Many of the events that I saw or researched before getting an in-depth introduction to them, I believed that they happened. Midway through the course, I had the most significant revelation that these people’s events happened 100 years ago. It is sad to see the recognition and the credibility of some of these events die. Like how often do people think about the Yankees in the year 1923? Probably not a lot. Only select parts of the Yankees in the 1920s stuck, such as building the new stadium and Babe Ruth. When people see a Disney film, do they think of Steamboat Willie and how Disney has come along since the 1920s? Do they think of how complex and courageous Disney had to make one of the first synchronized films? These are examples of people only think of if they research and take an in-depth view of some of these topics. This phenomenon may not happen to most people, depending on what they study. This was another aspect of the class that I enjoyed. I enjoyed narrowing in on some of these subjects and finding more about them because I already had some fondness for them somehow.

Roberta Carbah

I am a Ramapo senior who is majoring in Elementary Education. I am taking this course because I want to be certified in Social Studies at the middle school level. I graduated from Bergen Community College in the Spring of ’19 with an associate’s in Early Childhood Education. Currently, I am working  at Starbucks as a Shift Supervisor until I obtain my degree from Ramapo.

This is a short biographical section of what Einstein has become and what he did to become the person that he was during that time period. The eye catching title sparks readers attention because of how a genius such as Einstein was not good at something. As a society, we deem that “geniuses” seem to be good at everything but in reality they aren’t. I found this article to be interesting because it gives the reader a look in what Einstein’s personality was really like during this time period. This newspaper clipping is from the Brooklyn Daily Eagle and published on March 4th 1928, page 105 of the newspaper.

Transcription

Einstein, Though at Home With Relativity, Flunked As Mathematics Student

Scientist, Voted “Great Man,” a Dominating Personality in Laboratory but Almost Childish in Private Life—- Too Shy to Make a Speech in Public.

By Meyer Weisgal ¹.

He ².is only 49, and yet he is now called the “world’s greatest man.” Albert Einstein is given this title as the result of a survey recently conducted by the London Daily Chronicle. ³ This newspaper compiled a list of the world’s great men in answer to a statement made by the Archbishop of Canterbury ⁴ that the world has no great personalities today.

It is said that very few people know the actual content of the theory of relativity ⁵ but almost everybody has heard of its author, Albert Einstein. His theory of the universe was so startling that not only the scientists but the laymen were astonished by its implications. It is very strange in this age of machinery, an age where sheer force and power are presumed to entitle one to distinction, that a man like Albert Einstein supremely intellectual and reserved, should even be considered for the post of “the world’s greatest man.”

Failed as Mathematics Student

Professor Einstein son of a German Jewish family, was born in 1879 in Ulm, Wurtemberg. He spent his school days in Munich where he attended a gymnasium.⁶ From 1896 to 1900 he studied mathematics and physics at the Technical High School in Zurich, Switzerland. Originally, he intended to become a school teacher, but having meanwhile become naturalized, he obtained a post as engineer in the Swiss Patent Office. ⁷ The main idea involved in the most important of Einstein’s theories date back to this period.

In 1909 he became professor at the University of Zurich. Later he was called to the University of Prague. In 1914 ⁸ he accepted an invitation to the Prussian Academy of Science, Berlin. It was here that he completed his work of “General Theory of Relativity” between 1915-17.

One of the most amazing circumstances in the life of this man who is acknowledged leader in a branch of science which is dependent on figures is that he failed in mathematics while at the university. It is the duality of this man, not unusual in geniuses, which is his distinguishing characteristic.

Childish in Private Life

There is a remarkable contrast between Albert Einstein the man, and Albert Einstein, the scientist. In his latter profession Einstein is a dominating personality, whose courage in the face of ideas has led him to some of the most revolutionary discoveries. He is aggressive in the scientific world, daring to tackle theories and facts which have been accepted by the scientists for centuries. It is this very disregard of established facts and theories that has been responsible for the widespread fame that he has secured. Albert Einstein came to be thought of as “the world’s greatest man” because he is an outstanding example of man’s superiority over the forces of nature.

And yet Einstein, is an entirely different personality within private life. He is very naive, sometimes even to regret his extremely sensitive nature. Indicative of his craving for quiet is the passion with ‘which he has cultivated his musical talent.’ Einstein is not only a scientist: he is a violinist of great accomplishment. Music critics who have had the good fortune to be present at some of the private recitals which Einstein has given have declared that the concert stage offers him huge sums of money. ⁹

Refuses to Make a Speech

Einstein is unimpressed with his own fame. He cannot conceive of himself as an internationally known figure, and childish wonderment always overcomes him when he hears himself referred to by prominent scientists as a distinction to their profession. Einstein thinks much more of his violin playing than of his scientific achievements.

