General Collections of Resources Covering Many Decades and Subjects
American Memory
This is a set of different digital collections of information based on a
wide range of topics and themes in American history. You may search all
collections from a single searcher, or you may browse and search the
individual collections. Includes a huge number of books, documents,
photographs, images, music, sounds, and films. Well worth getting to know,
especially the Learning section, which includes exhibitions, curriculum, and
learning aids related to primary sources.
The National Archives
A digital collection of documents and images related to the U.S.
government. Many are official documents that are preserved in their original
form, and are made available to the public here in digital format. Also
includes exhibitions, curriculum, and learning aids related to primary
sources.
American Cultural History: The Twentieth Century Decades
This outstanding collection of web guides on the decades of the twentieth
century has sections for each decade. Includes images and comments about the
culture and history of each time period, as well as recommended in-print
readings. The pages are prepared as pathfinders by the Reference Librarians at
Kingwood College (Texas). These provide excellent cultural and historical
background as you use these resources.
Decades of the Twentieth Century
Created by Rick Heck of Andersen Elementary School in Chandler, Arizona, this gateway site offers annotated links to decade-by-decade information about 20th century world history. Although the number of links is limited, the site offers a good jumping-off point for research into the period's history. To expedite navigation, Heck divides links into the following categories: Listed by Decades; Biographical Information; Special Collections; Specifically for a Decade; and Search Engines.
Decades: A Study of the 20th Century
Part of the Curriculum Hotlists, a network of topical gateways developed by Chiddix Junior High School in Normal, IL, this site provides a portaql to online resources covering the cultural and historical history of the 20th century. On the site's homepage, you can select general or family history resources covering the entire century or narrow your search by picking a specific decade. The links available in each decade's directory include separate categories for that decade's major events, such as World War I and Titanic under the 1910's and Roar! and Harlem Renaissance under the 1920's, for example.
It's surprising how much can be learned about the fads and fashions of the day by examining popular tastes in food. This site, part of Leite's Culinaria created by food writer David Leite, offers a decade-by-decade overview of 20th century American eating habits from the debut of Oysters Rockefeller at the turn of the century to the 1990's surge in popularity of foreign foods. Along the way, Leite offers hypertext links to related resources and a sampling of popular recipes, including Julia Child's coq au vin and chef Louis Diat's vichyssoise.
Whether you are a student of culinary history or simply curious, you're likely to make some interesting discoveries at this site, which tracks human eating habits from prehistoric times through the present. Edited by Lynne Olver of New Jersey's Morris County Library, the timeline offers such startling revelations as the concurrent appearance of bread and beer in human diets roughly 12,000 years ago. The timeline is loaded with hypertext links to recipes and related online information.
Historical Atlas of the Twentieth Century
Librarian Mathew White offers a statistical overview of 20th century history at this site, which explores virtually every aspect of life around the world during the previous century. Although White acknowledges that some of the site's observations are subjective, there's a wealth of solid data about such diverse subjects as living conditions, population, religion, and government. For a world view, browse the site's resources by general trend, such as those cited above. Alternately, you may narrow your search to selected geographic regions and time periods under the heading Specific Places and Events. Other features of the site include a current history topic, updated whenever White gets a chance to do so, and links to related historical resources elsewhere online.
The Modern
World: 1900-1945 and
The Modern World: 1945-Now
This website links to the major people, places, and events of the first
and second halves of the 20th Century.
Time 100: The Most Important People of the Century
A surprisingly insightful overview of 20th century history can be found in Time magazine's profiles of "those individuals who - for better or worse - most influenced" the previous century. The magazine's selections are divided into five general categories: Leaders & Revolutionaries; Artist & Entertainers; Builders & Titans; Scientists & Thinkers; and Heroes & Icons. A separate section profiles Time's Person of the Century, Albert Einstein,. Among the 100 individuals honored by Time are such diverse figures as Adolf Hitler, Jonas Salk, Lucille Ball, Anne Frank, Mother Teresa, and Nelson Mandella.
20th Century U.S.A.
Prominent events and people of 20th Century U.S.A.
20th Century History, Decade by Decade
This gateway site, compiled by Oregon's Dallas High School Library, offers students of 20th century history a fairly comprehensive collection of links to relevant online resources. Arranged by decade, the links are annotated and referenced sites cover such general subjects as Events and Issues, Popular Culture, and Crime. For specific decades, pivotal events such as the Great Depression and New Deal of the 1930s are indexed separately. Also included here are links to Web sites that explore key historical events of today's date and general timelines covering 20th century history.
Biography of
America
Presents American history as a living narrative, for each program you'll
find a listing of key events of the period, a map relevant to the period, the
transcript of the video program, and a "Webography" - a set of annotated web
links.
People's Century
Resources from the Public Television Service series of the same name.
Includes eyewitness interviews, reports, and links to other related sources
according to the time period covered.
Celebrate the
Century Stamp Program
Postage stamps using images from the decades of the 20th Century are
available here. Choose your decade, and call up a colorful image of the stamps
that reflect that period.
Flappers 2
Rappers
Flapper and rapper and other slang in between is explained and discussed
in this article from the online Webster's dictionary. Many examples are given,
decade by decade.
Pulp Fiction
Central
A colorful type of popular fiction emerged in the first part of the 20th
Century, pulp fiction. This site offers a broad collection of links to many
examples of this type of popular literature.
Social Security
History
Exceptionally well presented collection of information on the history of
the Social Security program and Social Security Administration. A mix of
general-interest material and items that may appeal primarily to scholars.
