryer & Band-Aid.

Style of 1920

Silhouette: Straight and drop-waisted (Flapper)

Material: Beaded silk and rayon

  • Bobbed hair
  • Cloche hats
  • T-strap heels

Cost of Living (1920)

Loaf of Bread

$0.11

Gallon of Gas

$0.30

Average Home

$6,296

New Car

$575

Meanwhile

  • Post-WWI RecessionSevere deflation and collapse of agricultural prices.

Time Elapsed

38,709 days ago

(106 years, 19 days)