(Jan. 1)--U.S. census reports U.S. population 117.8 million. For the first time in U.S. history, the urban population exceeds rural population. (Jan. 2)--The Red Scare continues. U.S. Attorney-General A. Mitchell Palmer orders Justice Department raids on meeting halls and homes in 30 cities nationwide to round up all suspected communists. 2,700 people arrested without being charged with any explicit crime. In all, more than 6,000 are arrested. The raids end after a May 5 government ruling that mere membership in the party was not in itself a crime. Most arrested are released; few real anarchist criminals are found. Hysterical propaganda by Palmer and others set the tone for the rest of the twenties, spurring a spate of anti-immigration laws. (Jan. 5)--Boston Red Sox star Babe Ruth sold to the New York Yankees for $125,000, the biggest trade deal in baseball up to that time. (Jan. 8)--On the heels of a decade of strikes, the twenties mark another period of constant, and often massive labor disruptions. A massive steel workers strike that began in late 1919 comes to an end on this date, with no concessions gained by the workers. But, two weeks later (Jan. 26), a huge garment workers strike begins in New York City. Before the decade ends practically every trade, some more than once, would strike. (Jan. 15)--The League of Nations first meets in Paris. (Jan. 17)--Prohibition begins. The 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution goes into effect, prohibiting the making, selling, possession and consumption of alcoholic beverages. The most flouted law in history was repealed in 1933. (Jan. 24)--The U.S. Expeditionary forces return from Europe. (Feb. 3)--Eugene O'Neill's Beyond the Horizon premieres on Broadway; would later win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
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