Arts & Culture
Reader’s Digest was developed in Pleasanton, NY, in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wife, Lila Bell Acheson. Ideas of creating the periodical were floating around in Wallace’s mind – he was confident that he would be able to create a admired periodical by condensing readings, but World War I put a halt in his plan.
Once over, Wallace and his wife started the magazine themselves from a basement and published their first issue in February with the distribution of 1,500 copies. The future of Reader’s Digest was extremely bright with the magazine eventually having the largest circulations in the world (more than 17 million readers)!
Another interesting cultural mark in 1922 was the release of the German vampire film, Nosferatu. The film stole key themes from Bram Stoker’s Dracula and was the topic of great controversy in the courtroom, but the film is still considered to be a cinematic masterpiece.
Science, Technology, & Ideas
During 1922, the Japanese navy was superior in naval aviation. In December, the aircraft carrier, Hosho, was built at Tsurumi, Japan, weighing 7470 tons. The aircraft carrier was the very first of it’s kind to ever be built and enter the Japanese Navy. The “flat-top” nature of this carrier was innovative for both its design and overall characteristics. In accordance with Hosho, the US was also commissioned its first aircraft carrier, Langley, which was launched in October of 1922. Later on, this aircraft carrier had a pivotal role in some great victories in World War II.
Social Change
The state of Massachusetts opens all public offices to women on April 13th, a celebratory occasion for woman’s rights activists.
In addition to Massachusetts amendment change for women, Rebecca L. Felton becomes the first female US senator as well. Senator Thomas Watson had died suddenly and her appointment to this position was in regard to his replacement. Referred to as “the happiest woman on earth,” Felton took her oath of office on November 21, 1922. Felton lived to be eighty seven years old and led her life as a widely known politician and woman’s suffragist. One quote that I found to be representative of her character was when she proclaimed: “there may be but very few [women senators] in the next few years,” but “when the women of the country come in and sit with you . . . you will get ability, you will get integrity of purpose, you will get exalted patriotism, and you will get unstinted usefulness.”
War, Politics, & Nature
1922 was a year that very much was happening during the Russian Revolution (1917-1922), a year in which the revolution was also coming to a close. Poet Claude McKay was very intrigued by the Russian Revolution and traveled to Moscow in 1922 to meet Leon Trotsky as well as other Soviet leaders. Following the Russian Revolution, many pro-independence movements followed, mimicing the multi-party war between the Bolshevik Red and White Armies. These pro-indepence movements were seen in countries such as, Finland, Estonia, Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania – a powerful reflection of the Russian Revolution’s international influence.
*Fun fact – the highest temperature was taken in 1922 (at that point in time) in El Azizyah, Libya. It was 136.4 degrees F and in the shade!
