V1.

0
BY
CHARLES RICE
COVER DESIGN:
JEREMY SIMMONS

INTERIOR ART:
JOSEPH WIGFIELD

EDITING:
ANDY RAU

LAYOUT:
CHRIS DAVIS

PLAYTESTING:
COREY HODGES, EDWARD LENNON, PAULA
RICE, CHRIS DAVIS, ARAON WIGGINS, RYAN
KELLY, eTHAN RIPLINGGER, CHRIS HOOVER

Requires the use of the d20 Modern Roleplaying Game,

published by Wizards of the Coast, Inc.

d20 Modern and Wizards of the Coast are trademarks of

Wizards of the Coast, Inc. in the United States and other
countries and are used with permission

‘d20 System’ and the ‘d20 System’ logo are trademarks of

Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and are used according to the
terms of the d20 System License version 6.0. A copy of this
License can be found at www.wizards.com/d20.
The Roaring 20s
Introduction to the
Roaring 20s
Welcome to Timeline: Roaring 20s, a sourcebook for
Modern d20 games. This is a new type of sourcebook
for us, depicting a time period rather than a particular
genre. Many of our previous books in the Blood
and… line are really genre books, providing the
crunch needed for roleplaying in the horror, military,
martial arts or super hero genres. This book is much
more cream than crunch, and is meant to work
alongside our genre books. For example, a campaign
featuring shadowy vigilantes fighting inscrutable
Eastern villains could use Timeline: Roaring 20s,
Blood and Fists, and (if the “flash” level is set high
enough) Blood and Vigilance. Of course, it is equally
possible to use this book with just the core rules to
play in a wide range of genres.
New Occupations for the
Roaring 20s
Many of the occupations in the standard rules apply
to the Roaring 20s just as well as they do to the 21st
century. However, just as the future core rules needed
some new occupations to represent the flavor of the
period, the Roaring 20s need to alter or tweak some
occupations for flavor.
Explorer
The world is not completely explored in the Roaring
20s. The Polar Regions, the undersea expanses, and
the jungles of South America and Africa are still very
much unknown to the people of the age. Exploring
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these exotic locales makes those who return famous
and occasionally wealthy. The mass media is just
beginning to take its current shape, and intrepid
seekers of the unknown like Charles Lindbergh and
Admiral Byrd become stars of newspaper and film.
Of course, many explorers do not return; while these
unlucky souls become media sensations, they don’t
live to reap the benefits of their fame.
While historical explorers are a part of the Roaring
20s, fictional explorers delve into even stranger
unknown areas: the center of the earth, the lost
continent of Atlantis and even wild, fantastic visions
of other planets such as Mars and Venus are all
explored in the fiction of the age.
Prerequisite: Age 17+
Skills: Choose two of the following as permanent
class skills. If a skill a character selects is already
a class skill, he or she receives a +1 competence
bonus on checks using that skill. Balance, Climb,
Drive, Handle Animal, Jump, Knowledge (arcane
lore, earth and life sciences, history, physical
sciences, technology), Listen, Navigate, Pilot, Repair,
Research, Ride, Search, Speak Language (all), Spot,
Survival and Swim.
Reputation Bonus Increase: +1
Wealth Bonus Increase: +2
Primitive
Fiction of the Roaring 20s frequently features clashes
of different technological levels. Wild men living
deep in the unexplored jungle or even on another
planet are all staples of the age. What these characters
lack in technological sophistication is usually made
up for by their physical prowess. This occupation is
not generally appropriate for a historical campaign
without the Gamemaster’s permission (perhaps the
character could be the boy raised by wolves).
Prerequisite: Age 15+
Skills: Choose three of the following as permanent
class skills. If a skill a character selects is already a
class skill, he or she receives a +1 competence bonus
on checks using that skill. Balance, Climb, Craft
(structural), Escape Artist, Handle Animal, Hide,
Intimidate, Jump, Listen, Move Silently, Navigate,
Ride, Spot, Survival, Swim and Tumble.
Bonus Feat: Choose one of the following:
Acrobatic, Alertness, Animal Affinity, Archaic
Weapons Proficiency, Athletic, Guide or Run.
Wealth Bonus Increase: +0
Psychic
Psychics are very much a part of the Roaring
20s. In this period, it seems that science can
solve anything—including the mysteries of the
supernatural. Psychic phenomena are studied
seriously by scientists. As an example of the
seriousness with which psychic phenomena are taken
during the early 20th century, Edgar Cayce, one of the
world’s most famous psychics, appears on the front
page of the New York Times.
Prerequisite: Age 15+
Skills: Choose two of the following as permanent
class skills. If a skill a character selects is already a
class skill, he or she receives a +1 competence bonus
on checks using that skill. Bluff, Concentration,
Diplomacy, Intimidate, Knowledge (arcane lore,
behavioral sciences, theology and philosophy),
Listen, Research, Sense Motive, Sleight of Hand and
Spot.
Bonus Feat: Choose one of the following:
Deceptive, Educated, Wild Talent or Windfall.
Reputation Bonus Increase: +1
Wealth Bonus Increase: +0
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The Roaring 20s
New Classes of the
Roaring 20s
G-Man
Federal agents from the Bureau of Investigation (later
renamed the FBI), the Treasury Department and other
agencies are popular characters in the fiction of
the Roaring 20s, fighting spies and uncovering
criminal conspiracies. In the real world, men
like Eliot Ness actually do perform great
services for the public in the fight against the
rampant crime and corruption of the Prohibition
era.
Requirements
To qualify to become a g-man, a character
must meet the following criteria. (The
quickest path into this class is through the
Dedicated Hero basic class.)
Base Attack Bonus: +2
Skills: Investigate 3 ranks
Feats: Personal Firearms Proficiency
Class Information
The following information pertains to the g-
man advanced class.
Hit Die: 1d8
Action Points: 6 + one-half character level,
rounded down, every time the character gains a
new level in this class.
Class Skills: The g-man’s class skills
(and the ability for each skill) are: Climb
(Str), Diplomacy (Cha), Drive (Dex),
Gather Information (Cha), Intimidate (Cha),
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Investigate (Int), Knowledge (civics, current events,
popular culture, streetwise, tactics) (Int), Listen
(Wis), Search (Int), Sense Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis).
Class Features
All of the following are features of the g-man
advanced class.
Skill points at each level: 5 + Int modifier. Weapon Focus (Tommy Gun): G-men are the
response to the growing problem in the 20s of
criminals who outgun law enforcement officers.
Armed with the same weapons as the criminals they
fight, these agents are well-trained in their use and
do not hesitate to use lethal force to capture a wanted
criminal.
Witness Protection: Assassination of witnesses
before trial is a rampant problem during the Roaring
20s. Government agents are often called upon to
protect key witnesses prior to trial, ensuring that they
can testify against gangsters and corrupt politicians.
Anytime a g-man with this ability is adjacent to an
ally, he may place his body in harm’s way. Any attack
on the ally is instead made against the g-man. The
g-man must declare that he is using this ability prior
to the attack being rolled.
Bonus Feats: At 3rd, 6th and 9th level the g-man
receives a bonus feat from the following list:
Alertness, Armor Proficiency (light, medium),
Attentive, Brawl, Point Blank Shot, Precise
Shot, Renown and Vehicle Expert. The g-
man must meet the prerequisite for any feat
selected.
Still Buster: G-men are relentless in their
two-fisted approach to the problem of crime.
Anytime a g-man is engaged with a known
criminal, he gains the listed bonus on all melee
damage rolls as well as to the damage from
ranged attacks of 30 feet or less.
Dead or Alive: G-men are prepared to bring
criminals to justice by any means necessary. If the
criminals can be apprehended for trial, the g-man
is happy to oblige. If a criminal wants to go down
shooting… the g-man is prepared for that as well.
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The Roaring 20s
TABLE 1: THE G-MAN Action Points: 6 + one-half character level,
Base Attack Fort Ref Will Defense Reputation rounded down, every time the character gains a new
Level Special
Bonus Save Save Save Bonus Bonus level in this class.
1st +0 +1 +1 +0 Weapon Focus (Tommy Gun) +1 +0 Class Skills: The hitman’s class skills (and the
2nd +1 +2 +2 +0 Witness Protection +1 +0 ability for each skill) are: Bluff (Cha), Demolitions
3rd +2 +2 +2 +1 Bonus Feat +2 +1 (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Disable Device (Int), Drive
4th +3 +2 +2 +1 Still Buster +1 +2 +1
(Dex), Gamble (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Hide
5th +3 +3 +3 +1 Dead or Alive +3 +1
6th +4 +3 +3 +2 Bonus Feat +3 +2
(Dex), Intimidate (Cha), Knowledge (current events,
7th +5 +4 +4 +2 Untouchable +4 +2 streetwise) (Int) and Spot (Wis).
8th +6 +4 +4 +2 Still Buster +2 +4 +2 Skill points at each level: 3 + Int modifier.
9th +6 +4 +4 +3 Bonus Feat +5 +3
10th +7 +5 +5 +3 Still Buster +3 +5 +3
Class Features
All of the following are features of the hitman
This ability allows the g-man to inflict nonlethal Requirements advanced class.
damage with a weapon that normally deals lethal To qualify to become a hitman, a character must meet Blood Money: When the hitman accepts a
damage, without taking the usual -4 penalty to the the following criteria. (The quickest path into this contract, he commits himself to fulfilling that contract
attack roll. class is through the Tough Hero basic class.) as quickly and efficiently as possible. The hitman
It also allows the g-man to automatically confirm Base Attack Bonus: +2 gains the listed bonus to all Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather
any critical threat by spending an action point. Skills: Knowledge (streetwise) 6 ranks Information and Intimidate skill checks made in the
Untouchable: G-men are famous for their ability Feats: Personal Firearms Proficiency process of tracking down his target.
to rise above corruption in their attempts to push back
To qualify for this bonus, the hitman must have
the rising tide of lawlessness triggered by Prohibition.
Class Information agreed to kill his target and either been paid (in
This ability renders the g-man immune to bribes
The following information pertains to the hitman wealth at least twice the size of the bonus gained
(for NPCs only) and also immune to any fear effect,
advanced class. from this ability) or have received the assignment
including the Intimidation skill and the Frightful
Hit Die: 1d10 from a member of an organized crime family that the
Presence feat.
character has an allegiance to.

