55 vintage photos show what life looked like in the 1920s

• It's no secret that people's day-to-day lives in the 1920s were very different than they are now.

• Prohibition, the 19th Amendment, and the Harlem Renaissance were key points of the decade.

• Jazz, the Charleston, and flapper fashion had their moments in the '20s, too.

It may be hard to believe, but the start of the Roaring Twenties was over 100 years ago.

The 1920s brought amazing artistic, cultural, and technological advancements in the form of Jazz, new voting rights, radio, and more. But while the decade is best known for its glitz and glamour, there's a darker side to its history, too, that includes many of the same societal issues the world continues to grapple with, like racism, sexism, and wealth disparities.

Take a look at 55 vintage photos that show society's immense progress, the simple pleasures we all still enjoy, and where we can look to improve in the next century to come.

The Roaring Twenties marked a new era of automobile advancements, with stylish vehicles becoming an iconic part of the decade.

The 1920s are often looked at as one of the most influential decades of automobile advancements.

Long before Uber and Lyft, cabs were classy vehicles.

Here, a woman was photographed outside a cab vehicle in Los Angeles, circa 1925.

The Model T vehicle defined much of the 1920s — it was sold until 1927.

The Model T was sold by the Ford Motor Company 1908 until 1927, per History.com. The vehicle was the earliest effort to make a modern car that was affordable to the masses.

As explained by the History Channel, the Model T was so affordable that it helped rural Americans connect to other parts of the country, which eventually led to the creation of the numbered highway system that's known throughout the US today.

Luxe fabrics, flapper girl silhouettes, and art-deco style dominated the fashion world in the '20s.

In the Roaring Twenties, fashion was characterized by fringe, loose fabrics, and glamorous details. The garments differed immensely from the athleisure and street style-inspired looks that fill clothing racks today. But as fashion historians explain, trends are cyclical — meaning '20s-inspired clothes could (and will likely) make a comeback into mainstream fashion again.

Prohibition banned the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol within the US until 1933.

Prohibition went into effect in 1920 with the 18th Amendment. Until it was repealed in 1933, the law greatly impacted American culture and society, giving way to organized crime and speakeasies.

Prohibition led people to create speakeasies, or secret bars where they could drink in private.

Here, people drink at a speakeasy around 1920.

Suffragettes rallied for women's right to vote in America.

On August 18, 1920, the 19th Amendment was ratified, granting women the right to vote. However, the law largely applied to white women, as Black women, Indigenous women, and other women of color were prohibited from voting for many decades to come.

Suffragettes throughout the US celebrated the victorious moment the 19th Amendment was ratified.

Here, a photographer captured celebrations after the newly ratified 19th Amendment in August 1920.

In the 1920s, drugstores weren't only places to pick up prescriptions — they were also soda and candy counters.

Drugstores weren't just places to grab quick convenience items like they are today; they were central gathering spots in the community. At a 1920s-era pharmacy, customers could sit at the counter and enjoy a root beer float or an egg cream.

These pharmacies of a bygone era were much more ornately decorated — with marble countertops and beautiful light fixtures — than the fluorescent lighting-clad drugstores of today.

General stores were the go-to spots for workers, food, and household items.

General stores became less common after the 1920s, but throughout the decade, they were still popular for various goods for farmers and industrial workers, as well as equipment and food.

Schools for young students around 1920 were typically large classrooms that fit as many pupils as possible.

At the time, classrooms and schoolhouses were designed to hold as many students as possible to maximize space.

But in the 1920s, more educators and administrators started to support "progressive" schools that were built to house programs that were new at the time — allowing more open-air, light, and access to outdoor activities, per a 2012 report from the National Institute of Building Sciences about school design.

The Roaring Twenties saw the birth of historic figures, such as Queen Elizabeth II, who was born in 1926.

Here, the Queen — then known as Princess Elizabeth — was pictured in 1929 at a train station, apparently on the way to the family's Sandringham estate for Christmas.

Prominent civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was also born in the 1920s.

He was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta and became one of the most important figures in the Civil Rights Movement during the '50s and '60s.

A hundred years ago, the Charleston was the dance of choice.

Here, two people photographed around 1926 do the Charleston dance.

The famous Charleston dance came from a song in the Broadway show "Runnin' Wild."

Per the Charleston County Public Library, it became a mainstream dance after the musical's release in 1923 and defined the rest of the decade.

Jazz music was the most popular genre of the decade.

Jazz music dominated 1920s culture in America thanks to popular musicians like Louis Armstrong.

The genre was a key feature of the Harlem Renaissance, which encompassed music, literature, and art created by Black Americans.

