1919 Misfortune’s End

Two American families face a year of enormous significance, turmoil and change. The War to End All Wars was over. The Plague of 1918 had swept through urban areas with a vengeance, killing more than a million citizens and then mysteriously subsided. But instead of celebrating their survival through these excruciating times, four million workers went on strike, inflation hit 500%, and prohibition became law – unleashing the pestilence of organized crime. Good and bad times live side by side as people move from a simpler past through tumultuous times and reach out in search of a new future. The hope of carving out a new life motivates our characters who are enjoying early advancements in radio communication, entertainment and the inventions for the home. Although the characters did not know it at the time, the groundwork for the roaring 20s was being set with the casting off of old ideas, a devil may care attitude and a relaxing of social mores. The year 1919 is a reminder that things can always get worse, but through the vibrancy of the human spirit, things can get better too.