Hitman
TABLE 2: THE HIT-MAN
Base Attack Fort Ref Will Defense Reputation
Sometimes companies have problems. When a CEO Level
Bonus Save Save Save
Special
Bonus Bonus
needs something fixed, he has specialists he calls on 1st +0 +1 +1 +0 Blood Money +2 +1 +0
to stop the bleeding and set a wayward subsidiary 2nd +1 +2 +2 +0 Dirty Deeds +1d6 +1 +0
back on the path of profitability. They call these men 3rd +2 +2 +2 +1 Bonus Feat +2 +1
“efficiency experts.” Organized crime syndicates 4th +3 +2 +2 +1 Blood Money +4 +2 +1
operate much like major corporations do—when they 5th +3 +3 +3 +1 Dirty Deeds +2d6 +3 +1
have a problem, they bring in specialists to set things 6th +4 +3 +3 +2 Bonus Feat +3 +2
right again. However, these specialists are more apt 7th +5 +4 +4 +2 Calling Card +4 +2
8th +6 +4 +4 +2 Blood Money +6 +4 +2
to start bleeding than stop it.
9th +6 +4 +4 +3 Bonus Feat +5 +3
10th +7 +5 +5 +3 Dirty Deeds +3d6 +5 +3

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The Roaring 20s
The hitman can only gain this bonus for one target
at a time, and cannot choose another target until he
either kills his current target or gives up. (The latter
option, of course, may make whoever gave him
the assignment very unhappy, and could result in
anything from having to pay back the money paid,
to not getting any more work from that employer, to
having a contract taken out on him).
Bonus Feats: At 3rd, 6th and 9th levels the hitman
gains a bonus feat from the following list: Alertness,
Archaic Weapon Proficiency, Armor Proficiency
(light, medium), Brawl, Confident, Double Tap,
Drive-by Attack, Far Shot, Low Profile, Point
Blank Shot, Quick Draw, Quick Reload
and Renown.
Dirty Deeds: Having found his target,
the hitman now needs to finish the job. He
gains the listed damage on attacks against his
target (if the hitman has multiple attacks, he only
gains this damage bonus once). The hitman can gain
this bonus on ranged attacks as long as he suffers no
range penalty to hit (meaning feats like Far Shot
could be especially handy).
This ability requires the hitman to spend an
action point.
Calling Card: At 7th level the hitman has
developed enough of a reputation that he can
leave a signature at the scene of his hits. This
grants him a +1 circumstance bonus to his
Reputation for each killing at which he
leaves his calling card. This bonus is
listed separately and must meet the
following restrictions: the character
can only double his Reputation bonus
with this modifier; if the character goes
30 days without performing a hit, he
loses this bonus (while police might
remember, most people on the street
have short memories).
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Intrepid Reporter
Members of the press are important characters in
many elements of pulp fiction. Investigating the
rampant crime and corruption that existed during the
20s, these individuals wield truth as a weapon against
those who would abuse their power.
Requirements
To qualify to become an intrepid reporter, a character
must meet the following criteria. (The quickest path
into this class is through the Charismatic Hero basic
class.)
Skills: Gather Information 6 ranks, Knowledge
(current events) 6 ranks
Feats: Trustworthy
Class Information
The following information pertains to the intrepid
reporter advanced class.
Hit Die: 1d6
Action Points: 6 + one-half character level,
rounded down, every time the character gains a new
level in this class.
Class Skills: The intrepid reporter’s class skills
(and the ability for each skill) are: Bluff (Cha), Craft
(visual art) (Int), Diplomacy (Cha), Drive (Dex),
Forgery (Int), Gather Information (Cha), Investigate
(Int), Knowledge (current events, popular culture)
(Int), Listen (Wis), Research (Int), Search (Int), Sense
Motive (Wis) and Spot (Wis).
Skill points at each level: 7 + Int modifier.
Class Features
All of the following are features of the intrepid
reporter advanced class.
Reliable Sources: The reporter knows who to talk
to and how to get their attention. People know they
can trust her to protect their identities and uphold
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The Roaring 20s
TABLE 3: THE INTREPID REPORTER Requirements
Base Attack Fort Ref Will Defense Reputation
Level Special To qualify to become a mob boss, a character must
Bonus Save Save Save Bonus Bonus
1st +0 +0 +1 +2 Reliable Sources (2 hours) +0 +1 meet the following criteria. (The quickest path into
2nd +1 +0 +2 +3 Human Polygraph +1 +1 this class is through the Charismatic Hero basic
3rd +1 +1 +2 +3 Bonus Feat +1 +1 class.)
4th +2 +1 +2 +4 Newshound +1 +2 Skills: Bluff 6 ranks, Knowledge (streetwise) 6
5th +2 +1 +3 +4 Reliable Sources (1 hour) +2 +2 ranks
6th +3 +2 +3 +5 Bonus Feat +2 +2 Feats: Henchmen
7th +3 +2 +4 +5 Hunch +2 +3
8th +4 +2 +4 +6 Extra! +3 +3
9th +4 +3 +4 +6 Bonus Feat +3 +3 Class Information
10th +5 +3 +5 +7 Reliable Sources (1 minute) +3 +4 The following information pertains to the mob boss
advanced class.
her agreements in exchange for information. This answered with a simple “yes” or “no,” the ability is Hit Die: 1d8
allows the intrepid reporter to track down a rumor not used; the Gamemaster simply informs the player Action Points: 6 + one-half character level,
much faster than other characters. Instead of the usual that the ability cannot be used. rounded down, every time the character gains a new
2-5 hours to make a Gather Information skill check, This ability requires the player to spend an action level in this class.
the intrepid reporter uses the time listed on the class point. Class Skills: The mob boss’ class skills (and the
table. Extra!: The intrepid reporter knows that speed is ability for each skill) are: Bluff (Cha), Diplomacy
Human Polygraph: No one wants to be of the essence when following a story. It’s not enough (Cha), Drive (Dex), Forgery (Int), Gamble (Wis),
interviewed by the intrepid reporter if they have to be accurate—you have to be first! This ability Gather Information (Cha), Intimidate (Cha),
something to hide. She will always ask the hard allows the intrepid reporter to make all skill checks in Knowledge (behavioral sciences, business, civics,
questions and has an expert “bull detector” for the half the usual time (minimum time is still one action). current events, popular culture, streetwise, tactics)
answers. This ability allows the intrepid reporter to This ability is most useful for skills with lengthy use (Int), Sense Motive (Wis).
add her class level to all Sense Motive skill checks. times, such as Research. Skill points at each level: 7 + Int modifier.
Bonus Feat: At 3rd, 6th and 9th level the intrepid
reporter receives a bonus feat from the following
list: Alertness, Attentive, Deceptive, Iron Will, Mob Boss Class Features
All of the following are features of the mob boss
Meticulous, Renown and Trustworthy. The intrepid
Many future “godfathers” of American organized advanced class.
reporter must meet the prerequisite for any feat
crime begin their rise to power during Prohibition, Undue Influence: Humans are flawed and filled
selected.
when the criminalization of alcohol sales and imports with weaknesses that can be exploited by those with
Newshound: The intrepid reporter has a nose
allows crime families to reap massive profits off a the will to take advantage of them. In the words of
for news, and when she smells a story, she tracks
substance that even most in law enforcement see as a famous mobster, “sadness accrues”—and here
it as relentlessly as the most devoted bloodhound.
harmless. Men like Charles “Lucky” Luciano, Al in the imperfect world of man, it’s all about taking
When the intrepid reporter spends an action point on
Capone, Meyer Lansky and Bugsy Siegel all rise to advantage of that sadness and turning it to your
Gather Information, Investigate, Listen and Spot skill
power during Prohibition. With their profits from the benefit.
checks, she may add all applicable dice.
sale of illegal liquor, these criminal families are able Undue Influence provides you with a contact,
Hunch: The intrepid reporter has an amazing
to buy police protection and pay politicians to look but one gained under duress. To gain a contact,
capacity for intuition. Once per week she may ask
the other way. you must make a Diplomacy check coupled with
the Gamemaster one yes-or-no question which must
a Wealth check (for a bribe), a Gather Information
be answered truthfully. If the question cannot be

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The Roaring 20s
TABLE 4: THE MOB BOSS criminal organization (allowing him to negotiate
Base Attack Fort Ref Will Defense Reputation peace with a rival crime family if he wishes, or to
Level Special
Bonus Save Save Save Bonus Bonus cancel an order to kill a prominent law enforcer to
1st +0 +1 +0 +2 Undue Influence (low) +0 +2 avoid drawing too much attention to the family).
2nd +1 +2 +0 +3 Contraband +1 +2 Finally, in keeping with his high rank and
3rd +1 +2 +1 +3 Bonus Feat; Captain +1 +2 importance to his criminal organization, the mob
4th +2 +2 +1 +4 Undue Influence (medium) +1 +3
boss is provided with a personal bodyguard (use the
5th +2 +3 +1 +4 Vendetta +2 +3
6th +3 +3 +2 +5 Bonus Feat +2 +3
Sidekick feat for this, modified by the character’s
7th +3 +4 +2 +5 Undue Influence (high) +2 +4 enhanced Reputation to determine maximum level).
8th +4 +4 +2 +6 Capo +3 +4 Godfather: At 10th level the mob boss has risen to
9th +4 +4 +3 +6 Bonus Feat +3 +4 the Commission, a national organization of prominent
10th +5 +5 +3 +7 Godfather +3 +5 criminals who meet to broker deals and discuss
strategy. This increases his Reputation by another
check (to discover something potentially damaging Network, Inspired Leadership, Frightful Presence, 50%, cumulative with the Captain and Capo class
or embarrassing about the contact), or an Intimidate Iron Will, Personal Firearms Proficiency, Renown abilities, for a total bonus of 150%.
check (to threaten the contact or the contact’s loved and Trustworthy. The mob boss must meet the This ability also allows the mob boss to cancel a
ones). The DC of each check is listed below. prerequisite for any feat selected. vendetta issued by any Capo or Captain within his
Exerting undue influence on a target always makes Captain: At 3rd level the mob boss has attained criminal organization.
that target regard you with hostility, and the target a position of importance within an organized crime Finally, the character may have more than one
will take steps to harm you, or see that harm comes to family—the rank of captain, someone who runs a personal bodyguard, allowing the character to take
you. A law-abiding target will contact the authorities. substantial crew of soldiers on behalf of his family. the Sidekick feat multiple times. If the character
Street and criminal characters will seek more direct This ability increases the mob boss’ Reputation wants more bodyguards, he must take the Sidekick
means of revenge. bonus by 50% when dealing with criminals and law- feat multiple times to acquire them.
You may have a number of contacts (of any level) enforcement personnel (for whom his Reputation
from this ability equal to one-half your Reputation is infamous). This increase affects the number of
bonus. You may release one contact from your followers the mob boss receives from the Henchmen Mystery Man
“friendship” to gain a different contact if you desire, feat as well as the Wealth bonus gained from the
though any contact left unwatched (or alive) is likely Contraband ability. While some characters (such as the mob boss) thrive
to seek escape or revenge. Vendetta: At 5th level the mob boss may pronounce on fame and reputation, the mystery man relishes his
Low Level: DC 15 a vendetta on an individual or even another criminal obscurity. His weapons are rumor and superstition,
Medium Level: DC 20 enterprise. This allows his henchmen to act as if they his cloak secrecy. The mystery man represents
High Level: DC 25 had the Enemy feat when dealing with that individual classic pulp superheroes like The Shadow, who are
Contraband: Due to sale of illegal goods, or group. normal men (for the most part) yet use their abilities
you gain a bonus to your Wealth equal to your Capo: At 8th level the mob boss has risen even at stealth and disguise to terrify the common thugs
Reputation score. When your Reputation increases, higher in the criminal organization to which he they face. Fear and mystery give them a superhuman
your Wealth rises as well. This class ability makes belongs. This increases his Reputation by another edge over their much more numerous opponents.
your Reputation infamous when dealing with law 50% (cumulative with the Captain class ability, This concept is so powerful it has even made its way
enforcement personnel and law-abiding citizens. effectively doubling it), granting the mob boss more into the modern age of comics with… well you know
Bonus Feats: At 3rd, 6th and 9th level the mob followers and a higher Wealth bonus. who… and him… and that guy over there too.
boss receives a bonus feat from the following list: In addition, this ability allows the mob boss to
Combat Expertise, Confident, Deceptive, Information cancel a vendetta issued by any Captain within his

