Check out an authentic 1926 newspaper and see history through the eyes of real journalists reporting at the time. 1926 was the peak of the roaring 20s, where glitz, glamour and jazz became sensational amongst the upper classes. For lower economic classes, the 20s was a dark time of post-war depression. The world was changing rapidly, and no-one knew what was coming next.
1926 newspaper headlines will shock and surprise you as you marvel at the unimaginable past and how it was experienced at the time. What were some of the biggest headlines gracing the covers of newspapers nationwide in 1926? There were 2 unsuccessful attempts to assassinate Italian dictator Mussolini, Winnie the Pooh was published for the first time, and Schrödinger released his breakthrough scientific theory of wave mechanics.
Read about the Great Miami Hurricane that swept through the state destroying everything in its wake, the invention of the first liquid fueled rocket that would, or the introduction of the 8 hour a day 5 days a week work week by Henry Ford in Britain. There’s a lot to be learnt about our present day by taking a look back through 1926 newspaper articles to see how the decisions of the past impacted society.
January 26, 1926
John Logie Baird demonstrates a mechanical television system.
February 25, 1926
Francisco Franco becomes General of Spain.
March 6, 1926
The Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon is destroyed by fire.
April 7, 1926
An assassination attempt against Italian Fascist leader Benito Mussolini fails.
April 21, 1926
Birth of Princess Elizabeth, heir to the throne and the current Queen of England.
April 24, 1926
Treaty of Berlin: Germany and the Soviet Union pledge neutrality in the event of an attack on the other by a third party for the next five years.
May 8, 1926
Birth of David Attenborough, British broadcaster, naturalist and producer.
June 19, 1926Â
DeFord Bailey becomes the first African American to perform on Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry.
June 19, 1926Â
The College Board administers the first SAT, a major standardized test for university and college admission in the United States.
August 6, 1926
Gertrude Ederle becomes the first woman to swim the English Channel from France to England. The swim is completed amidst controversy, as a tug carrying British journalists deliberately comes in close to Ederle in an attempt to get the swimmer to touch the boat and therefore become disqualified. The reporters are angry as they had not been allowed on Ederle’s official tug, due to an exclusive contract with the New York Daily News.
September 18, 1926Â
The Great Miami Hurricane occurs, devastating Miama and leaving over 100 people dead. The damage was worth several hundred million dollars at the time, equating to nearly $100 billion today.
September 26, 1926
Gene Tunney defeats Jack Dempsey and becomes heavyweight champion of the world.
October 10, 1926Â
The St. Louis Cardinals defeat the New York Yankees, 4 games to 3, to win their first World Series Title. This World Series ended when Babe Ruth attempted to steal second base and is the only World Series to end this way.
October 31, 1926
Harry Houdini, Hungarian-born escapologist (b. 1874) dies from peritonitis as a result of a ruptured appendix. It has been speculated that this rupture was caused as a result of an attempted illusion in Montreal, where Houdini instructed a student to continually strike his abdomen so that he could display his strength and resistance to pain.
November 27, 1926
Mount Vesuvius erupts for the second time in twenty years.