06/13/2026
The AirBnB had a bag of pennies. You know I couldn’t resist! Three wheaties, the oldest at 1919.
Some key historical evens of 1919 (ChatGPT)
In the United States, 1919 was a turbulent year marked by racial violence, labor unrest, political fear, and major social change.
1. The Red Scare
The first First Red Scare swept the country after the Russian Revolution. Many Americans feared communists and anarchists were planning to overthrow the government.
* Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer ordered raids against suspected radicals in what became known as the Palmer Raids.
* Thousands of immigrants and political activists were arrested or deported.
2. The Red Summer
The summer and fall of 1919 saw widespread racial violence known as the Red Summer.
* More than 20 cities experienced race riots.
* The deadliest was the Chicago race riot of 1919, which lasted nearly a week and left dozens dead and hundreds injured.
* Similar violence occurred in Washington, D.C. and Knoxville.
3. Major labor strikes
Workers across the country demanded higher wages after World War I.
Notable strikes included:
* The Seattle General Strike, where about 65,000 workers stopped work for five days.
* The United States Steel Strike of 1919, involving over 350,000 workers.
* The Boston Police Strike, which led to unrest and helped launch the political career of Calvin Coolidge.
4. Women gain the right to vote (almost)
On June 4, 1919, Congress approved the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution and sent it to the states for ratification.
* It became law in 1920.
* Leaders of the suffrage movement included Susan B. Anthony (who had died in 1906) and Carrie Chapman Catt.
5. The Black Sox Scandal
Eight players from the Chicago White Sox were accused of intentionally losing the 1919 World Series in exchange for money from gamblers.
* The scandal shook professional sports.
* The players, including Shoeless Joe Jackson, were eventually banned from baseball.
6. Prohibition begins
The Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution had been ratified earlier, but in 1919 Congress passed the National Prohibition Act to enforce it.
* Beginning in 1920, the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages became illegal nationwide.
* This ushered in the era of speakeasies and organized crime in the 1920s.
7. A milestone in aviation
Pilots John Alcock and Arthur Whitten Brown completed the first nonstop transatlantic flight in 1919, flying from Newfoundland to Ireland. While not an American event, it captured enormous attention in the U.S. and helped accelerate interest in commercial aviation.