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The Roaring 20s
TABLE 5: THE MYSTERY MAN
Base Attack Fort Ref Will Defense Reputation
Level Special
Bonus Save Save Save Bonus Bonus
1st +0 +1 +1 +0 Persona +1 +0
2nd +1 +2 +2 +0 Cloak of Secrecy +1 +0
3rd +2 +2 +2 +1 Bonus Feat +2 +0
4th +3 +2 +2 +1 Cloak of Fear +2 +0
5th +3 +3 +3 +1 Persona +3 +1
6th +4 +3 +3 +2 Bonus Feat +3 +1
7th +5 +4 +4 +2 Phantom +4 +1
8th +6 +4 +4 +2 Quick Change +4 +1
9th +6 +4 +4 +3 Bonus Feat +5 +2
10th +7 +5 +5 +3 Persona +5 +2

Requirements Class Features

To qualify to become a mystery man, a character
must meet the following criteria. (The quickest path
into this class is through the Tough Hero basic class.)
Base Attack Bonus: +2
Skills: Intimidate 6 ranks, Knowledge (streetwise)
6 ranks
Feats: Secret Identity
Class Information
The following information pertains to the mystery
man advanced class.
Hit Die: 1d8
Action Points: 6 + one-half character level,
rounded down, every time the character gains a new
level in this class.
Class Skills: The mystery man’s class skills (and
the ability for each skill) are: Balance (Dex), Bluff
(Cha), Climb (Str), Disable Device (Int), Disguise
(Cha), Gather Information (Cha), Hide (Dex),
Intimidate (Cha), Jump (Str), Knowledge (behavioral
sciences, current events, popular culture, streetwise)
(Int), Listen (Wis), Move Silently (Dex), Sense
Motive (Wis), Spot (Wis), Tumble (Dex).
Skill points at each level: 7 + Int modifier.
All of the following are features of the mystery man
advanced class.
Persona: The mystery man is even more
adept at adopting disguises to further his secret
identity. Rather than the +5 bonus to Disguise
checks granted by the Secret Identity feat,
the mystery man gains a +10 bonus for
adopting the specific disguise of his
alternate identity. (This is usually
enough to allow even a medium-level
mystery man to go unrecognized in his
heroic identity by loved ones and close
friends).
As the mystery man gains levels,
he becomes a master of disguise and is
able to adopt more personae in order to
infiltrate criminal organizations, pick up
rumors, or even patrol the city invisibly.
(For example, a mystery man might
adopt the persona of a simple cabbie,
allowing him to prowl the streets
completely unnoticed until he is needed).
When in a persona other than his
heroic identity, the mystery man is
quite adept at using the unimposing
nature of his alternate identities to glean

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The Roaring 20s
information from others. When the mystery man
spends an action point to aid a Bluff, Diplomacy or
Gather Information skill check, he adds all available
dice to the skill check (not merely the highest die).
Each time the mystery man gains a new persona,
he should inform the Gamemaster of that identity’s
appearance, occupation, habits, and normal
“stomping grounds.”
Cloak of Secrecy: To use this ability, the mystery
man must have an alternate identity with a Reputation
of +0 (this is easily accomplished by using the Secret
Identity feat to funnel Reputation gains into the
mystery man’s public identity).
So long as the mystery man’s Reputation is +0 in
his secret identity, he gains a bonus to all Hide and
Move Silently skill checks equal to his mystery man
class level.
Bonus Feats: At 3rd, 6th and 9th levels the mystery
man gains a bonus feat from the following list:
Acrobatic, Advanced Martial Arts, Alertness, Blind-
Fight, Combat Expertise, Combat Martial Arts,
Combat Reflexes, Deceptive, Defensive Martial Arts,
Dodge, Improved Combat Martial Arts, Mobility,
Spring Attack.
Cloak of Fear: So long as the mystery man’s
Reputation is +0 in his secret identity, he gains
a bonus to all Intimidate skill checks equal to
his mystery man class level. If the mystery man
possesses the Frightful Presence feat, the DC to save
against it is raised by 5 as if the character possessed
the Renown feat.
Phantom: This ability allows the mystery man to
hide in plain sight, without needing to find cover or
create a distraction using the Bluff skill. Use of this
ability requires the mystery man to spend an action
point.
Quick Change: At 8th level the mystery man has
become so practiced at changing into his standard
disguises (those modified by the Persona ability) that
he may adopt those disguises as a full round action.
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This ability includes the character’s secret identity
and any Personas he has established through that
class ability. Use of this ability requires the mystery
man to spend an action point.
New Feats of the Roaring
20s
Animal Companion
You have a special kind of sidekick, an unusually
intelligent animal that will accompany you on
adventures.
Prerequisite: Primitive Occupation, Sidekick,
Animal Handling 5+
Effect: You have a normal animal instead of a
human sidekick. Your bond with this animal is so
deep that you gain a +10 bonus on animal handling
checks with this animal. This animal may have
more HD than a standard animal of its type, up to the
maximum level of sidekick your Leadership score
allows you to possess.
Special: Characters in campaigns using FX may
possess a mythical or extinct creature instead of a
normal animal. All mythical creatures must meet
with the GM’s approval, and must be within the
allowed level range of the character’s Leadership
score.
Animal Companion Basics: Use the base statistics
for a creature of the companion’s kind, but make the
following changes.
Class Level: Your level.
Bonus HD: Extra eight-sided (d8) Hit Dice, each
of which gains a Constitution modifier, as normal.
Remember that extra Hit Dice improve the animal
companion’s base attack and base save bonuses. An
animal companion’s base attack bonus is medium (the
same as that of a Soldier, or alternately Base Attack
Bonus [A] from the creature saves and base attack
bonus of the core rules creature types overview) of a
level equal to the animal’s HD. An animal companion
has good Fortitude and Reflex saves (treat it as a
character whose level equals the animal’s HD).
An animal companion gains additional skill points
and feats for bonus HD as normal for advancing a
monster’s Hit Dice.
Natural Armor Adj.: The number noted here is an
improvement to the animal companion’s existing
natural armor bonus.
Str/Dex Adj.: Add this value to the animal
companion’s Strength and Dexterity scores.
Bonus Tricks: The value given in this column is
the total number of “bonus” tricks that the animal
knows in addition to any that the character might
choose to teach it (see the Handle Animal skill).
These bonus tricks don’t require any training time or
Handle Animal checks, and they don’t count against
the normal limit of tricks known by the animal.
The character selects these bonus tricks, and once
selected, they can’t be changed.
Link (Ex): You can handle your animal companion
as a free action, or push it as a move action, even if
you don’t have any ranks in the Handle Animal skill.
You gain a +4 circumstance bonus on all Handle
Animal checks made regarding an animal companion.
Evasion (Ex): If an animal companion is subjected
to an attack that normally allows a Reflex saving
throw for half damage, it takes no damage if it makes
a successful saving throw.
Devotion (Ex): An animal companion gains a +4
morale bonus on Will saves against mental powers
and effects.
Multiattack: An animal companion gains
Multiattack as a bonus feat if it has three or more
natural attacks and does not already have that feat.
If it does not have the requisite three or more natural
attacks, the animal companion instead gains a second
Page 9
The Roaring 20s

ALTERNATIVE ANIMAL COMPANIONS 4th Level or Higher (Level –3) 7th Level or Higher (Level –6) Megaraptor (dinosaur)
You may, if sufficiently high-level, Ape (animal) Bear, brown (animal) Shark, Huge1 (animal)
select your animal companion Bear, black (animal) Dire wolverine Snake, giant constrictor (animal)
from one of the following lists, Bison (animal) Crocodile, giant (animal) Whale, orca1 (animal)
with the GM’s approval (extinct Boar (animal) Deinonychus (dinosaur)
animals in particular require a Cheetah (animal) Dire ape 13th Level or Higher (Level –12)
suitable explanation for their Crocodile (animal)1 Dire boar Dire bear
origin, such as being from a “lost Dire badger Dire wolf Elephant (animal)
world” environment). Apply the Dire bat Elasmosaurus1 (dinosaur) Octopus, giant1 (animal)
indicated adjustment to your level Dire weasel Lion (animal)
(in parentheses) for purposes of Leopard (animal) Rhinoceros (animal) 16th Level or Higher (Level –15)
determining the companion’s Lizard, monitor (animal) Snake, Huge viper (animal) Dire shark1
characteristics and special abilities. Shark, Large1 (animal) Tiger (animal) Dire tiger
Mythical creatures can only be Snake, constrictor (animal) Squid, giant1 (animal)
selected as animal companions with Snake, Large viper (animal) 10th Level or Higher (Level –9) Triceratops (dinosaur)
the permission of the game master. Wolverine (animal) Bear, polar (animal) Tyrannosaurus (dinosaur)
Dire lion 1
Available only in an aquatic environment.