Typical of his shyness is Einstein’s known powers as a good listener. He rarely talks in company, but gives the impression of listening very centratedly. Even when a huge crowd expects an encouraging speech, no matter how short, he is too reticent to appear. A speech of his that has become famous was delivered about six years ago while he was visiting this country in the presence of a fellow-scientist, Dr. Chaim Weizmann ¹⁰ who is also president of the World Zionist Organization. ¹¹ A mass meeting was being held at one of the New York City armories, attended by some of the foremost Jews in the metropolis. Nobody has heard Einstein before they were all eager to get a glimpse of the famous Einstein and to hear what he might have to say.

At last Einstein appeared on the platform greeted by a five-minute ovation. Then there was silence, And Einstein spoke: “Wizmann is your leader. Follow him. I have spoken.’ Those three terse sentences was all Einstein said.

Hounded as a Jew

He attends few functions, especially those which are intended to do him honor. There was one celebration planned for him in Germany given by the outstanding scientists of his country. He was to be guest of honor. At the last moment he wired: “Sorry: unable to attend; congratulations.”

One would think that a man who has attained the stature of Einstein would be considered far above personalities. And yet even Einstein, who has brought so much credit to German science ando German culture, has been hounded in Germany because he is a Jew. He, together with a number of other prominent Jews, among them the late Maximillian Harden ¹² , enemy of the Kaisers, were put on what become known as the “black list.” This “black list” was gotten up after the war, when German monarchists were trying to divert the German people from the defeat they had sustained at the hands of the Allies. Some monarchists spread the rumor that the leading Jews of Germany over the Allies and that it was because of Jewish defection, that the Central Powers ¹³ lost the World War ¹⁴.

Speaks Only One Tongue ¹⁵

This succeeded in winning a number of German anti-Semites, who determined to rid the nation of Jews. Walter Rathenau ¹⁶, the German-Jewish financier and statesman, was made a victim of the “black list.” He was assassinated. But Einstein fled to Switzerland, where he had to remain for some time before the anti-Semitic agitation learned up in Germany.

Einstein can only speak one language, German. Many noted visitors come to his home, who try to speak to him in various languages, but he deprecates his lingual ignorance and adds: “The language I know best is physics.”

Einstein is typical of the great Jewish figures whom Germany has produced. He has made Zionism his hobby. ¹⁷ When he is through with his laboratory, and after he has soothed himself with his violin, he takes up the problems which confront the Jewish people, and does whatever is in his power to aid their solution. He belies staunchly that a Jewish homeland should be built up in Palestine.

Backs Zionist Move

Time and again, when he has been asked to write on scientific subjects, Einstein has preferred to concentrate his energies on Jewish problems. His writings on Jewish topics are quite prolific, and all of them are show through with an idealism and optimism.

This is a typical passage:

“The reconstruction of Palestine is not merely a philanthropic task for Jews; it represents not merely an opportunity for colonization but it is a problem of first-rate importance for the Jewish people. It is not mainly a refuge for Eastern Jews but the incarnation of the revised national feeling of all Jews. Is it desirable and necessary to strengthen this feeling? In my opinion the reply must be in the affirmative.

“It is essential that we Jews above all should become once more conscious of our existence asa nation, that we should regain the self-respect which is necessary for such a national existence. We must take upon our selves once more cultural tasks which are adapted to strengthen our collective national feeling.”

Likes American Jews

Einstein’s participation in his people’s cause has not only been a matter of writing. H has given a great deal of time to conferences and meetings wherever his personality would be of value in stimulating interest in the gathering.

Speaking of his reactions to his American visit, Einstein said: “My greatest experience was that for the first time in my life I have seen the Jewish people. I have hitherto seen very many Jews in large numbers, but I have never seen the Jewish people, neither in Berlin Nor elsewhere in Germany. I have seen how extraordinarily self-sacrificing these American Jews are. I found that it was generally the middle class, and above all the common people, and not those who by their social position or other advantages had rise to the top, who still possessed the sound instinct of their common origin and who were willing to make sacrifices on a large scale for their people.”

Citations

“4 Mar 1928, Page 73 – The Brooklyn Daily Eagle at Newspapers.com.” Newspapers.com. Accessed April 28, 2021. https://www.newspapers.com/image/57570109/?terms=einstein&match=1. 

The majority of the annotations I used were simple google searches to tell me who, or what the text read. In majority I used Wikipedia because that was the first link that would come up when I searched a person’s name or place or ideal. All websites I used for research are listed below:

“Albert Einstein.” Biography.com. A&E Networks Television, April 9, 2021. https://www.biography.com/scientist/albert-einstein. 

“Central Powers of World War I.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, April 25, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Powers_of_World_War_I. 

“Chaim Weizmann.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, April 21, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaim_Weizmann. 

“Daily Chronicle.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, March 23, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daily_Chronicle. 

