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On the date

Tuesday, April 5, 1921

From the day

Perspective: The Street Photographer · Tactile

The damp wool of my checkered overcoat drags heavy against my neck as I lean over the Leica, watching a shopkeeper wind up a tin toy—one of those mechanical **robots** that clatters across the sidewalk with a metallic shiver. A dandy in a stiff linen collar sneers at the display, his hand twitching near the pocket where he surely keeps a hidden **gat**, while across the street, a doctor’s sign promises the miracle of **insulin** for those with thinning veins and pale skin. I ignore the headlines about the Hylan inquiry to focus on a child clutching a burlap Raggedy Andy, the toy’s red yarn hair fraying under her sticky grip. It’s a city of lies that even a **polygraph** couldn’t untangle, but the way the spring light hits the rivets of a passing motorcar makes me think, *ain't we got fun?*

Memories from that day

No memories yet. Add yours if you remember this day.

The Headlines

MILLER GIVES WORD FOR HYLAN INQUIRY; Thinks Investigation of City's Structure and Financial Condition Is Desirable.HE WAITS ON LEGISLATUREGovernor Says It Is Up to Lawmakers to Name Authorityto Conduct Proceedings.

Read in The New York Times →

Best-selling Sheet Music

The Sheik of Araby

Harry B. Smith & Ted Snyder

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 1921

  • Ain't we got fun?

Tech Check

Robots (The Term 'Robot'), Polygraph (Modern) & Insulin (Medical Tech).

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

38,413 days ago

(105 years, 88 days)