attack with its primary natural weapon, albeit at a –5 Leadership Score: A character’s Leadership score
penalty. Enemy equals his level plus any Charisma modifier. In order
Improved Evasion (Ex): When subjected to an You detest a particular allegiance, group, or to take into account negative Charisma modifiers,
attack that normally allows a Reflex saving throw for individual. Table: Leadership allows for very low Leadership
half damage, an animal companion takes no damage Effect: You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls and scores, but the character must still be 6th-level or
if it makes a successful saving throw and only half skill checks when combating your chosen enemy. higher in order to gain the Leadership feat and
damage if the saving throw fails. When you must deal with your enemy peacefully, or thus attract a cohort. Outside factors can affect a
when you deal with groups allied with your enemy, character’s Leadership score, as detailed in Table:
Class Bonus Natural Str/ Bonus you take a –2 penalty to all Charisma based skills. Leadership Modifiers.
Special
Level HD Armor Dex Tricks Special: You may take this feat more than Number of Followers by Level: The character can
1st–2nd +0 +0 +0 1 Link once. Each time it applies to a different group or
3rd–5th +2 +2 +1 2 Evasion
lead up to the indicated number of characters of each
Allegiance. level.
6th–8th +4 +4 +2 3 Devotion Bonus: This feat is a bonus feat for Tough Heroes.
9th–11th +6 +6 +3 4 Multiattack Followers: A leader attracts followers who share
12th–14th +8 +8 +4 5 at least one of the character’s Allegiances. As the
leader’s Leadership score rises, he can attract more
15th–17th +10 +10 +5 6
Improved
evasion
Henchmen followers. If his Leadership score goes down,
18th–20th +12 +12 +6 7
You have a group of followers.
followers may desert.
Prerequisite: You must be at least 3rd level.
Replacing Followers: If a leader loses a cohort or
Benefit: You have a group of followers who assist
followers, he can generally replace them, according
you out of loyalty, serve you for pay, or obey you
to his current Leadership score. It takes time (1d4
through fear.
months) to recruit replacements. If the leader is to

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The Roaring 20s
TABLE 6: LEADERSHIP - HENCHMAN / SIDEKICK Table 7: Leadership Modifiers or Spot skill checks. However, there are still costs
Score Sidekick Number of Followers by Level2 General Leadership Modifiers associated with the information, so you must still
Leadership Level1 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th The Leader Has a Reputation of Modifier pay the usual “fee” to obtain information through the
1 or less - - - - - - - Great Success +2 Gather Information skill.
2 1st - - - - - - Great Failure -2 Bonus: This feat is a bonus feat for Charismatic
3 2nd - - - - - - Each +2 Reputation +1 Heroes.
4 3rd - - - - - - Follower-only Leadership Modifiers
5 3rd - - - - - - The Leader: Modifier
6
7
4th
5th
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Has a base of operations
Has a Headquarters
+2
+4
Inspired Leadership
8 5th - - - - - - Has the Home Turf feat +1
You inspire your followers to work together
9 6th - - - - - - Moves around a lot -1 efficiently.
10 7th 5 - - - - - Caused the death of other followers -1 Prerequisite: Cha 13+, character level 5,
11 7th 6 - - - - - Sidekick-only Leadership Modifiers Henchmen.
12 8th 8 - - - - - The Leader: Modifier Effect: All of your followers gain Teamwork as a
13 9th 10 1 - - - - Recruits a sidekick of a different allegiance -1 free feat when working together towards a common
14 10th 15 1 - - - - Caused the death of a sidekick -2* goal.
15 10th 20 2 1 - - - Each additional sidekick -4 Bonus: This feat is a bonus feat for Charismatic
16 11th 25 2 1 - - - Cohort shares two Allegiances with character +1
Heroes.
17 12th 30 3 1 1 - - Cohort shares three Allegiances with character +2
18 12th 35 3 1 1 - - *Cumulative per Sidekick killed.
19 13th 40 4 2 1 1 -
20 14th 50 5 3 2 1 -
Secret Identity
21 15th 60 6 3 2 1 1 Effect: You gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls and You lead a double life.
22 15th 75 7 4 2 2 1 a +2 bonus to the following skill checks made in Effect: When you take this feat, you may divide
23 16th 90 9 5 3 2 1 your home territory: Gather Information, Hide, your Reputation modifier between your identities
24 17th 110 11 6 3 2 1 Knowledge (streetwise, tactics), Navigate, Spot, and into two pools. Hereafter, whenever your Reputation
25+ 17th 135 13 7 4 2 2 Survival. This territory may be an area as large as a modifier increases, you may decide to which identity
1 Requires Sidekick feat small country (Israel, Palestine, Great Britain). For to apply the increase. You may establish a disguise
2 Requires Henchmen feat extremely large countries, a portion of that country is for this secret identity and gain a +5 bonus to all
the character’s home turf (the state of Texas, the Deep Disguise checks when adopting the chosen disguise.
blame for the deaths of followers, it takes extra time
South, and so forth).
to replace them, up to a full year. Note that the leader
Bonus: This feat is a bonus feat for Dedicated
also picks up a reputation of failure, which decreases
Heroes. Sidekick
his Leadership score. You have a partner.
Bonus: This feat is a bonus feat for Charismatic Prerequisite: Character level 3
Heroes. Information Network Benefit: You have a loyal partner in your fight
You have informants on the ground that alert you of against crime.
trouble. Special: Members of the mob boss advanced class
Home Turf Prerequisite: Henchmen can take this feat more than once, with a penalty to
You know every nook and cranny of your home their Leadership score each time.
Effect: Each follower you devote to keeping tabs
territory, gaining advantages when fighting to defend
on things grants a +1 bonus to Gather Information
it.

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The Roaring 20s
Leadership Score: A character’s Leadership
score equals his level plus any Charisma modifier.
In order to take into account negative Charisma
modifiers, Table: Leadership allows for very low
Leadership scores, but the character must still be
3rd-level or higher in order to gain the Sidekick feat
and thus attract a sidekick. Outside factors can affect
a character’s Leadership score, as detailed in Table:
Leadership Modifiers.
Sidekick Level: The character can attract a sidekick
of up to this level. Regardless of the character’s
Leadership score, he can’t recruit a sidekick of his
level or higher.
Replacing Sidekicks: If a leader loses a sidekick,
he can generally replace her, according to his current
Leadership score. It takes time (1d4 months) to
recruit and train a replacement. If the leader is to
blame for the death of the sidekick, it takes extra time
to replace her, up to a full year. Note that the leader
also picks up a reputation of failure, which decreases
his Leadership score.
Bonus: This feat is a bonus feat for Charismatic
Heroes.
Teamwork (Specific Team)
You have trained extensively with your teammates,
and are more effective within the group than you
would be alone.
Prerequisite: Allegiance (Specific Team)
Effect: Whenever you are in an engagement with
someone with the Teamwork feat for the same team,
you gain a +2 bonus to attack and skill checks.
Characters with this feat can use hand signals to
communicate simple information, such as “You and
Johnson go left and keep your eyes open; I will go
right.”
Bonus: This feat is a bonus feat for Dedicated
Heroes.
timeline
Weapons and Vehicles of
the Roaring 20s
handguns
Police Positive
These small revolvers look like much later police
.38 special revolvers. Since these small, snub-nosed
revolvers are easily concealed, they might be carried
by anyone as a back-up weapon. Although this
weapon possesses little stopping power, its light
weight and ease of concealment make it very popular.
Webley Revolver
These British revolvers are very popular and
extremely reliable. They’re relatively cheap, having
been manufactured in great numbers during WWI;
during the war, they are issued to pilots, machine gun
crews, and officers as the standard sidearm of the
British Commonwealth.
Colt Revolver
Little changed since the 1870s when it was known as
the “peacemaker,” Colt revolvers still see use in the
1920s because of their reliability and stopping power.
These extremely well-made revolvers are considered
mastercraft weapons and gain a +1 bonus to attack
rolls.
Luger
The Luger 9mm autoloader is the sidearm of the
German military during WWI and WWII until
its replacement in 1942 by the Walther P-38. An
extremely well-made weapon, the Luger has a
lifespan of 100 years if properly maintained. Due to
the high quality of its manufacture, all Lugers are
considered mastercraft weapons and gain a +1 bonus
to attack rolls.
Longarms
Thompson Submachine Gun
(a.k.a. “Tommy gun,” “Chicago typewriter,” and
“Chicago piano”)
In many ways, the Tommy gun—the world’s first
submachine gun—symbolizes the Roaring 20s.
Named after its creator John T. Thompson, the
Tommy gun offers an extremely high rate of fire
in a small package, and can carry up to 100 rounds
per drum magazine. These weapons are used by
gangsters and law-enforcement agents alike, and are
favored by the FBI. They have even been adapted to
a simpler “grease gun” design, which sees use in the
American, British and French armies during WWII.
Stevens Model 410
These light, single-shot shotguns are used by local
police for crowd control. Not a weapon you’d want
in a serious firefight, but useful for intimidating
someone not likely to shoot back.
Winchester Model 1892
This lever-action carbine, the preferred weapon
of notorious bank robber Pretty Boy Floyd, is still
widely favored during the 20s because of its small
size and great range. These extremely well-designed
weapons are considered mastercraft weapons and
gain a +1 bonus to attack rolls.
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The Roaring 20s
TABLE 8: 20S FIRERARMS
Weapon Damage Critical Damage Type Range ROF Magazine Size Weight Purchase DC Restriction
Handguns (require the use of the Personal Firearms Proficiency)
Police Positive (.38S Revolver) 2d4 20 Ballistic 20 ft. S 6 cyl. Tiny 2 lbs. 14 ---
Webley Revolver (.455 revolver) 2d6 20 Ballistic 30 ft. S 6 cyl. Small 4 lbs. 15 ---
Colt Revolver (.45 ACP revolver) 2d6 20 Ballistic 30 ft. S 6 cyl. Small 3 lbs. 17 ---
Luger (9mm autoloader) 2d6 20 Ballistic 30 ft. S 8 box Small 4 lbs. 18 ---
Longarms (require the use of the Personal Firearms Proficiency)
20, 30, 50 or
Thompson M-1921 (.45 submachine gun) 2d6 20 Ballistic 30 ft. S,A L 11 lb. 18 ---
100 box
Stevens Mod 410 (.410 gauge shotgun) 2d6 20 Ballistic 40 ft. S 1 int. L 6 lbs. 14 ---
Winchester M-1892 (.25-20 Carbine) 2d6 20 Ballistic 50 ft. Single 4 int. M 10 lbs. 17 ---
Winchester M-1897 (12 gauge shotgun) 2d8 20 Ballistic 30 ft. S 5 int. L 8 lbs. 18 ---
Browning M-1918 (.30-06 assault rifle) 2d8 20 Ballistic 50 ft. S, A 20 box L 12 lbs. 20 ---
Heavy Weapons (each requires a specific Exotic Firearms Proficiency)
French Window Gun 2d8 20 Ballistic 40 ft. A Linked H 40 lbs. 23 ---