The National Museum of African American History and Culture reported that after the end of the Civil War, the Great Migration brought over 100,000 Black Americans from a wide variety of backgrounds to Harlem, New York City.

Throughout the 1920s and '30s, Black creatives across disciplines shared their art en masse, documenting what it was like to be Black in America during a period known as the Harlem Renaissance.

Iconic works from the likes of Nella Larsen, W.E.B. Du Bois, Zora Neale Hurston, and more were all produced during this era.

However, throughout the 1920s, Black people continued to face barriers like segregation, discrimination, and even violence.

In the photo above, the waiting room on the right was designated for "Colored" individuals while that on the left was for white people.

Segregation was a prominent aspect of life in the US following the Civil War, especially in the South where Jim Crow laws were harshly enforced.

Other minority groups also faced discrimination. Below are Japanese "picture brides" who immigrated to the US in 1920 to marry American men as a result of exclusionary immigration laws.

Immigration from Japan to the US was largely limited during the 1920s as a result of the 1907 Gentlemen's Agreement.

However, it had an exception for Japanese wives of current American residents, which led to the practice of American men choosing Japanese women to be their wife solely based on photos.

Many of the Japanese "picture wives" faced discrimination, spousal abuse, and poor living conditions upon arrival to the US, Women & the American Story reported.

Such marriages were made illegal by the 1924 Immigration Act, which barred any immigrant who wouldn't be eligible for citizenship from coming to the US.

People of Asian descent were denied full US citizenship until the 1950s.

The year 1920 also saw the first Olympic Games since before World War I.

After the 1916 Olympic Games were canceled due to World War I, the 1920 summer Olympics were set in Antwerp, Belgium, as a way to honor "the suffering that had been inflicted on the Belgian people during the war," the Olympics reported.

It was also the first year the Olympic Rings symbol was publicly displayed.

Back then, sporting equipment like tennis balls, footballs, and other athletic gear was often handmade.

Here, people carry newly manufactured tennis balls.

In the 1920s, athletic wear was very different from the nylon pants we're familiar with now.

Pictured here, a football team poses in sporting uniforms at Oliver High School in Kentucky in 1921.

Gym class appeared much more elegant in the '20s than it is today.

This looks way more sophisticated than a sweaty game of kickball.

Cities were changing in the Roaring Twenties, with public transportation advancements giving people new ways to commute.

Pictured here is a subway entrance in London, circa 1924. Transport for London reported that the city's Underground was the first subway in the world, having opened in 1863.

Beyond underground trains, rail trains were also a central part of life in the 1920s.

Here, a group of employees stand in front of a train in 1920.

Train travel in the 1920s was often comfortable and glamorous compared to the cramped cars that many commuters know today.

Train travel was arguably its most glamorous from 1910 through 1950.

However, much of public transportation has stayed the same over the decades, like the realities of crowded bus and subway stops.

Here, a group of people wait to board a bus in Chicago around 1925.

Fire engines in the 1920s looked much more ornate than today's modern, large trucks.

Here, members of a fire department in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, were photographed around 1920.

Horse races were a ritzy leisure activity that often involved fabulous outfits and hats.

Here, people attend a horse race at Ascot Racecourse in Ascot, England, around 1920.

In the 1920s, a trip to the fair became a popular pastime. Fairgoers could go for a spin on the carousel ...

Carnivals and state and county fairs in the US were popular summertime activities during the early 20th century.

... or make a go-around on bumper cars.

USA Today reported that Coney Island's Luna Park is believed to have had one of the first bumper car attractions.

Coney Island in Brooklyn represented a new era of entertainment at the turn of the 20th century in America.

Coney Island was an iconic part of the early 20th century that transformed how Americans spent their free time.

Here, groups of couples competed in a dance contest at the Coney Island boardwalk.

The Brooklyn park gave locals and visitors new ways to stay entertained and spend time with one another in the form of roller coasters and rides, animal exhibits, and a lively boardwalk and beach.

Here, women competed at a patriotic-looking beauty pageant at Coney Island.

Miss Coney Island 1924 and 1925, respectively, appeared to stand on the Coney Island boardwalk sometime during the mid-1920s.

Long before the days of Instagram, photographers captured the moment at county fairs.

This snapshot from around 1920 shows fair attendees having their picture taken.

Spending time at the beach in the '20s sometimes meant catching shrimp with huge nets, apparently.

Around 1920, a family was photographed at a beach in Germany holding up shrimping nets.

Silent films dominated the movie industry in the 1920s ...

