1920s Calendar: Every Year, Events, TV And Music

The 1920s in order, one year at a time.

Each year below gives the headline event, what people were watching and what they were listening to, with a link to the full page for that year.

Good for a quiz round, a reminiscence session or working out what to put in a milestone birthday card.

1920

• 1920 - The first Remembrance at the Cenotaph and a country still counting its losses.
• News: The Unknown Warrior was buried in Westminster Abbey on 11 November and the permanent Cenotaph was unveiled the same day.
• Screen: Cinema was silent, with live piano or organ accompaniment.
• Music: Dance bands and ragtime filled the ballrooms; jazz was arriving from America.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1920

1921

• 1921 - A miners' lockout, mass unemployment and the first British Legion poppy appeal.
• News: The first Poppy Appeal was held in November by the newly formed British Legion.
• Screen: The Kid, Chaplin's first full-length film, was released.
• Music: Dance halls were booming and the foxtrot was the dance everyone learned.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1921

1922

• 1922 - The BBC's first broadcast, the Austin Seven and Tutankhamun's tomb.
• News: The British Broadcasting Company made its first daily broadcast on 14 November.
• Screen: Nosferatu was released in Germany.
• Music: The BBC's first broadcasts included music, talks and news read twice in different speeds.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1922

1923

• 1923 - The White Horse Final at Wembley and the first Radio Times.
• News: Stanley Baldwin became Prime Minister in May.
• Screen: Safety Last!, with Harold Lloyd hanging from a clock, was released.
• Music: The Radio Times was first published in September, listing what the wireless would play.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1923

1924

• 1924 - The first Labour government, the Empire Exhibition and the Chariots of Fire Olympics.
• News: Ramsay MacDonald formed the first Labour government in January; it fell in October.
• Screen: Sherlock Jr. and The Thief of Bagdad were released.
• Music: 'Rhapsody in Blue' was first performed in New York in February.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1924

1925

• 1925 - The Charleston, the return to the gold standard and a summer of dance halls.
• News: Britain returned to the gold standard in April, which made exports dearer and hit the coal industry.
• Screen: The Gold Rush and Battleship Potemkin were released.
• Music: The Charleston arrived from America and became the dance craze of the year.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1925

1926

• 1926 - The General Strike, the birth of Elizabeth II and Baird's public television demonstration.
• News: The General Strike ran from 4 to 12 May, in support of the miners, who stayed out for months afterwards.
• Screen: John Logie Baird gave the first public demonstration of television in January.
• Music: Dance bands and jazz were the sound of the ballrooms.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1926

1927

• 1927 - The BBC became a corporation, talking pictures arrived and the FA Cup went to Wales.
• News: The British Broadcasting Corporation was created by royal charter on 1 January.
• Screen: The Jazz Singer effectively ended the silent era.
• Music: The Jazz Singer, released in America in October, brought synchronised song to the cinema.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1927

1928

• 1928 - Votes for all women, penicillin discovered and the Thames flood.
• News: The Representation of the People Act in July gave women the vote at twenty-one, the same as men.
• Screen: Steamboat Willie introduced Mickey Mouse with synchronised sound in November.
• Music: Dance bands, jazz and the last of the music halls shared the evening.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1928

1929

• 1929 - Britain's first talkie, a second Labour government and the Wall Street Crash.
• News: The Wall Street Crash in late October began the Great Depression.
• Screen: Blackmail, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, became Britain's first full talking picture.
• Music: Talking pictures put orchestras and cinema organists out of work within a couple of years.
• Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1929

Pop culture milestones of the 1920s

• 1920 - Cinema was silent, with live piano or organ accompaniment. Dance bands and ragtime filled the ballrooms; jazz was arriving from America.
• 1921 - The Kid, Chaplin's first full-length film, was released. Dance halls were booming and the foxtrot was the dance everyone learned.
• 1922 - Nosferatu was released in Germany. The BBC's first broadcasts included music, talks and news read twice in different speeds.
• 1923 - Safety Last!, with Harold Lloyd hanging from a clock, was released. The Radio Times was first published in September, listing what the wireless would play.
• 1924 - Sherlock Jr. and The Thief of Bagdad were released. 'Rhapsody in Blue' was first performed in New York in February.
• 1925 - The Gold Rush and Battleship Potemkin were released. The Charleston arrived from America and became the dance craze of the year.
• 1926 - John Logie Baird gave the first public demonstration of television in January. Dance bands and jazz were the sound of the ballrooms.
• 1927 - The Jazz Singer effectively ended the silent era. The Jazz Singer, released in America in October, brought synchronised song to the cinema.
• 1928 - Steamboat Willie introduced Mickey Mouse with synchronised sound in November. Dance bands, jazz and the last of the music halls shared the evening.
• 1929 - Blackmail, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, became Britain's first full talking picture. Talking pictures put orchestras and cinema organists out of work within a couple of years.