Winchester Model 1897 Shotgun
This shotgun is a much more dangerous weapon
than the Stevens 410, and is used by the FBI (and
occasionally the local police forces) during liquor
raids or in any other situation in which serious
combat is expected.
Browning Model 1918
The primary rifle of the American military during
WWI, this expensive weapon sometimes finds its
way into the hands of criminals. This weapon draws a
great deal of attention, so most common thugs prefer
the more common Tommy gun.
HEAVY WEAPON
French Window Gun
These dangerous weapons are often mounted in the
window of high-speed boats bootlegging liquor from
Canada across the Great Lakes. Their primary use in
these cases is to “deter” boarders.
Civilian Cars
Model A
The original Model A was the first production model
made by Ford motors and was first sold in 1903. The
Model A described here is first produced in 1927 as a
successor to the Model T. The concept of the Model A
is so radical that Ford decides to begin their lettering
process over again, symbolically starting over.
Throughout the 1920s, Ford begins to lose its
amazing 50% market share of the American auto
market to its competitors, which include General
Motors. While Fords are austere, single-color
vehicles with few frills, with a cost low enough that
the average working-class consumer can afford to
purchase one, other auto manufacturers concentrate
on cars with more amenities: more colors, faster
speeds, more comfort. While this makes these autos
too expensive for most consumers to buy, these auto
manufacturers offer credit. Finally, with the Model A
Ford, the dominant automaker in the industry begins
to adopt this tactic rather than resist it.
The Model A is two squares wide and two squares
long. It provides three-quarters cover for passengers
and crew.
Model T
(a.k.a. “Tin Lizzie” and “Flivver”)
First released in 1908, the Model T was the first true
success in the automobile market and helped reshape
not only the auto industry but the American economy
as well. Henry Ford moved production of the
Model T to bigger and bigger assembly areas, then
streamlined his production facilities. By December
1, 1913, Ford cars are designed on the first moving
assembly line; the time required to assemble each car
falls from 13 hours to less than 3 hours. Ford also
takes every possible step to make the Model T cheap
by offering few frills and even less color. Henry Ford
famously said of his Model T that “customers can
have a Model in any color they want as long as it’s
black.” By 1918, half of all cars in the United States
are Model T’s.
The Model T is two squares wide and two squares
long. It provides one-half cover for passengers and
crew.

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The Roaring 20s
TABLE 9: 20S VEHICLES
Name Crew Pass Cargo Init Man Speed Def Hard HP Size Purchase DC Res.
Civilian Cars
Model A 1 3 100 lbs. -1 -1 126 (12) 9 5 30 L 22 ---
Model T 1 3 100 lbs. -1 -1 90 (9) 9 5 25 L 16 ---
Civilian Aircraft
30 (unarmed)
Bristol Fighter 1 1 100 lbs. -2 -2 216 (21) 8 5 30 H
40 (armed w/ three machine guns)
Curtiss Robin 1 1 450 lbs. -2 -2 216 (21) 8 5 25 H 40 ---
Civilian watercraft
Runabout 1 5 1,500 lb. -2 -2 40 (4) 8 5 25 H 30 ---
Cabin Cruiser 1 3 1,500 lb. -4 -4 60 (6) 6 5 30 G 34 ---
25 (unarmed)
Rum Runner 1 3 1,000 lb. -2 -0 60 (6) 8 5 20 H ---
30 (with machine gun)

Curtiss Robin Cabin Cruiser

CIVILIAN AIRCRAFT
Bristol Fighter
The Bristol is a two-set fighter and reconnaissance
aircraft designed by the British for use during WWI.
When fitted for wartime, the craft is armed with one
forward-firing Vickers machine gun (fired by the
pilot) and two Lewis machine guns, fired by the rear
observer (use the statistics for the French Window
Gun to represent these machine guns).
In addition to ammunition for its machine guns,
these craft normally carry one 240-lb. bomb when
fitted for combat.
Following WWI, many of these craft are disarmed
and sold to civilian aviators or to the air forces of
Mexico and Spain. Many remain in service with the
Royal Air Force until 1938, usually seeing action in
brushfire conflicts in India and the Middle East.
The Bristol fighter is 8 squares wide (including
wings and fuselage) and 5 squares long (fuselage is
one square wide). It provides one-half cover for pilot
and passenger.
The Curtiss Robin is a civilian aircraft introduced
in 1928. Fast and maneuverable, this high-wing
monoplane (meaning it has one wing on top of the
fuselage, as opposed to a biplane) is expensive, but
worth it for those who can afford it and want a state-
of-the-art aircraft.
The Curtiss Robin is 7 squares wide (including
wings and fuselage) and 6 squares long (fuselage is
one square wide). It provides three-quarters cover for
pilot and passenger.
Civilian Watercraft
Runabout
A simple pleasure boat for fishing or recreation with
an engine. The idea of using combustion-powered
vehicles for water recreation is new, but growing
rapidly in popularity.
The Runabout provides one-half cover to the
driver, no cover to those on deck, and full cover to
those below deck. It is two squares wide and four
squares long.
This larger vessel provides full sleep
accommodations for passengers and crew.
The Cabin Cruiser provides one-half cover to the
driver, no cover to those on deck, and full cover to
those below deck. It is three squares wide and six
squares long.
Rum Runner
These fast boats make high-speed runs across the
Great Lakes carrying liquor and other contraband.
Often these boats are armed with a single machine
gun to deter law enforcement from attempting to
board (see the French Window Gun for information
on this weapon).
The Rum Runner provides one-half cover to the
driver, no cover to those on deck, and full cover to
those below deck. It is two squares wide and four
squares long.

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The Roaring 20s
Timeline of the Roaring
20s
1920
January
Isaac Asimov born to Jewish parents in Russia.
He will one day become one of the most famous and
prolific authors in the world.
Sun Myung Moon born in Seoul, South Korea.
The League of Nations ratifies the Treaty of
Versailles, officially ending WWI.
Attempts to extradite the German Kaiser from the
Netherlands fail.
The United States votes against joining the League
of Nations.
Spain founds the Spanish Legion, a unit equivalent
to the French Foreign Legion. These troops are
stationed in Morocco this year.
The Ottoman Empire, once one of the most
powerful and influential empires in the world,
officially relinquishes its claim to all territories lost
during WWI. The Republic of Turkey is born.
Jazz music begins to rise in popularity. The 1920s
are often referred to as the “Jazz Age,” marked by
such greats as Louie Armstrong and Duke Ellington.
The Volstead Act, the 18th Amendment to the
American Constitution, is enacted. This act is one
of the most disastrous social experiments in the
history of the United States and makes illegal the
“manufacture, sale and transportation of intoxicating
liquors.” This act is commonly referred to as
“Prohibition” after the political movement that led
to the Amendment being passed. The Volstead Act
leads directly to the explosion in wealth and power of
organized crime and the Mafia. By the late 1920s, Al
Capone’s gang in Chicago is making over 60 million
dollars a year from the sale of illegal alcohol.
February
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is formed in
Canada and begins operations.
Anna Anderson attempts to commit suicide in
Berlin. When taken to a mental hospital, she claims
she is Anastasia, Grand Duchess of Russia and
daughter to Tsar Nicholas II.
League of Women Voters founded in Chicago,
Illinois.
Adolf Hitler presents his National Socialist
program in Munich.
March
Wolfgang Kapp’s attempt to seize control of
Germany fails. Kapp flees the country after a general
strike and finds refuge in Sweden. As a response to
this failed coup, German communists form a 50,000-
man “worker’s army” called the Red Ruhr Army.
This army quickly defeats the police and army units
sent to stop them, and threatens to turn Germany
into the second communist state following the 1917
revolution in Russia.

Timeline Note: The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo during the summer of April-May
1914 caused a domino effect that led, almost inevitably, to WWI. During the early stages of the war, Russia Negotiations with the Red Ruhr Army having
found itself grossly unprepared to face Germany and suffered horrible casualties and a substantial loss of failed, Germany sends in a large force consisting of
territory. Tsar Nicholas II felt it was his responsibility to lead the army personally during the “Great War,” regular army troops, veterans of WWI. A state of civil
leaving domestic affairs in the hands of his wife, Alexandra. war now effectively exists in Germany.
This led to disaster. The common people did not trust Alexandra and thought she was in collusion with The United States Congress refuses to ratify the
Germany to conquer Russia. This belief was based partially on Alexandra’s German heritage, but there Treaty of Versailles.
were darker reasons to fear the power of the Tsarina: Rasputin. Toshiro Mifune, who will become the film actor
As casualties mounted and the army continued to lose ground during the winter of 1916, workers went most identified with director Akira Kurosawa’s
on strike and widespread riots swept the country. Nicholas abdicated in favor of his brother, who refused to samurai films, is born in Tsingtao, China to Japanese
take the throne; the rule of the Tsars in Russia was at an end. parents.
The Tsar’s abdication was followed by a period of chaos that ended when the Bolsheviks, led by Lenin, Violence between Jews and Arabs in Jerusalem
took control of the country. One of their first official acts was the execution of the entire royal family. becomes so severe that the Mayor of Jerusalem
The story does not end there. Rumors of the Royal Family’s survival persist. Some report spotting declares a state of emergency.
Tsar Nicholas at a labor camp in Siberia. The most famous of the possible Romanov survivors is Anna Karol Jozef Wojtyla is born in Poland. He is better
Anderson, who claims to be Grand Duchess Anastasia. known to the world by the name he later takes upon