Hanlon, Mike. “Einstein’s Violin Fetches $516,500 at New York Auction.” New Atlas, March 11, 2018. https://newatlas.com/einstein-violin-auction/53760/. 

“Maximilian Harden.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, March 26, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maximilian_Harden. 

“List of Archbishops of Canterbury.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, April 25, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_archbishops_of_Canterbury. 

“Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, April 22, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_Federal_Institute_of_Intellectual_Property. 

“Theory of Relativity.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, April 10, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_relativity. 

“Walther Rathenau.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, April 8, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walther_Rathenau. 

“World Zionist Organization.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, April 2, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Zionist_Organization. 

“Zionism.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, April 15, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionism#Terminology. 

Roberta Carbah

I am a Ramapo senior who is majoring in Elementary Education. I am taking this course because I want to be certified in Social Studies at the middle school level. I graduated from Bergen Community College in the Spring of ’19 with an associate’s in Early Childhood Education. Currently, I am working  at Starbucks as a Shift Supervisor until I obtain my degree from Ramapo.

Retrowaste is a website that is broken down into eight different decades, starting from the 1920s to the 1990s. As you put your cursor over every decade, a dropdown menu appears of the types of topics that the decade covers. The homepage of the website takes you through an overview of what the decade consisted of. It tells the reader who the Presidents were, what Prohibition was, and some facts throughout the decade. On the Retrowaste website, in the 1920s tab, the website will show you that it has topics such as cars, fashion, music, and sports. The website specializes in 1920s America within these topics that I had listed prior. I believe that this website is from a vintage perspective, not history-based at all. As you click on one of the tabs for the decade, such as cars, you can instantly notice that the pictures are from time. The information on the website is not cited and seems not to be flowing correctly, though. It appears to be blurbs of that topic in the 1920s instead of having a consistent rundown on the decade itself. The website has tons of pictures from the time, which could help someone who needed an image from the time itself. I would use this website more on the images included on its website, not the factual information

General Strike Declared in the United Kingdom

May 3, 1926

Author of Website

The author of the website is a man named Paul Phipps. His biography states loves history, read the entire 1987 World Book Encyclopedia when he was 23, and that he specializes in vintage items. After searching his name on google, I couldn’t find anything else about him. It would make the website more credible to see his credentials other than his hobbies.

Location, Location, Location!

How easy is it to navigate the website? I found it very easy to navigate, especially trying to look it into the eyes of someone who doesn’t know the technology that well. When creating a website, that is important because you can create a website. Everyone despite their technology level may see your website. Some things I noticed were the following. If someone didn’t know how to navigate drop-down menus, they could easily click on the 1920s and start reading about the 1920s. It would be more beneficial for the “profiles” of these decades to be at the top of every decade’s homepage just in case someone didn’t know how to scroll down on the website.

When was it last updated?

From what appears on the website, the website is still under construction for the 2000s portion of the website. It doesn’t appear that they are still working on the 1920s part of the website. The author acknowledged that there is more work to put into it and that it has been an evolving project since 2005, meaning that some aspects of the website could not have been published or touched since 2005. It would be beneficial if the page’s date was on the top of the topic so the reader could see when the author last edited.

Do I trust the website?

In some aspects, yes. In others, no. The photographs seem to be from a primary source based on how the picture looks, but there is no citation on where the website’s author got his photos and information , which could not be beneficial for research.The author of the website specializes in vintage items. Therefore, he focuses on the aspect of the items’ design and preciousness other than its history. If someone could use the pictures to display them or use them somehow in another fashion, it would be more beneficial. I would like to know where the author got all of the information from.

Biblography

The 1920s: The Roaring Twenties. (n.d.). Retrieved March 30, 2021, from https://www.retrowaste.com/1920s/

Roberta Carbah

I am a Ramapo senior who is majoring in Elementary Education. I am taking this course because I want to be certified in Social Studies at the middle school level. I graduated from Bergen Community College in the Spring of ’19 with an associate’s in Early Childhood Education. Currently, I am working  at Starbucks as a Shift Supervisor until I obtain my degree from Ramapo.

