During the 1920s, the U.S. had 40% of the world's money. The annual income increased from $522 to $705.
Electrical Conveniences
Electrical Conveniences
- Gasoline powered the boom in economy, but electricity became popular
- American factories began using electric machines
- Alternating electrical current gave power over long distances, but most farms still lacked electricity
- Higher end families had refrigerators, cooking tops, and toasters
- Washing Machine: $150
- Vacuum Cleaner: $50
- Sewing Machine: $60
- Psychologists were hired to create slogans to satisfy people's desires
- Slogans like "Say it with Flowers" double florist business
- "Reach for a Lucky instead of a Sweet" encouraged overweight people to smoke instead of eat candy
- Many businesses claimed that life would be miserable without their products. A Listerine advertisement said the following in regards to the effects of having bad breath, "She was a beautiful girl and talented too. She had the advantages of education and better clothes than most girls of her set. She possessed that culture and poise that travel brings. Yet in the one pursuit that stands foremost in the mind of every girl and woman- marriage - she was a failure."