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The Roaring 20s
ascending to the Papacy, John Paul II.
Poland attacks Russia in an attempt to remove it
from the Ukraine.
The first game of the Negro National League is
played in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Joan of Arc is canonized as Saint Joan by Pope
Benedict XV.
TREATY OF VERSAILLES: The Treaty of
Versailles might very well be the worst treaty in
history. American desires that the treaty be equitable
to Germany were ignored by the European powers;
the resulting treaty contributed directly both to the
failure of the League of Nations (the United States
refused to join the organization) and to the rise of the
Nazi party led by Adolf Hitler.
The three nations largely responsible for the
Treaty of Versailles each had different agendas.
American President Woodrow Wilson, who had
only committed forces at the end of the war in
1917, simply wanted out of the “European Mess”
as quickly as possible. He also sought an equitable
treaty with Germany and the creation of the League
of Nations.
Britain, a country that had never been invaded
during the war but which had suffered severe
casualties on the front lines, wanted to punish
Germany. Britain sought a delicate balance that
would ensure German and French equality in
Europe, but wanted reparations from Germany and
provisions that would ensure the survival of its
overseas empire.
The most radical member of the “Big Three,”
France wanted to cripple Germany politically,
militarily and economically. France wanted to
make Germany pay for the war, which had been
timeline
July
Poland sues for peace in its war with Russia.
Russia ignores this attempt at peace and presses its
war into Poland.
France deposes Faisal I and occupies Damascus.
Arthur Meighen elected Prime Minister of Canada.
First transatlantic radio broadcast.
largely fought on French soil, and to ensure France’s
dominance in central Europe. France, like Britain,
also wanted to preserve its overseas empire.
Unfortunately for the world, it was France that
carried the day during the negotiations.
Germany lost 14,522 km of territory to France,
4,000 km to Denmark, 57,000 km to Poland, and 400
km to Czechoslovakia. In all, Germany lost 15% of
its territory to the victorious nations that surrounded
it.
This massive loss of territory was not the only
setback for the Germans. The city of Danzig, located
between Germany and Poland, was named a “free
city” under partial Polish and German control; and
the Rhineland, an area between France and Germany,
was “demilitarized” (an odd term, since it was in
fact heavily militarized by the French). While armed
German forces were not allowed in the Rhineland, it
would be patrolled by the French military to create a
“buffer zone” between the two nations.
German ports were blockaded by the French and
British navy, ostensibly to prevent the resurrection
of German naval power. In fact this blockade served
British and French economic interests and strangled
overseas trade to Germany. This blockade had begun
as a military blockade during WWI and caused the
death by starvation of 800,000 Germans during the
final two years of the war. Continuing the blockade
was both a punitive act meant to cripple Germany
August
Catholics riot in Belfast. Britain declares martial
law and suspends jury trials. The town hall of
Templemore, Ireland is burned down during the riots.
Poland defeats the Russian Army during the Battle
of Warsaw. The Russian army begins to withdraw,
pursued by the Polish army.
The 19th amendment to the United States
Constitution is ratified, granting women the right to
economically and a move that benefited British
and French economic interests. But the inescapable
fact was that this blockade was indefensible during
peacetime; the fact that Germans continued to starve
as a result of it would, in the words of one writer,
“torment the Germans, driving them with fear and
despair into the arms of the devil.”
Germany’s military was restricted to 100,000
men and its navy to 15,000 men. Its navy was
allowed only 6 battleships and its air force was to be
permanently dissolved.
Finally, Germany would pay massive financial
reparations. These reparations were originally set
at the staggering sum of 269 billion gold marks, a
number that was later reduced to 132 billion gold
marks. Still, with the damage Germany had suffered,
its loss of territory, and the elimination of its ability
to trade by the sea, even the lesser amount was
too much for Germany to pay without triggering
crippling economic effects.
While war reparations were not a new concept,
those imposed by the Treaty of Versailles were
extraordinarily harsh. For example, when France
was defeated by Prussia, it was forced to pay
reparations for two years. By contrast, Germany paid
reparations in money and coal for over 10 years, and
suffered from a continuation of the blockade and the
occupation of its territory.
Page 16
The Roaring 20s
vote.
The first commercial radio station—WWJ out of
Detroit, Michigan—begins broadcasting.
September
A bomb is detonated in a wagon outside the J.P.
Morgan building on Wall Street, New York City. The
explosion kills 39 and injures 400.
The Flying Squad is formed in London as part
of the metropolitan police. This unit, nicknamed
the “Sweeny,” is a high-speed mobile police force
tasked with the apprehension of suspects in armed
robbery cases (particularly bank robbery). The
Sweeny is largely regarded as a corrupt unit—its ties
to the underworld having been deemed necessary to
prevent crime—and is beset by a number of scandals
involving bribery. The unit also earns the nickname
“Heavy Mob” as a result of these scandals, which
eventually lead to the squad’s Chief Superintendent
being jailed and a dozen other officers resigning.
The first radio sets come to stores in the United
States. These radios, manufactured by Westinghouse,
retail for $10.
Adolf Hitler makes his first public political address
in Austria.
October
The Polish army captures Vilnius, Tarnopl, Dubno,
Minsk and Dryssa. Russia sues for peace and a
ceasefire takes effect.
Thousands of unemployed workers demonstrate
in London. When police are called in to break up the
crowd, violence erupts, injuring 50.
Author Frank Herbert is born in Tacoma,
Washington.
Author Mario Puzo is born in Hell’s Kitchen, New
York City.
The silent film The Mask of Zorro is released,
marking the beginning of the era of swashbuckling
films.
timeline
radio: From its modest beginnings with one radio station in Pittsburgh, radio explodes in popularity
around the world as a medium for news and entertainment. From one commercial station in 1920, the
broadcast world grows to six hundred commercial stations in the United States by 1922. In 1923, there are
an estimated three million radio sets in America; by 1929 there are 14 million; by 1940, 40 million.
November
KDKA AM begins broadcasting out of Pittsburgh.
1921
This commercial radio station is owned by January
Westinghouse; its first broadcast announces the California defeats Ohio State 28-0 in the 18th Rose
results of the Presidential election in which Warren Bowl.
Harding defeats James M. Cox. KDKA AM in Pittsburgh broadcasts the first
Warren Harding elected President of the United religious radio program.
States in the first election in which women are The Spanish ocean liner Santa Isabel sinks off
allowed to vote. Villa Garcia, killing 244.
Unknown Soldier buried in Westminster Abbey. Republic of Turkey founded.
First assembly of the League of Nations held in John T. Thompson patents the first sub-machine
Geneva, Switzerland. gun: the Thompson sub-machine gun, also known
“Bloody Sunday:” on November 21, British as the “Tommy gun,” the “Chicago typewriter,” and
forces open fire on spectators during a soccer match the “Chicago piano.” This weapon is used by the
at Dublin’s Croke Park following the deaths of 12 FBI until 1967 and sees extensive use in WWII by
British agents. soldiers of the United States, Britain and France. The
Tommy gun is also used by gangsters, where it gains
a great deal of notoriety and popularity in films and
December
television.
Alvaro Obregon elected President of Mexico.
Martial law imposed over all of Ireland.
Finland joins the League of Nations. March
An earthquake strikes Gansu Province, China. This Spanish Premier Eduardo Dato Iradier is
quake measures 8.6 on the Richter scale, and the assassinated in Madrid.
resulting landslide kills 180,000. Mongolia declares its independence from China.
Nobel Prizes for the year 1920: Charles Edward The first birth control clinic is opened in London
Guillaume (Physics), Walther Nernst (Chemistry), by Marie Stopes.
Schack August Steenberg Krogh (Medicine), Knut
Hamsen (Literature), Woodrow Wilson (Peace). April
British railroad, mine and transportation labor
unions call for a general strike. The British
government threatens to use force in response.
Page 17
The Roaring 20s
June begins radio broadcasts in Britain.
A race riot in Tulsa, Oklahoma kills 85.
1922 Rebecca Felton of Georgia becomes the first female
January United States Senator.
First successful use of insulin to treat diabetes.
July
Flu epidemic kills over 800 in Britain. December
Adolf Hitler becomes Chairman of the Nazi Party.
Christian K. Nelson obtains a patent for the Eskimo Russia and its allied republics form the Union of
First vaccinations against tuberculosis.
Pie. Soviet Socialist Republics, or USSR.
Researchers at the University of Toronto led by
Frederick Banting announce the discovery of the Nobel prizes for 1922: Niels Henrik David Bohr
hormone insulin, used to treat diabetes. February (Physics), Francis William Aston (Chemistry),
James Joyce publishes Ulysses. Archibald Vivian Hill and Otto Fritz Meyerhof
The first issue of Reader’s Digest is published. (Medicine), Jacinto Benavente (Literature), Fridtjof
August
Achille Ratti ascends to the Papacy as Pious XI. Nansen (Peace).
KDKA AM in Pittsburgh broadcasts the first
Warren G. Harding places the first radio in the
baseball game over the radio.
White House.
Rising prices caused by runaway inflation cause
riots in Munich.
Egypt gains independence from Britain. 1923
Gene Roddenberry born in El Paso, Texas. January
March Troops from France and Belgium occupy the Rhine
Mohandas Gandhi is arrested in Bombay on to force Germany to make reparation payments.
September
charges of sedition and sentenced to six years in Cecil B. De Mille releases his first epic The Ten
First Miss America pageant held in Atlantic City,
prison. He will serve only two. Commandments. Warner Brothers studio is founded,
New Jersey.
The United States commissions its first aircraft beginning the studio system.
carrier, USS Langley.
November
During an Armistice Day celebration at Arlington
February
National Cemetery, President Warren G. Harding
May Howard Carter enters Tutankhamen’s burial
Construction begins on Yankee Stadium in the chamber.
dedicates the Tomb of the Unknowns.
Bronx, New York City. Albert Einstein visits Barcelona as part of an
Lincoln Memorial dedicated in Washington, DC. exchange program.
December
Inflation sparks riots in Vienna, Austria.
The silent film Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
October March
Benito Mussolini becomes Prime Minister of Italy. Antigone appears on the French stage. This
introduces the world to Rudolf Valentino, who
He is the first fascist leader of a country and the groundbreaking play is written by Jean Cocteau,
quickly becomes the first matinee idol.
youngest Prime Minister in Italian history. has sets designed by Pablo Picasso, features music
Nobel prizes for the year 1921: Albert Einstein
scored by Arthur Honegger, and includes costumes
(Physics), Frederick Soddy (Chemistry), Anatole
November by Gabriel Channel.
France (Literature), Karl Hjalmar Branting and
British archaeologist Howard Carter discovers the USS Connecticut, the first modern American
Christian Lous Lange (Peace).
tomb of Tutankhamen in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings. battleship, is decommissioned.
When he enters the tomb on November 21, along Time magazine begins publication.
with Lord Carnarvon, he is the first person to step Vladimir Lenin suffers a stroke and retires as
into the tomb in over 3,000 years. Chairman of the Soviet Union.
The British Broadcasting Corporation, or BBC,