Summary

The Modern Temper: American Culture and Society in the 1920s by Lynn Dumenil was written in 1995, and it is an interpretation of the dramatic, important, and misunderstood decade. Dumenil is a professor of American History at Occidental College. Dumenil is also the editor in chief of the forthcoming Oxford Encyclopedia of American Social History. Dumenil describes the misinterpretation of the decade that took place in America during that time. As she writes, she makes her work clear. She interprets what happened in the 1920s, the age of the end of the Victorian era, urban liberalism emerging, the federal bureaucracy expanding, pluralism becoming important to American society. The emergence of different religions, ethnic, cultural groupings. Dumenil starts the book discussing the two eras that are sandwiched into the 1920s the progressive period and the New Deal and the decade’s public and private power. This book brings the developments of these aspects into sharp focus. Dumenil expresses her concern on the viewing of the 1920s as being a “fascination for the decade’s drama. (Dumenil 1) Dumenil discusses the fascination of how students are so into the richness of the 1920s in which students believe that the 1920s were all about The Great Gatsby. Dumenil discusses a key image that was enduring as the image of “the roaring twenties.” She discusses how people understand the life period to be fast, propelled by riches and social values changing constantly. She also remarks on the 1920s being so irresistible because of the women, ethnicity, and leisure. Dumenil also discusses the characterization of the 1920s being modern. She explains this because of the rapid industrialization during the time. The development of industrialization changed work and daily life, creating an extensive network of corporations into a national economy.

How does it fit into the larger historiography of the 1920s?

Like other author’s reflecting on the 1920s Dumenil talks about how forthcoming and industrialized America was becoming. Concepts like immigration, women are displayed in Dumenil’s work. Dumenil also talks about the environment of what the 1920s’ was. She describes the comparison of the stereotypical image of the 1920s and the reality of the 1920s. Other historiographers have discussed this phenomenon of how people imagine the 1920s to be a “romantic time period” but as Jennifer Fronc writes, she discusses that it was” a struggle and challenge to American’s democratic institutions in the post-World War I period. (Fronc)” Like Dumenil, Fronc discusses women’s suffrage, prohibition and immigration.

What does it provide to a reader in the 1920s?

Modern Temper: American Culture and Society in the 1920s by Lynn Dumenil would create interest readers who want to know about the 1920s because it clarifies the effects before and after the 1920s. As Dumenil states, a lot of what the population thinks of what the 1920s is about are about the “great Gatsby ideals” that make up the 1920s. But in reality such an extensive list such as the creation of Micky Mouse , Albert Einstein making groundbreaking discoveries, and the Yankees winning the 1923 World Series. These are just a list of topics that happened during this time period other than big dramatic house parties.

Bibliography

Dumenil, Lynn. The Modern Temper: American Culture and Society in the 1920s. United States: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1995.

Podair, J. and Dochuk, D., n.d. The Routledge history of the twentieth-century United States., 2018

Roberta Carbah

I am a Ramapo senior who is majoring in Elementary Education. I am taking this course because I want to be certified in Social Studies at the middle school level. I graduated from Bergen Community College in the Spring of ’19 with an associate’s in Early Childhood Education. Currently, I am working  at Starbucks as a Shift Supervisor until I obtain my degree from Ramapo.

It’s October 16th, 1923. The Yankees just received their inaugural title against the New York Giants in a 6-4 matchup after have three years in a row worth of matchups for the World Series. But the question is how, did the Yankees get to this first big win for the infamous baseball team from New York? The 1923 season was a year of the 3 R’s rebirth, redemption, and revenge. All it would take was the magic of Babe Ruth, a new stadium, and determination, and the Yankees finally receive the title. The Yankees manager at the time, Miller Huggins led the team to their straight pennant with a 98-53 record. The Yankees eventually took second place of the Detroit Tigers in the American League. At the end of the season they avenged their 1921 and 1922 losses by the Giants in 6 games.

Ruth’s house is built

When considering the Yankees’ rebirth, the iconic first Yankee Stadium opened in 1923 after the Yankees had used two fields, Hilltop Park from 1903-1912 and the Polo Grounds from 1912-1922. The Yankees had previously shared Polo Grounds with the New York Giants which they eventually grew out of because of the Polo Grounds’ rent prices. The Yankee owners Ruppert and Huston made a move to build a new stadium that would be called “Yankee Stadium.” Ruppert would eventually buy out Yankee Stadium and become the sole owner of the New York Yankees. The raising of rent at the Polo grounds allowed Ruppert and Huston to make a profitable move to buy land located in the Bronx across the Harlem River for 675,000 ( worth 10,310,189 now!) After making this move, land the was starting to be struck in May of 1922. The Stadium would take 11 months to build and cost $.2 million. Yankee Stadium was the first ballpark with three tiers of seating, and the first ballpark referred to as a stadium. The Stadium opened on April 18th, 1923. This stadium held 58,000 people. At the end of the season Babe Ruth ended up winning the MVP award, rightfully so because he held the Yankees to winning the World Series.

Hit the ground running/ Opening Day!

