B3ASTWORLD
The World 1922
Between 1918 and 1920 there was a world wide pandemic known as the Spanish Flu. It killed somewhere between 17 and 50 million people worldwide. There are some estimates of up to 100 million deaths.
In the United States there were 675,000 people who died due to the Spanish Flu.
This Flu was called the Spanish Flu because the Great War or WW1 was happening at the same time. The war departments of most countries did not allow reporting on the flu. Spain was a neutral country during the war and their papers freely reported on the flu making it look like the epicenter of the out-break.
The World population stood at 1.9 Billion people.
The USA held 106 Million people
The world in 1922 was far different than the world as it is now. Things we take for granted don’t exist. Some are not even imagined. Things we now disbelieve were accepted as truth.
IN the USA
During the year 1918 DST was enacted by executive order. When the Great War (WW1) ended Congress passed a law ending the order and making it a local decision. Most rural areas did not begin to follow daylight savings time again until WW2, which never happens in B3atsworld.
Religion in 1922 was almost universally accepted as truth. God existence was a basic fact. We did not question structuring our society and our lives to follow basic Judeo/Christian beliefs. People were taught morality. They were taught patriotism.
They learned skills and basic information in school. The average person finished either 8th or 9th grade and dropped out of school. The school year was set up to allow students to work on the family farm or ranch. The average person having finished grade 8 could balance the budget, figure out the cost of what they were buying and do such complex word problems as if Tom and Henry are 12 miles apart and Tom starts walking towards Henry while Henry rides his horse in Tom’s direction. Given that average walking speed is 3 mph and the average horse travels 4.5 mph, how long until they meet each other. How far will each have traveled in that time. And they did it with pencil and paper.
When they quit school at about 14 years old, they had basic skills and knowledge and became an apprentice to learn a job skill. They stayed at home and worked the family farm/ranch. The military could not take you for combat until 19 years of age.
The average woman married at 21 and the average man married at 24.
America had not truly known a time of peace.
1775-1783 American Revolution
1775-1796 Cherokee-American War
1785-1793 Northwest Indian war
1796-1798 NO WAR
1798-1800 Quasi War, Against the French Privateers
1801-1805 1st Barbary War
1806-1809 NO WAR
1810-1813 Tecumseh’s War
1812-1815 War of 1812
1813-1814 Creek War
1815 2nd Barbary War
1816 No WAR
1817-1818 Seminole War
1819-1822 NO WAR
1823 Arikara War
1824-1826 NO WAR
1827 Winnebago War
1828-1831 NO WAR
1832 Blackhawk War
1833-1834 NO WAR
1835-1842 2nd Seminole War
1836-1875 Texas Comanche War
1846-1848 Mexican-American War
1847-1855 Cayuse War
1846-1924 Apache War
1849-1866 Navajo War
1854-1861 Bleeding Kansas
There were another 22 overseas deployments of American forces, a few internal uses as part of the Civil War and 21 separate Indian wars all between 1854 and 1922
Between 1775 and 1922 our nation all 147 years old America had 125 years of war and only 22 years of peace, and none of those peace years were after 1834.
We had the forgotten depression of 1920-1921 during which stocks fell over 50%. Commercial and business income took a 90& loss. Bank failures and closures wiped out family savings.
The easy availability of food and food storage on a commercial level does not exist. There were root cellars, ice boxes, using literal ice, salted meat. Bread or bakery goods were made at home because they spoiled in a very short time.
There were no real preservatives. Shipping was slow and unreliable. Most food had to come from somewhere within a short distance unless you were near a rail line.
People outside of cities often had stores of food they could live on for months. As there were no grocery stores. People would buy from local farmers and ranchers, or the local butcher or grocer who bought from them.
In 1922 there were a total of 360 AM radio stations in the USA with 1% of households having a radio. There were no FM or televisions in that time.
From 1873 until 1900 there was development of what would become HAM radio, but it was a small time hobby with very few people knowing about it. In 1901 Guglielmo Marconi made the first Transatlantic radio contact. By 1912 the department of the Navy convinced the Federal Government to regulate HAM so it would not interfere with the military usage. During the Great War (WW1) all HAM radio was outlawed to prevent interference with Military usage.
Only about 35% of homes or business (Mostly in cities) had telephones.
In 1922 there were 250 highways in the USA. They would be called inadequate and unsafe by todays standards. They were almost all built and maintained privately and for profit. The federal government would not get involved until 1924 and then only to establish a numbering system for the highways. This never happens in B3astworld which goes off the track of history in 1922.
Montana became a “dry” state in 1919 a year ahead of national prohibition in 1920. Officially the USA had alcohol only for medicinal and religious purposes. Though by 1922 there were many illegal way and places to buy and indulge in hard drink.
Great historical background & setting of the scenario. Not easily relatable to those living in the modern era.
That is why I felt the need/desire to give context. Depending on how large the file gets I may put it as an appendix or even a prequel within the book.