timeline Page 18
The Roaring 20s
May
The Ku Klux Klan (KKK) defies a new law
requiring it to publish its membership rolls.
June
In Sicily, Mount Etna erupts, rendering 60,000
homeless.
July
Pancho Villa assassinated.
The Treaty of Lausanne is signed by Turkey,
Greece, Switzerland and Bulgaria, establishing the
borders of modern Turkey.
August
Warren Harding dies and is succeeded as President
by Calvin Coolidge.
Gustav Streseman founds a coalition government
to lead Germany’s Weimar Republic.
September
The Great Kanto Earthquake devastates Japan,
killing over 142,000.
USS Shenandoah, the first American airship, takes
to the skies over Lakehurst, New Jersey.
The Honda Point disaster takes place as seven
United States Navy destroyers run aground off the
coast of California.
Newspaper printers strike in New York.
October
Adolf Hitler leads the Nazi Party’s first attempt to
take over the German government in the “Beer Hall
Putsch.” Police officers and the military crush the
attempt.
German inflation reaches its height, with one dollar
equaling 4.2 trillion reichsmarks. Streseman, as head
of the Weimar Republic, orders the old currency
abolished in an attempt to get the economy back on
timeline
its feet. The attempt fails and Streseman’s coalition
government collapses.
December
An attempt is made to assassinate the crown prince
in Tokyo.
Nobel prizes for the year 1923: Robert Andrews
Millikan (Chemistry), Fritz Pregl (Physics), Fredrick
Grant Banting and John James Richard McLeod
(Medicine), William Butler Yeats (Literature); no
Peace Prize awarded this year.
1924
January
Columbia and MGM film studios are both
established this year.
Heavy snows in Britain.
A British submarine sinks in the English Channel,
killing 43.
A massive fire sweeps through London harbor.
Vladimir Lenin dies. Josef Stalin begins purging
the Soviet government of rivals to pave the way for
his ascension to power.
The 1924 Winter Olympics are held in Chamonix,
France in the French Alps, marking the return of the
Olympics.
Petrograd, formerly St. Petersburg, is renamed
Leningrad.
Lenin is buried in Red Square.
Ramsay McDonald becomes the first British Prime
Minister from the Labour Party.
February
Britain recognizes the Soviet Union.
Mohandas Gandhi is released from prison on
medical grounds.
Hourly time signals broadcast from the Royal
Greenwich Observatory inaugurate Greenwich Mean
Time.
The first execution using poison gas takes place in
Nevada.
IBM founded.
Calvin Coolidge becomes the first American
President to deliver a radio address from the White
House.
March
Caliph Abdul Mejid II is deposed, ending the
1,400-year caliphate of his line over the former
Ottoman Empire. Kemal Ataturk becomes the first
President of the Republic of Turkey.
Greece proclaims itself a democratic Republic.
April
Adolf Hitler sentenced to five years in prison.
First commercial flight for Belgium’s SABENA
Airlines.
Fascists win a two-thirds majority in Italian
elections.
May
1924 Summer Olympics are held in Paris, France.
J. Edgar Hoover is appointed head of the Bureau of
Investigation, which will later be known as the FBI.
Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, two students at
the University of Chicago, murder a 14-year-old boy
named Bobby Franks.
June
Calvin Coolidge signs the Citizenship Act,
making all Native Americans born in the territorial
boundaries of the United States citizens for the first
time.
George Mallory and Andrew Irvine attempt the
summit of Mount Everest. The two men are never
seen alive again.
Italian Socialist leader Giacomo Matteotti is killed
by Fascists in Rome.
A Curtiss pursuit plane flown by American Russel
Page 19
The Roaring 20s
L. Maughan flies nonstop from New York to San
Francisco in 21 hours 48 minutes.
August
The League of Nations adopts the Geneva Protocol.
September
Belgium adopts the 8-hour workday.
October
Abdul Azis declares himself the protector of
Mecca’s holy places.
November
Nellie Tayloe Ross elected Governor of Wyoming,
the first woman governor of an American state.
Calvin Coolidge wins reelection against John
Davis.
Dirctor John Ince, considered by many film
students the father of American Western films, dies
in Los Angeles, California. Although the official
record states the death is of natural causes, rumors
soon surface that Ince was shot by William Randolph
Hearst.
The first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is held
in New York City.
December
Attempted communist takeover of Estonia fails.
Edwin Hubble announces the existence of other
galaxies.
Nobel Prizes for the year 1924: Manne Siegbahn
(Physics), Willem Einthoven (Medicine), Wladyslaw
Stanislaw Reymont (Literature); Chemistry and
Peace Prizes not awarded.
timeline
1925
January
Benito Mussolini seizes dictatorial control of Italy.
The “Great Race of Mercy” relays diphtheria
antitoxin via dogsled to Nome, Alaska. This race is
commemorated yearly as the Iditarod sled race in
years that follow.
February
The New Yorker magazine debuts.
March
Calvin Coolidge becomes the first American
President to broadcast an inaugural speech via radio.
The Scopes Monkey Trial is held in Tennessee over
the teaching of evolution in public schools.
The “tri-state tornado” rips through Missouri,
Illinois and Indiana, killing 695 people.
June
Chrysler corporation founded.
July
Adolf Hitler publishes Mein Kampf (“My
Struggle”) from prison.
John T. Scopes is found guilty of teaching
evolution and fined 100 dollars.
September
The airship USS Shenandoah breaks up en route to
St. Louis, resulting in the death of all 14 crewmen.
November
The country radio program Grand Ole Opry makes
its first broadcast. It will one day be the longest-
running live radio program.
December
Nobel Prizes for 1925: James Franck and Gustav
Ludwig Hertz (Physics), Richard Adolf Zsigmondy
(chemistry), George Bernard Shaw (Literature),
Austen Chamberlain and Charles Gates Dawes
(Peace); Medicine prize not awarded.
1926
January
Radio Eireann, Ireland’s first radio service, begins
broadcasting.
A BBC radio play about a worker’s revolt in
London causes a panic among listeners who think
they are hearing a news broadcast.
John Logie Baird demonstrates a crude television
set.
March
Shakespeare Memorial Theater in Stratford-on-
Avon burns to the ground.
Robert Goddard launches the first liquid-fueled
rocket from Auburn, Massachusetts.
April
An attempt to assassinate Benito Mussolini fails.
Princess Elizabeth born in London.
Reza Kahn is crowned Shah of Iran.
May
A coal miner’s strike balloons into a general strike
in London. The British government introduces
martial law to keep order.
Admiral Richard Byrd flies over the North Pole.
Josef Piludski seizes power in Poland with a
military coup.
Roald Amundsen flies over the North Pole.
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The Roaring 20s
July
A lightning strike destroys an ammunition depot in
New Jersey.
Fox Film buys the patents to technology which will
allow films with sound or “talkies” to be made.
August
Don Juan starring John Barrymore debuts in New
York City. This film uses a sound system known as
Vitaphone, a primitive system used to produce early
talkies.
The first weather forecast is broadcast via
television from Arlington, Virginia to Washington
DC.
September
Spain leaves the League of Nations.
A hurricane strikes Miami, killing 100 and
inflicting hundreds of million dollars in damage (over
100 billion dollars today).
October
Magician Harry Houdini dies of acute appendicitis.
November
Earle “Gorilla Man” Nelson, a necrophiliac serial
killer in San Francisco, kills and then rapes his ninth
victim, Mrs. William Evans.
Michinomiya Hirohito crowned Japanese Emperor.
The NBC radio network debuts with 24 stations.
This network is founded by Westinghouse, General
Electric and RCA.
Mount Vesuvius erupts.
Martial law ends in Britain.
December
Agatha Christie disappears for 11 days from her
home in Surrey.
timeline
Serial Killer Earle Nelson: Earle Nelson was a necrophiliac, rapist and serial murderer.
He attempted his first rape at the age of 20, for which he was sent to prison in 1918. He escaped and was
recaptured twice, but finally managed to elude authorities and begin his killing spree in 1926.
Nelson targeted landladies, whom he would approach on the pretense of renting a room so that he could
be alone with them. He carried a Bible with him, which further served to put his victims at ease. Once
alone with a victim he would strangle and then rape her, hiding her body under the nearest bed. Nelson
used false names and moved on quickly, allowing him to elude authorities for years.
He killed in the West Coast and Midwest of America before finally taking his killing spree to Canada. He
was captured in Winnipeg after killing Emily Patterson, his fifth victim in 10 days. In all, Nelson murdered
at least 20 women and one eight-month-old baby during his 18-month killing spree. He was hanged on
January 13, 1928.
Nobel prizes for 1926: Jean Baptiste Perrin April
(Physics), Theodor Svedberg (Chemistry), Johannes Bell Telephone Co. successfully conducts the first
Andreas Grib Fibiger (Medicine), Grazia Deledda
long-distance telephone transmission.
(Literature), Aristide Briande and Gustav Streseman The Great Mississippi Flood, the greatest natural
(Peace). disaster in American history, takes place. Flood
waters break levies in 145 places and flood more
than 16 million acres of land over seven states to
1927 an average depth of 30 feet. Arkansas is the state
January hardest hit by the floods, with more than 13% of
First transatlantic telephone call from New York to its area under water. In all, the flood causes 400
London. million dollars in damage and kills 246 people. Over
700,000 are displaced by flood waters, almost half
February of these African-Americans. The loss of their homes,
British troops arrive in Shanghai, triggering coupled with their mistreatment at the hands of
civilian protests and strikes. southern troops (the African-American refugees were
A major earthquake in Yugoslavia kills 800. used as forced labor, often at gunpoint) leads to a
The Federal Radio Commission is formed to massive migration of these citizens to northern cities.
regulate use of radio frequencies. This agency later Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover is thrust
becomes the Federal Communications Commission into the national spotlight by his handling of this
(FCC). crisis, setting the stage for his eventual Presidential
campaign.
March
A diamond rush in South Africa prompts May
companies to hire professional athletes to stake The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences,
claims. the organization best known for awarding the
Academy Awards or “Oscars,” is founded.
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The Roaring 20s
Saudi Arabia becomes a sovereign nation
independent of Great Britain.
Charles Lindbergh completes his solo transatlantic
flight from New York to Paris and catapults to
stardom.
An earthquake registering 8.6 on the Richter scale
strikes Xining, China and kills over 200,000.
Ford Motor Company shuts down auto factories to
retool and shift production from the Model T to the
Model A.
Britain and the Soviet Union accuse one another
of espionage. Britain raids the offices of the Soviet
Trade Delegation and expels all Soviet diplomats
based on revelations of spy activity discovered there.
The Soviet Union responds by executing 20 British
citizens on charges of espionage.
June
A ticker tape parade honors Charles Lindbergh in
New York City.
October
The Jazz Singer, starring Al Jolson, debuts and is a
tremendous commercial and critical success. The first
“talkie” released across the country, this film serves
to prove that talkies can be more profitable than silent
films; the release of this movie effectively ends the
silent movie period of American cinema.
November
Josef Stalin expels Leon Trotsky from the
Communist Party, cementing his control over the
Soviet Union.
The Holland Tunnel opens, providing the first
motor vehicle tunnel between New York and New
Jersey.
timeline
The Mysterious Life of Agatha Christie: Agatha Christie is a well-known mystery
novelist (though she also wrote romance novels under the name Mary Westmacott). She is the world’s
second best-selling author behind William Shakespeare.
During WWI Christie worked as a pharmacist, an experience that would influence and aid her later
works, which featured many killers who used poison.
In 1926, Christie disappeared for 11 days in a case that drew a great deal of media attention. Her car was
found abandoned in a chalk pit. When she was eventually discovered staying at a hotel under an assumed
name, she claimed that she had no memory of who she was or how she arrived at the hotel.
After medical attention her memory returned. Some regard the affair as a simple nervous breakdown by
a woman who had just lost her mother and was involved in a troubled marriage. Others see it as a brilliant
publicity stunt. Still others wonder whether Christie had a secret life. For a woman who crafted mysteries
for a living, the greatest mystery might have been the woman’s own life.
December March
Nobel Prizes for 1927: Arthur Holly Compton and Charles Lindbergh presented with the
Charles Thomson Rees Wilson (Physics), Heinrich Congressional Medal of Honor for his flight across
Otte Wieland (Chemistry), Julius Wagner Jauregg the Atlantic.
(Medicine), Henri Bergson (Literature), Ferdinand
Buissin and Ludwig Quidde (Peace). May
The animated short Plane Crazy debuts the
characters of Mickey and Minnie Mouse.
1928 The airship Italia crashes on the North Pole. One
January of the passengers is an Italian general. A rescue
A flooding Thames river kills 14 in London. expedition leaves six days later.
Having been removed from the Soviet government,
Trotsky begins passive resistance to the regime of June
Josef Stalin. He is exiled to Turkestan. Amelia Earhart becomes the first woman to fly solo
across the Atlantic.
February A Swedish airplane rescues some of the passengers
The Winter Olympics open in St. Moritz, and crew of the airship Italia. An icebreaker rescues
Switzerland. the remaining passengers and crew 18 days later.
Heavy hail kills 11 in England.
Charles Jenkins Laboratory in Washington, DC September
becomes the first holder of a television license from Okeechobee Hurricane kills 2,500 people in
the Federal Radio Commission. Florida.
Page 22
The Roaring 20s