On January 5th, 1920, the Yankees announced that they purchased a heavy-hitting outfielder George Herman “Babe” Ruth from the Boston Red Sox for the sum of $125,000. You may ask why I mentioned a baseball player transaction from three years prior, this is because after seeing Ruth play at the other ballparks, the owners of the Yankees decided to build Yankees Stadium around Ruth, in which the construction ended up being excellent in the fact that Ruth ended up hitting a home run in the first game in the new stadium. The stadium was nicknamed “The House that Ruth Built” Ruth had doubled Yankees’ attendance which helped the team pay for the new stadium. Babe Ruth had beaten his whole team with stats with 205 hits, 151 runs, 41 home runs, 131 runs batted in and a .393 batting average. Babe Ruth hit his first home run here to start off the World Series. Not only was Babe Ruth a great significance to the team but Louis Gehrig also had a debut during the 1923 season.

Breakdown of World Series Games

Game 1- October 10th 1923, Loss of a shoe?

The Giants won the first game of the World Series. With a total of 55,307 people in attendance. The Giants scored 5 runs, while the Yankees scored 4. The Giants had eight hits, the Yankees had twelve, and there was one error by the Yankees. Babe Ruth didn’t hit the game-winning home run. Casey Stengel, a Giants outfielder at the time, would go on to become a Hall of Fame manager for the Yankees 25 years later. Stengel’s shoe was loose as he rounded the bases for an inside-the-park home run, causing him to lose his shoe after the home run! He was the first to hit a home run! Waight Hoyt took the Yankee’s mound in the game only lasted two and third innings, allowing four runs on four hits. Busch took over Hoyt’s relief and pitched well until Casey Stengel hit a game-winning inside-the-park home run in the ninth inning.

Game 2- October 11th, 1923 TIED

Game 2 is won by the Yankees! The game drew a crowd of 40,402 people. The Yankees scored four runs per game, while the Giants had two. The Yankees had ten hits to the Giants’ nine, and the Giants had two errors. Babe Ruth returned to the Polo Grounds for Game 2, a park where he loved to hit, and he responded by hitting two home runs in the Yankees’ 2-1 win to tie the series at one game apiece. In addition to Babe Ruth’s two solo home runs, Herb Pennock was instrumental in the Yankees’ victory. Pennock, the American League’s winning percentage leader in 1923, pitched all nine innings in game two, allowing just two runs and tying the series at one game apiece.

Game 3 October 12th, 1923 1-0? For A World Series?!

With 62,420 fans in attendance, the Yankees lost again in the third game. The Giants got one run on four hits, while the Yankees got four hits and one error. When the series returned to Yankee Stadium for game three, the game was scoreless until Casey Stengel hit his second World Series home run. .The only run that was scored and one to nothing Giants triumph it was the first one to nothing game in World Series history in which the only run scored was on a home run newspapers the next day had a great time reporting that the record of the series was Stengel two Yankees one. Casey Stengel was indeed the game three hero, but he came down to a pitching duel between Art Nehf and Sam Jones. The Giants starter won the game by pitching a six-hit shutout, putting the Yankees in a two-game deficit.

Game 4 October 13th, 1923

With 46,302 fans in attendance, the Yankees have yet another victory. However, after losing two of the first three games of the 1923 series, the Yankees came back to win Game Four, scoring six runs in the second inning to pull ahead of the New York Giants, and that was all the Yankees needed in an 8-4 victory over their Gotham City rivals Bob Shawky, After allowing three runs over seven and third innings, he earned the win at the end of a 15-year career. Herb Pennock contributed to the win by recording his first career postseason save.

Game 5 October 14th, 1923 The smelling of a victory

The Yankees put on a show for nearly 63,000 Yankee Stadium fans in game five. They burst out of the gate once again, scoring seven runs in the first two innings. Joe Dugan and Bob Musa combined for six RBI, while Joe Bush pitched a one-run three-hit shutout.

Game 6 October 15th, 1923 World Series CHAMPIONS

This game drew a total of 34,172 spectators. Babe Ruth hit a solo home run in the first inning of Game 6 at the Polo Grounds, but the Yankees fell behind four to one-eighth inning when a five-run rally led the Yankees to their first-ever World Series championship. Babe Ruth, Bob Musil, and Herb Pennock all pitched in to help the Yankees win game six. Finally, the Yankees won their first World Championship, and it was in their new stadium, which drew crowds of over 60,000 people and broke the record for ticket sales at the time of over one million dollars.

The Yankees impact on the 1920s.

The 1920s were the Golden Age of American Sports and the Age of the Spectator. The 1920s was the decade of baseball and pastime as well. Because of the strong economy of the time workers had more leisure time to enjoy bigger stadiums and gymnasiums. With the building of stadiums was also the introduction to the radio and newspapers to keep coverage of baseball during this decade. The 1920s was also the emergence of the most famous athlete in the United States, Babe Ruth who was the right fielder for the Yankees not only with his skills but his personality everyone loved Ruth. Ruth was one of the heroes when you reflect on the 1920s. Because of how big baseball was for the 1920s it was a great set up for spectators after the 1920s and decades to come. Baseball in the 1920s lined up perfec

Timelime

https://time.graphics/embed?v=1&id=807d8f184cc2b79f81b88bcab59ee688

Bibliography:

Times, T., n.d. The New York Times Story of the Yankees.