Graphics and photos abound, and there are sound and video clips.
The
History of Broadcasting, 1920-1960
Decade by decade history of broadcasting. Click on the decade and subtopic
of interest.
American Studies
Web
A Guide to American Studies Resources on the Internet, with lots of links
organized by sub-topic of interest.
Art, Photos and Images of the 20th Century
AdFlip.Com
Images form american advertising campaigns of the 20th Century. Choose a
decade of type of product, and see the advertising images associated with
their campaigns.
Posters American Style
The National Museum of American Art, part of the Smithsonian Institution,
has mounted a wonderful exhibition of poster art through American history.
Most of the posters are from the 20th century, and "brings together some of
the great graphic images made in the United States." Sections include:
American Events, Designed to Sell, Advice to Americans, and Patriotic
Persuasion.
Virtual
Photo Gallery
Collection of links to online photo galleries and exhibits. This is an
excellent collection, with several famous photographers listed. Sponsored by
LIFE magazine.
African American Resources
The Afro-American
Almanac ®
"An on-line presentation of the African in America. A historical
perspective of a nation, its people, and its cultural evolution. From the
beginning of the slave trade through the Civil Rights movement, to the
present. Information that will give you a better understanding of the problems
we face today as a nation."
Baseball,
the Color Line, and Jackie Robinson
"On April 15th, 1947, Robinson became the first African American in the
twentieth century to play baseball in the major leagues -- breaking the "color
line," a segregation practice dating to the nineteenth century. Jackie
Robinson was an extremely talented multi-sport athlete and a courageous man
who played an active role in civil rights. This Web site reference aid was
created to commemorate his achievements and describe some aspects of the color
line's development and the Negro Leagues.
Biographical & Information About Famous People
The Nobel Prizes
The official home page of the organization which annually awards prizes to
distinguished world leaders in several fields: Chemistry, Literature, Peace,
Physics, Economics, Physiology & Medicine. Find out who won which prize each
year. Includes speeches and background information on each winner.
The Nobel Prize Winners
Information about all the people who have won the Nobel Prizes. Prizes are
awarded annually in the following subject areas: Chemistry, Literature, Peace,
Physics, Economics, Physiology & Medicine.
The Pulitzer
Prizes
The finest works of writing are annually recognized by this famous
American prize for 80 years. Includes Pulitzer Prize-winning works from the
past three years, including photos, editorial cartoons, music clips and the
full text of all winning articles! Awards are given for journalism, letters,
drama and music. See especially the Archive and History sections.
Chicano/Latino Resources
Chicano History Links- UCLA
This page lists links to Web Pages that cover various aspects of Chicano
history and culture.
Chicana Resources
Links to information on the study of Chicanas.
Fidel
Castro Speech Databases
A huge collection of the speeches of the Cuban leader, Fidel Castro. Use
the search engine to find speeches that mention people or topics of your
interest, with the text translated to English.
Music of the 20th Century
The
100 Most Important American Musical Works of the 20th Century
From National Public Radio, the stories behind the great musical works
that Americans loved during the 20th Century.
History In Song
Nice collection of songs that reflect key periods in history. Organized
according to the historical period, mostly 20th Century. Includes lyrics and
recordings for many of the songs.
American
Popular Music from 1900 to 1950 Subject Guide
American
Popular Music from 1950 to the 1990s Web Guide
Extensive set of links to historical music resources created by the North
Harris Montgomery Community College District Librarians, "intended to link the
user to reputable web sites for both research and entertainment."
Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame
Background and biographical information on the great popular singers,
songwriters and musical performers of the 20th Century who are honored by the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Links are arranged in alphabetical order.
One of America's most impressive and important concert halls offers a rich and colorful virtual visit, which includes an illustrated timeline, reflecting American music and culture over the past century. Check here to see what was happening through the years.
Timeline:
Southern Music in the 20th Century
Nice collection of information about the people and events in the music of
the American South during the 20th Centure. Includes many profiles of famous
and influential composers, musicians and performers. Click on ther decade that
interests you for more information on that era.
Timelines and Historical Overviews
About This Day In History
On This Day In History
Will list events for a given date, plus what was popular in American
culture.
Television News
Archive
Summarizes news from TV nightly news shows on each day since 1968.
A History of American
Agriculture: 1776-1990
Chart following eleven major themes of agricultural history in the U.S.,
decade by decade. Click on the theme/decade to see what major events and
developments happened. Provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
20th Century
(1900-2001) Year By Year
The Infoplease Almanac outlines the important events for each year from
1900 to 2001. World events are listed at the top, then U.S. events, including
sports, entertainment, science and deaths of famous persons.
The Food
Timeline
Shows when various foods became used by peoples of the world. Links to
information and recipes in many cases. "All information is checked against
standard reference tools for accuracy."
History: United States
A timeline of U.S historical events is available here, with links to pages
that cover those events.
Those Were the Days.
Provides a list of interesting events that happened on this day in
history. Lots of cultural emphasis.
Timeline:
Southern Music in the 20th Century
Nice collection of information about the people and events in the music of
the American South during the 20th Century. Includes many profiles of famous
and influential composers, musicians and performers. Click on the decade that
interests you for more information on that era.
Wars and Military
The Cold War (From
the CNN TV Series)
Extensive information about the period of history that spanned several
decades following WWII.
National Air and
Space Museum
The exploration use of air and space. Lots of images, photos and helpful
graphics.
U.S. Naval Historical Center
Lots of online text and images related to the U.S. Navy through history.
(Links courtesy of Chico High School in California and webfeetguides.com of Thompson Gale)