Holidays and annual dates

• 1 January - New Year's Day, a bank holiday across the UK (2 January too in Scotland).
• 25 January - Burns Night.
• 14 February - Valentine's Day.
• 1 March - St David's Day.
• 17 March - St Patrick's Day.
• Mothering Sunday - the fourth Sunday of Lent, so it moves with Easter (March, sometimes late February).
• Good Friday and Easter Monday - the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after 21 March sets the date.
• 23 April - St George's Day.
• First Monday in May - the early May bank holiday (added in 1978).
• Last Monday in May - the spring bank holiday (fixed to that Monday in 1971).
• Third Sunday in June - Father's Day.
• 12 July - a bank holiday in Northern Ireland.
• First Monday in August - the summer bank holiday in Scotland.
• Last Monday in August - the summer bank holiday in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
• 31 October - Halloween.
• 5 November - Bonfire Night.
• 11 November - Armistice Day, with Remembrance Sunday on the second Sunday of the month.
• 30 November - St Andrew's Day, a bank holiday in Scotland.
• 25 and 26 December - Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
• 31 December - New Year's Eve, Hogmanay in Scotland.

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How to write it so it lands

• For a guess-the-year round, read the three lines for a year and hide the date.
• For a card, use the year they were born rather than the decade.
• In a reminiscence session, stop on whatever gets a reaction rather than finishing the list.

Where to shop next

• 1920s history: events, politics and culture
• 1920s music: songs, genres and trends
• 1920s films and directors
• 1920s books, films and TV
• 1920s books: novels and authors
• 1920s art: artists and styles
• 1920s fashion: styles, designers and trends
• 1920s food: dishes, restaurants and trends
• 1920s travel: destinations and holidays
• 1920s technology: gadgets and computers
• 1920s shopping guide: what to buy
• 1920s games: board, card and video
• 1920s trivia: fun facts
• 1920s quiz: questions and answers
• The 1920s: the whole decade
• The decade after: the 1930s
• All decade guides in one place
• Card messages by occasion: every guide in one place
• Card hub: cards, badges and messages by occasion
• Decade history by era
• Decade calendars: every year from 1920
• Decade music: songs, genres and trends
• Decade films: best movies and directors
• Decade books: novels, authors and reading trends
• Decade art: artists, styles and trends
• Decade fashion: styles, designers and trends
• Decade food: dishes, restaurants and eating trends
• Decade travel: destinations and holidays
• Decade technology: gadgets and computers
• Decade shopping guides
• Decade games: board, card and video games by era
• Decade trivia: fun facts by era
• Decade quizzes: questions and answers by era
• Decade trivia game: play for points
• Decade quiz: test your memory
• Shop art prints and posters
• Shop greetings cards
• Shop birthday cards
• Shop funny cards
• Milestone birthday cards
• Nostalgia gift shop
• Retro party supplies
• Look back to 1920
• Look back to 1921
• Look back to 1922
• Look back to 1923
• Look back to 1924
• Look back to 1925
• Look back to 1926
• Look back to 1927
• Look back to 1928
• Look back to 1929
• Victorian and vintage parlour games
• Village fete and church hall games
• Card games your nan taught you
• Traditional British party games
• Decade guides: books, films and TV by era
• Guess the year quiz
• Care home reminiscence quiz
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Birthday cards for kids
• Funny Father's Day cards
• Pin badges
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What happened in the 1920s?

The first Remembrance at the Cenotaph and a country still counting its losses. The calendar above runs through every year from 1920 to 1929, with the main event, the television and film, and the music for each one.

What was on television in the 1920s?

Each year on this page lists what people were watching that year. For the full television and film picture, open the year page itself.

Where do these facts come from?

They are the same checked facts used on our year pages - real, dateable events only. The official UK singles chart begins in November 1952, so earlier years list popular songs rather than chart positions.

Do you sell anything to do with this decade?

We make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK, including milestone birthday cards. This page is free to read and free to copy.