New York Yankees Newspaper Book told through the Washington Post

Bain News Service, Publisher. Opening DayYankee Stadium baseball. , 1923. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2014715917/.

Roberta Carbah

I am a Ramapo senior who is majoring in Elementary Education. I am taking this course because I want to be certified in Social Studies at the middle school level. I graduated from Bergen Community College in the Spring of ’19 with an associate’s in Early Childhood Education. Currently, I am working  at Starbucks as a Shift Supervisor until I obtain my degree from Ramapo.

Albert Einstein was born in Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany, on March 14th, 1879. Einstein’s fascination with “empty” space started at the age of five when his father showed him a pocket compass and then realized that “empty” space was acting upon the needle in the compass. This event foreshadowed his later career, in which Einstein would describe this experience as one of the major realizations in his career. Einstein is famous for developing relativity theory, which created a bigger understanding of space, time, gravity, and the universe. Relativity is all physical phenomena that are in the absence of gravity. Einstein developed the equation E=mc^2, which is the definition of the simplicity of fundamental physics as we know it. This equation was revolutionary for us to understand lights and solar panels, and modern chemistry. Einstein filled his career with theories and scientific explanations as a theoretical physicist. Einstein died on April 18th, 1955, at Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center in Plainsboro Township, New Jersey.

Early 1920s (1920-1923)

At the beginning of the decade, Pauline Einstein, Einstein’s mother, dies in Berlin in February after a long illness. Einstein joined the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters which is a non-governmental national academy for the advancement of science that was founded in1 742. Einstein was induced as a foreign member on April 9th. Also during the year 1920, Niels Bohr, a Danish physician, paid a visit to Einstein in Berlin. Einstein looked up to Bohr because of his contributions in the physician field Bohr had created the Bohr model which allows us to know how many protons, neutrons, and electrons are in an atom and how they interact. Einstein joined the Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences which is responsive for institutes that pay research and collections by Dutch sciences. which is another organization in Amsterdam as a foreign member on May 20 2021.

Travels in the 1920s around Europe

Einstein did much traveling in 1920 to express his theories that he made sense of in earlier years. He started in 1920 by teaching at the University of Berlin. Einstein also made lecture trips to Holland, Denmark, and Norway, where he was a visiting professor. Also, on this trip, he met physicist Niels Bohr who created the atomic model. Einstein thought Bohr was a “truly a man of genius and he had full confidence in his way of thinking.”

Einstein’s travels to the States for the first tine

In the spring of 1921, Einstein made his first trip to America with two objectives. His first objective was to take part in a fundraising tour on behalf of a Hebrew University the Zionists were planning to establish in Jerusalem. Einstein supported founding the university, and he favored an emphasis on the sciences and health professions. His second objective Was to visit Princeton University in New Jersey to deliver four lectures on relativity theory. Upon his arrival in the United States, he became immediately popular. Reporters rushed this his ship upon his arrival and he and shortly after, city officials took him on a motorcade to the lower streets in Manhattan to City Hall where Mayor James Hylan welcomed him. He spoke at Columbia University and the City University of New York. With packed auditoriums. Einstein then headed to Princeton to deliver a speech at the National Academy of Sciences in DC. Einstein’s lectures were delivered in German and were translated as he spoke. When in America, Einstein met with the president at the time, Warren Harding.

Einstein returns to Europe and reflects on how the US treated him

Before going back home, Einstein stopped in England, where Albert gave a lecture at the University of London on the relativity theory and at King’s College and at Manchester University, Einstein signed his name on a blackboard that is still preserved. While in England, Einstein paid his respects at Sir Isaac Newton’s tomb, whom he greatly admired and left a bouquet there. When Einstein returned home, he remarked on the culture of how Americans acted toward him and observations he had about Americans. Einstein remarked that “men were lapdogs of their wives and wives are extravagant spenders of their husbands’ money.” Rebutting his previous statement, Einstein commended Americans for their wrath and friendliness and expressed admiration for the schools and universities’ close relationships.

Einstein goes on Vacation and receives news of Nobel Peace Prize

After returning to Berlin, Einstein took his two sons on vacation for Hans Albert and Eduard, 17 and 11. Sailed the Baltic coast staying at a room in the local village bakery. Einstein preferred this type of vacation or getaway because of the simplicity it held. This vacation time allowed Einstein to better understand his two sons after doing substantial amount of traveling in the last year and a half of his life. Toward the end of this year, Einstein received news that he won a Nobel prize in physics to work with the photoelectric effect. This effect led to a communications revolution. The Photoelectric effect is the outburst of electrons when electromagnetic radiation, such as light, hits a material. Einstein proposed that a beam of light is not a wave propagating through space but a swarm of discrete energy packets, which would later be called photons.