were again thrust into the media spotlight. A circus of After the Pearl Harbor attacks and America’s entry
Charles Lindbergh, Controversial reporters followed their every move as they attempted into WWII, Lindbergh attempted to enlist in the Army
to negotiate with the kidnappers for the safe return of Air Corps to fight for the United States, but was denied
American Superstar: Charles Lindbergh their son, who was eventually found dead after a ten- a commission. He went on to serve as a consultant to
was born in Detroit, Michigan to Swedish immigrant
week nationwide search. airplane manufacturers throughout WWII and flew
parents. From early childhood he showed an aptitude
Bruno Hauptmann was arrested and charged with over 50 combat missions in the Pacific theater as a
for machines, and eventually enrolled in college to
kidnapping and murdering the Lindberghs’ son. civilian. While serving in the Pacific he again applied
study mechanical engineering. In 1922 he dropped
Although he protested his innocence throughout the his genius to aircraft, showing P-38 pilots how to run
out of school and took a pilot training course. Upon
trial, he was found guilty and was executed on April 3, their planes leaner. His ideas allowed them to conduct
completing this course he bought a plane and become
1936. missions at much greater range, including that which
a professional stunt pilot. In 1924 Lindbergh trained as
While this sort of media frenzy and show trial is killed Admiral Yamamoto, the brilliant Japanese
a military pilot with the Army Air Corps and graduated
well known today, Lindbergh was one of the first to strategist who authored the Pearl Harbor attacks. He
from military flight school first in his class. After this
receive this treatment. The constant invasion of his also developed flying techniques that allowed F-4 pilots
he worked as an airmail pilot based out of St. Louis.
privacy, as well as a feeling that his celebrity had led to lift off with twice the bomb load that the aircraft was
From May 20-21 1927, Charles Lindbergh completed
the kidnappers to target his family, pushed Lindbergh designed to handle.
the first solo, non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean
to leave the United States and move to Europe with his After WWII, the Lindberghs returned to the United
in his custom-designed plane, the Spirit of St. Louis.
family in 1935. States where they lived quietly in Connecticut.
Although Lindbergh’s act won him a cash prize of
During the 30s, as fascism continued to rise in Lindbergh served as a consultant to the Air Force as
$25,000 that had been offered in 1919 to the first
Germany, Lindbergh traveled to Germany several times well as Pan America Airlines. Lindbergh’s account
person to successfully make the flight, his famous
at the behest of the American government to report on of his transatlantic flight, Spirit of St. Louis, won the
flight catapulted him to a level of stardom known by
Hitler’s Luftwaffe. During one of his trips to Germany, Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954. President Dwight
very few Americans prior to 1927. For the rest of his
Herman Goring awarded Lindbergh the German Medal Eisenhower restored Lindbergh’s commission to the Air
life, Lindbergh’s occupation involved being Charles
of Honor, creating a stir in the United States and calls Force and granted him the rank of Brigadier General.
Lindbergh, American Hero. He made speeches in
for Lindbergh to return the medal—something he From 1954 until his death in 1974, Lindbergh carried
support of various social topics, encouraged the
refused to do. on a secret affair with Brigitt Hesshaimer, a woman 24
development of aviation in America, and was even
Lindbergh was in fact an anti-Semite and approved years younger than him. Lindbergh and Hesshaimer had
awarded a Medal of Honor for his efforts.
of Hitler’s policies. Throughout the 30s, he delivered three children together (Lindbergh remained married
In 1929 Lindbergh married author Anne Morrow and
many anti-Semitic and pro-Nazi speeches, calling to Anne Morrow his entire life). The affair remained
taught her to fly. Together the two of them conducted
on America to remain isolationist. In January 1941, secret until 2003 when Astrid Hesshaimer revealed
aviation experiments, charting polar air routes,
as war raged in Europe, Lindbergh urged America the affair, having waited to do so until all those
pioneering high-altitude flying and studying ways
to sign a neutrality pact with Germany. At this time who worked to keep the secret had died, including
to decrease fuel consumption in aircraft. Although
Lindbergh became a spokesman for America First and Lindbergh, his wife Anne Morrow, and Astrid’s mother.
Lindbergh is remembered more for his historic
asserted that many Americans who advocated a U.S. DNA tests have conclusively proven the children to be
flight than these acts, they are his real contribution
entry into WWII against Germany were un-patriotic Lindbergh’s.
to aeronautics and served as the basis for modern
Jews who were merely “looking out for themselves.” Charles Lindbergh died of cancer on the island of
intercontinental air travel.
These statements caused American President Franklin Maui in 1974, where he is buried. His epitaph reads:
Lindbergh and his wife had six children; when
Roosevelt to question Lindbergh’s loyalty to America, “Charles A. Lindbergh Born: Michigan, 1902. Died:
their 20-month-old son, Charles Augustus Lindbergh
an assertion that in turn prompted Lindbergh to resign Maui, 1974. If I take the wings of the morning, and
was kidnapped on March 1, 1932, the Lindberghs
his commission with the Army Air Corps. dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea. — CAL”

timeline Page 23
The Roaring 20s
October
St. Josemaria Escriva founds Opus Dei.
November
Arnold Rothstein, the most famous (or perhaps
infamous) gambler in New York City, is shot to death
over a poker game.
Republican Herbert Hoover wins the Presidential
election over Democratic rival Alfred E. Smith.
December
The United States Congress approves funding for
construction of Boulder Dam. The project will later
be renamed Hoover Dam.
Nobel Prizes for 1928: Owen Willans Richardson
(Physics), Adolf Otto and Reinhold Windaus
(Chemistry), Charles Jules and Henri Nicolle
(Medicine), Sigrid Undset (Literature); Peace Prize
not awarded.
1929
January
Canada and the United States agree to jointly
preserve Niagara Falls.
The Seeing Eye is established in Nashville,
Tennessee. The organization seeks to train dogs to
assist the blind.
The Tintin and Popeye comic characters debut.
February
The Vatican and Benito Mussolini sign the
Lateran Treaty. This treaty recognizes Vatican City
as a sovereign nation and officially establishes the
separation of church and state in Italy.
Dynamo by Eugene O’Neill debuts in New York
City.
St. Valentine’s Day Massacre: Seven of Al
Capone’s rivals are gunned down in Chicago.
First Academy Awards announced.
timeline
Opus Dei: the Work of God: Founded on October 2, 1928 by Josemaria Escriva, who was
canonized as a saint by Pope John Paul II in 2002, Opus Dei is a worldwide Roman Catholic organization
with approximately 85,000 members. The organization encourages members to find God in their everyday
lives, especially in their work.
Opus Dei is a controversial organization, one that brings out unusually strong arguments both attacking
and defending it. Many Catholic leaders defend the organization for its lifting up of the common
parishioner and its emphasis on prayer and the sacraments. They also laud the group for its charitable
works. Those who attack the organization have called it a secret society with ties to the radical right wing
(and by “radical right wing,” they mean the fascist dictator Francisco Franco, among others). The group
has also been described as a cult by former members.
The group is often compared with the Masons, and Opus Dei critics have referred to the organization as
“Christian Masonry.”
Great Depression: The Great Depression was a worldwide recession that lasted from 1929 until
1939. It was marked by bank failures, high unemployment, massive drops in Gross Domestic Product and
industrial output, and falling stock prices. In short, every indicator of economic growth experienced a loss
or downturn during this period.
The exact cause of the Great Depression is unknown. Most theories center around the stock market
crash in 1929, the collapse of the gold standard, the collapse of international trade or the lax policies of the
Federal Reserve. It is likely that all of these were contributing factors.
The Great Depression was a worldwide crisis, with different parts of the world suffering a collapse
similar to that of the United States. Many of these collapses happened at different times and for different
reasons. Asia’s economic collapse was precipitated by the loss of its biggest export partners, Britain and
the United States. As the Depression gripped these countries, they stopped buying rubber and tin from
Asia, which in turn caused Asia’s economy to collapse.
In the United States this problem was compounded by a phenomenon known as the Dust Bowl. Severe
drought and years of dust storms essentially reduced the farm economies of the Midwest to dust and
removed the ability of agrarian workers to be self-sustaining. These workers moved to California to seek
work as migrant field hands; as they flooded the work force, wages dropped for workers in these industries
(Steinbeck’s masterpieces Of Mice and Men and Grapes of Wrath are both based on this period).
Just as the causes of the Great Depression are debated, so too are the reasons for its abatement. Most
economists agree, however, that the combination of President Roosevelt’s New Deal policies and the
mobilization of the world’s economies leading up to WWII was the leading factor in halting this economic
crisis.
Page 24
The Roaring 20s
March
National Crime Syndicate founded in New York
City, considered by many to be the birth of the
modern Mafia.

August
The German airship Graf Zeppelin begins a round-
the-world flight.
The radio show Amos and Andy debuts.

October
Black Thursday: The New York Stock Exchange
crashes, ushering in the Great Depression.

November
Admiral Richard Byrd becomes the first person to
fly over the South Pole.

December
First phone booths appear in London.

timeline Page 25
The Roaring 20s
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Open Game License v 1.0 Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
Modern System Reference Document Copyright 2002, Wizards of
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Page 26