The National Endowment for the Humanities reported that the silent film era began in 1894 and continued through the 1920s. Before there were "talkies," audiences were dazzled by films starring actors like Charlie Chaplin and Clara Bow.

... but the decade also saw the transition to the "talkies," or movies with spoken dialogue.

In 1927, "The Jazz Singer" became the first feature-length movie to feature dialogue scenes, marking a transition from the silent film era, per the Museum of Modern Art.

The World reported that the first film (that wasn't a feature-length movie) with talking scenes was actually created in 1898 by Alice Guy-Blaché.

As film began to include sound, musical movies captured the hearts of audiences.

Musical movies produced in the late 1920s, like "Broadway Melody," continued to push "talkies" into the mainstream.

Vaudeville, which consisted of short acts of dancers, musicians, magicians, and comedians, was also a popular form of entertainment throughout the 1920s.

The Dolly Sisters, pictured here, were famous vaudeville performers in the early 20th century.

Another iconic vaudeville production during the 1920s was the Ziegfeld Follies, PBS reported, which preceded the modern Broadway musical and helped launch the career of many theatrical stars of the time.

Leo, the lion that became a symbol of MGM Studios, made his debut in 1927.

MGM's first lion named Leo was shown on screen in 1927, per The Hollywood Reporter.

Circus shows also featured animals 100 years ago.

In the almost 100 years since this photo was taken, some states in the US have banned the use of animals in circuses, while others have enacted partial bans.

The famous Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus show, "The Greatest Show on Earth," shut down in May 2017 after 146 years of shocking the nation with its acrobatic and animal performances. It reopened five years later, but without animals.

In recent years, changing attitudes toward animal rights, as well as high operating costs of shows, and declining attendance rates, have led to the demise of the circus.

Here, women are photographed holding pigs outside of a circus in New York around 1920.

Before modern conveniences like central air conditioning, people found creative ways to stay cool in the summer, like this group of women who appeared to be sitting on a chunk of ice.

Willis Carrier invented the first air conditioner in 1902, but it wasn't until 1929 that Frigidaire introduced a unit that was suitable for use in homes, the US Department of Energy reported.

Any curiosity about what was going on in the world required a look at the daily newspaper.

People relied on newspapers for local, national, and global updates, as well as advice columns, entertainment, and other stories.

The world's first commercial radio broadcast was made in 1920.

The Pennsylvania Center for the Book reported that Pittsburgh radio station KDKA produced the world's first radio broadcast on November 2, 1920.

Frank Conrad is known as the "father of radio broadcasting" for inventing the first station, which was located in his garage.

Throughout the decade, radio continued to grow as a pivotal technology that changed the way people received the news, communicated, and connected with pop culture.

Per MIT Black History, Rufus P. Turner was the first Black radio station operator. He began operating his station, W3LF, in Washington, DC, in 1928.

Wedding-dress styles from the '20s included ornate headpieces.

Brides Magazine reported that beaded headbands were common additions to wedding gowns during the Jazz Age, as were dresses with high necklines and cape- or flutter-style sleeves.

Cruise ships in the Roaring Twenties were often extravagant.

Here, passengers onboard the Saturnia ship partake in an evening dance in the 1920s. The Saturnia was an Italian liner that sailed until the 1960s. Along with its sister ship, Vulcania, it was among the first large transatlantic liners driven by diesel engines, the Italian Liners Historical Society reported.

Telephones looked just a tad different from the smartphones we know today.

Phones of the 1920s and '30s were characterized by their rotary dials and "spit cup" receivers.

Being a switchboard operator was a common job for many women in the early 1920s.

Being a switchboard operator often required saying the phrase "number please" hundreds of times per hour for eight hours a day, according to a 1922 op-ed in The New York Times, as cited by Time.

The shift from rural to urban living was prominent in the 1920s.

The US Census Bureau reported that the 1920 census marked the first time over 50% of Americans reported living in urban areas compared to rural ones.

Kitchen appliances were much different than they are now.

The beginning of the 20th century brought many advancements to the home — from gas ranges to the advent of refrigerators, which became commonplace in homes by the 1920s — but kitchens certainly didn't have the multi-functional, high-tech gadgets many homes are equipped with today.

While much has changed in the past century, from cars and technology to pastimes, many of the simple pleasures of life have remained constant, like getting ice cream from a snack stand ...

Here, kids were photographed at a soda stand on a street in Paris around 1920.

The only thing that would make this sweeter was if Coca Cola still cost a nickel.

... and catching up with good company at a café.

Here's to all the changes and all the lasting pleasures of the next 100 years.

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