Significance of Einstein

In 1921 Einstein published “Einstein on Education,” which he concluded in this present day mathematical and scientific education is too concerned with the abstractions and learning should be more hands-on that testing students with exams are unnecessary. Einstein states,

“In the matter of physics [education], the first lessons should contain nothing but what is experimental and interesting to see.”

—Albert Einstein From “Einstein on Education,” National and Athenaeum” December 3rd, 1921

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As a future educator, I admire Einstein by discussing this in 1920, and it is still a problem in our school system a century later. Learning should be hands-on learning with no stress of standardized testing in schools. If we consider Einstein to be one of the well-known geniuses globally, why can’t we evoke standardized and just normal testing in schools? The stigmatism of schools being stressful would decrease.

Map of Einstein’s Life in the 1920s

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/embed?mid=1-3e_PUDRLE5cxV72U5bBJZbrhOBjreyl

Bibliography

• Calaprice, A. and Lipscombe, T., 2005. Albert Einstein. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press.
• Einstein, A., Calaprice, A. and Dyson, F., n.d. The Ultimate Quotable Einstein.
• Unknown. 1921. Professor Albert Einstein. https://library-artstor-org.library2.ramapo.edu:2443/asset/LOCEON_1039799751.

Roberta Carbah

I am a Ramapo senior who is majoring in Elementary Education. I am taking this course because I want to be certified in Social Studies at the middle school level. I graduated from Bergen Community College in the Spring of ’19 with an associate’s in Early Childhood Education. Currently, I am working  at Starbucks as a Shift Supervisor until I obtain my degree from Ramapo.

Making Behind the Magic

Steamboat Willie was produced between July and September 1928, with an approximate budget of $5,000.( For comparison, according to Investopedia.com the average cost to produce a major studio movie has been around $65 million.) The animators were initially unsure if a sound cartoon could be convincing enough, so before creating a soundtrack, Disney arranged for a screening of the film with live sound to test the audience. Steamboat Willie was just partially done when this screening took place on July 29. In a space adjacent to Walt’s office, the audience stood. The movie projector was installed outside, and the film was projected through a window so that the projector’s sound did not interfere with the live sound. Ub Iwerks draped a bedsheet over the movie projector, behind which he set up a microphone and speakers for the audience. From behind the bedsheet, a live sound was made. Wilfred Jackson performed the music on a mouth organ, Ub Iwerks provided percussion with pots and pans, and Johnny Cannon provided sound effects with a variety of instruments, including slide whistles and spittoons for bells. Walt delivered the film’s sparse dialogue, which consisted mainly of grunts, screams, and squawks. They were ready for the crowd, which consisted of Disney employees and their wives, after many rehearsals. The audience’s reaction was overwhelmingly positive, giving Walt the courage to continue working on the film. “The effect on our small audience was nothing short of electric,” he later said of the first screening. They reacted to the combination of sound and motion almost instinctively. I figured they were joking when they said that. So they put me in the audience and re-enacted the scene. It was awful, but it was fantastic! It was also something different!” “I’ve never been so happy in my life,” Iwerks said. Nothing since has come near.” Walt moved to New York City to find a sound production company. He finally decided on Pat Powers’ Cinephone system, which Powers developed using a modified version of Lee De Forest’s Phonofilm system without crediting De Forest, a decision he later regretted. The Green Brothers Novelty Band arranged the music for the final soundtrack, which was conducted by Carl Edouarde. The band’s Joe and Lew Green also helped with the timing of the music for the film. On September 15, 1928, the first attempt to synchronize the recording with the film was a disaster. But with disaster there is always a success to follow, to fund a second recording, Disney had to sell his Moon roadster. The inclusion of a filmed bouncing ball to maintain the pace was a success. From there Disney was ready to fit the theaters with his first production staring a mouse driving a steamboat.

Synopsis of Short Film

Mickey Mouse is depicted as the captain of a steam river side-wheeler. He whistles “Steamboat Bill” and blows the boat’s three whistles cheerfully. Pete, the actual caption, appears soon after and tells Mickey to leave the bridge. Mickey gives Pete a raspberry. Pete tries to kick him, but Mickey sprints away just in time, and Pete kicks himself in the back. Mickey dashes down the stairwell, tripping over a bar of soap on the boat’s wall and landing in a bucket of water. Mickey throws the bucket at a parrot, who laughs at him. Pete, who has been watching it, takes the helm of the steamboat. He spits into the wind after biting off a piece of chewing tobacco. The spit flies backward, ringing the bell on the boat. Pete spits again, amused, but this time the spit strikes him in the ace, causing him to fuss. The steamboat picks up a cargo of different livestock at “Podunk Landing.” Minnie Mouse appears just as they are about to set off again, sprinting to catch the boat before leaving. Mickey misses her, so she chases the boat down the sea, where Mickey hooks the freight crane to her underwear and hoists her aboard. When Minnie lands on deck, she drops a ukulele and some sheet music for the song “Turkey in the Straw,” which a goat eats.

