Radio in the 20s Most prominent form of entertainment in the 20s, 30s and 40s Every house had at least one radio Shows with an audience Everyone dressed up Live musical groups Props to produce sounds Entertainment News Sports Book reading Dramas Commercials

Gangsters of the 1920s

Al Capone This Italian gangster is the most well known in history. He began in NY then moved to Chicago where he was known as a murderer, a pimp, and bootlegger. He was eventually arrested and served the rest of his life in Alcatraz where he died in 1947 of syphilis.

George Moran This Irish leader of the Northside Gang was nicknamed the “Jolly Murderer” and “Bugs”. He was the target of the Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre, but escaped harm. He was eventually arrested for bank robbery despite being known as “Chicago’s Robin Hood”.

Eliot Ness This special agent in the Prohibition Bureau is known for chasing Capone for two years until he finally arrested him. He routinely seized alcohol, trucks, stills and equipment from bootleggers. His men earned the nickname “The Untouchables” because they couldn’t be bought out or bribed like other officials.

Charles Luciano This Italian gangster was considered the “Boss of Bosses” in NYC. He worked under Johnny Torrio and earned his nickname “Lucky” after surviving an attack with an icepick. After his arrest, he helped the U.S. during WWII with the invasion of Sicily and so he was set free to live the rest of his life in Italy.

Dion O’Banion This Irish gangster owned a flower shop and consistently stole alcohol from Al Capone. He was killed in his flower shop by Torrio’s men because he often stole alcohol from Torrio. He was known for running the best distilleries in town.

Johnny Torrio This Italian gangster killed his own uncle to take over the business. He attempted to unite all Chicago gangs and was successful in all cases except with O’Banion. He was retaliated against after attacking O’Banion. After this incident, he turned over his gang to his famous successor and moved back to NYC.

Sports Figures of the 1920s

Satchel Paige This baseball player’s true age was never known. He was a pitcher for the Black Barons in the Negro League for 20 years. He then played in the Major League in 1948 after it was integrated and is famous for striking out RogerS Hornsby five times in one game.

This baseball player was nicknamed the “Georgia Peach”. He was an outfielder, but is recognized as being one of the greatest all-around players in history but his fierce competitiveness and bad temper earned him a bad reputation. Ty Cobb

This swimmer had broken numerous U.S. and World records in swimming. She was the first female to swim the English Channel and broke the best male time by over two hours. She developed an infection from this swim and eventually became deaf. Gertrude Ederle

Josh Gibson This catcher for the Negro League was often compared to Babe Ruth because of his exceptional batting ability. He was very well-liked and respected by everyone. Unfortunately, he passed away one year before the two baseball leagues were integrated.

This heavy- and lightweight boxer was also a U.S. Marine in WWI. After a severe hit, he won the famous 1927 Battle of the Long Count after his opponent failed to return to a neutral corner, which earned him four extra seconds. He retired in 1928 with a record of with 47 knock-outs. Gene Tunney

This heavyweight boxer was nicknamed the “Manassa Mauler” and “Kid Blackie”. His victories helped make boxing a popular sport. He lost the famous Battle of the Long Count when he failed to return to a neutral corner; this allowed his opponent four extra seconds to recover from the hit. Jack Dempsey

Jim Thorpe This Olympic medalist played a variety of sports which include football, track, baseball, basketball, lacrosse, swimming, boxing, tennis and archery. He lost his Olympic medals in track after it was discovered he played semi-professional baseball. Some believe this was a discriminatory act due to his Native American ethnicity. He is labeled as the greatest all-around athlete of the first half of the 20th century.

Charles Lindbergh This aviator took the first non-stop solo flight across the Atlantic in “The Spirit of St. Louis”. The plane was a single engine, monoplane. He is also known for developing the first artificial heart. He left the U.S. in the 1930s after his young son was kidnapped and murdered.

Joe Jackson This outfielder was also known as a great batter and nicknames “Shoeless” for taking off his cleats during a game because he was getting blisters. He played for the Chicago White Sox and was kicked out of baseball forever for his involvement in throwing the World Series in In truth, he knew what was happening, but refused to participate in the scandal.

Babe Ruth He is considered the “Greatest all- around player” and nicknamed “The Great Bambino” and “The Sultan of Swat”. He held the homerun record for many years, led the league in walks, RBIs and runs scored. He is famous for “calling his shot” in 1932.