Tent evangelists preaching old-time religion, such as Billy Sunday and Aimee Semple McPherson, were the rage. Nobody Knows was something quite new, and frightening, to most people. What is perhaps even most striking about the Twenties from the perspective of today is how fundamentally little the world has really changed. Sleazy media parade a sordid cast of characters before the titillated public. A terrorist bomb explodes in an urban public building, killing many.
Young people wear loose and grungy clothes as a rebellious fashion statement.
A volatile stock market, which some think is overvalued, rises to all-time highs, marked by occasional dramatic drops. Easy credit causes people's charge accounts to balloon into unprecedented personal debt. A sports star lashes out violently at a fan. Urban gangs spill blood to control illegal drugs. A young generation perceives the future holding out no hope.