The two mice use the goat’s body as a record player, rotating its tail like a crank to play music. Mickey “plays” the animals like musical instruments, using various items on the boat as a percussion accompaniment. Mickey concludes by playing the song on a xylophone with the teeth and tongue of a donkey. Captain Pete isn’t entertained by the musical performance and assigns Mickey to peel potatoes. The same parrot laughed at him earlier appeasements in the porthole of the potato bin and laughs at him again. The mouse, enraged by the bird’s antics, throws a half-peeled potato at it, knocking into the river below. Mickey laughs as he sits next to the potatoes at the end of the movie.

Impact on the 1920s

Disney’s Steamboat Willie was the turnover of the movie industry for the 1920s. It was one of the first movie’s with sound incorporated which was huge for the time period. This short film was a breakthrough of animation in the 1920s. The birth of Steamboat Willie would change the movie industry forever not only with the birth of one of the most notorious Disney characters that we know and love but the birth of synchronized sound in the movie industry because of the breakthroughs that it had on audience’s in America during this time period.

Citations

“Moma Learning.” Accessed April 28, 2021. https://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/walt-disney-ub-iwerks-steamboat-willie-1928/. 

Roberta Carbah

I am a Ramapo senior who is majoring in Elementary Education. I am taking this course because I want to be certified in Social Studies at the middle school level. I graduated from Bergen Community College in the Spring of ’19 with an associate’s in Early Childhood Education. Currently, I am working  at Starbucks as a Shift Supervisor until I obtain my degree from Ramapo.

What do I know and remember learning about the 1920s? The first idea that comes to mind when I think of the 1920s is the “Great Gatsby Era.” The 1920s was a decade of enormous glamorous parties run by the wealthiest people in America at the time.  The term “Roaring Twenties” was created because of how pivotal and action-packed this era was. Pivotal movements such as the Women’s right to vote was founded in this era.  I have learned about the 1920s in other classes, such as high school. I have also read books such as The Great Gatsby, which takes place in the 1920s. When I read The Great Gatsby in high school, I remember learning about the history of the time as an introduction to the book. I remember that women would wear flappers and short dresses to these parties, and men would be in suits wearing ties at these formal house parties. The book The Great Gatsby doesn’t delve into the historical aspects of the time but instead focuses on the book’s two main characters’ love life. The 1920s were when the culture was made up of new dressing, dancing, and parties. I have also learned about the Jazz Era in a music class that I took, which this era discussed. A renowned Jazz artist, Louis Armstong, also comes from this time. At this time, the population took in this new type of music as a sign to go out to party and enjoy this new type of music that had been born.

After looking at images 

As I googled the term “1920s” and looked at the image search, I noticed that I remembered the same dress from recalling the 1920s. Wikipedia had a collage of eight pictures that represented the 1920s in a nutshell. The images include the prohibition period of people destroying the barrels that held alcohol in them. Another image that I noticed was in the photos’ assortment was the late Babe Ruth, who played for the New York Yankees in the 1920s. Another picture that I saw in that collage is a woman holding up a sign fighting for the right to vote. As historians, we have to look at the meaningful aspects of every decade the Earth goes through. Before looking at these images from Google, I thought the 1920s were all about partying and going out in groups to go out dancing. As I look at the images from google, that is true as the photos showcase, but some pivotal points in history play out in the 1920s. I also noticed that most pictures when you search on google are made up of black and white photography because this was a time before colored photography was around. I think it is a shame that most of the pictures showcase the fashion of the era. When initially searching the 1920s, the search doesn’t showcase more photos of American history’s  pivotal moments, such as the women’s suffrage movement and the prohibition period. After looking at the pictures of this time, I am excited to learn more about it!

Citations

• Rossini, Antonio. Throw Back Thursday- the Restaurant Scene in the 1920s. Restaurantsupply.com. Antonio Rossini, June 24, 2016. https://www.restaurantsupply.com/blog/post/throw-back-thursday-the-restaurant-scene-in-the-1920s/. 
• Volvo Trucks In 1920s. n.d. Volvotrucks.com. https://www.volvotrucks.com/en-en/about-us/history/1920s.html. 

Roberta Carbah

I am a Ramapo senior who is majoring in Elementary Education. I am taking this course because I want to be certified in Social Studies at the middle school level. I graduated from Bergen Community College in the Spring of ’19 with an associate’s in Early Childhood Education. Currently, I am working  at Starbucks as a Shift Supervisor until I obtain my degree from Ramapo.