Cricket
In 1920-21, England toured Australia and became the first team to lose every match in a five-match Test series. On the return during the English cricket season of 1921, Australia continued their dominance, winning the first three Test matches. However, England did manage to draw the final two.
In October 1927, Clarice Cliff (pictured) began test marketing her ‘Bizarre’ pottery range in Britain. Initially, her pottery sold for 7 shillings and 6 pence (35 pence). In 2004, Christie’s sold a Clarice Cliff 18-inch ‘charger’ (wall plaque) for £39,500.
Aviation
In 1929, Amy Johnson (pictured) obtained her pilot’s licence from the London Aeroplane Club. Later in the year she became the first British woman to obtain a ground engineer’s C Licence. In 1930, Amy was the first woman to fly solo from Britain to Australia.
Seaside Resorts
In the 1920s, a fortnight’s summer holiday by the seaside was a regular feature of working-class life. The practice started in the 1840s with the development of the railways. Entrepreneurs built accommodation in the form of hotels and bed and breakfast establishments. In places like Blackpool they also added fairground attractions, promenades and pleasure piers.
The cotton mills in the north of England would close during “wakes weeks” and people would flock to the seaside. Because beachwear was still considered immodest, proprietors provided bathing huts. During the 1920s, well over 100 British towns developed into seaside resorts.
On 17 January 1921, P.T. Selbit became the first magician to publicly “saw a woman in half”. He performed this illusion at the Finsbury Park Empire, London.
In 1913, Selbit, with the aid of an attractive woman, performed the illusion of “walking through a brick wall”, a year before Harry Houdini performed the same trick. The two men entered a dispute over who invented the illusion. Spoiler: the magician or his assistant used a trapdoor that went underneath the wall.
The 1923 WAAA Championship, the first British track and field championships for women, was held on 18 August at the Oxo Sport Grounds, in Bromley, London. The events: 100 yards, 220 yards, 440 yards, 880 yards, 660 yards relay, 120 yards hurdles, high jump, long jump, shot put, javelin, and track walk.
Mary Lines (pictured) won four events: 100 yards, 440 yards, 120 yards hurdles, and the long jump.
On 21 December 1927 aka “Slippery Wednesday” 1,600 people were hospitalised in the London area when they hurt themselves on icy streets.
The cold weather continued over Christmas with blizzards in south Wales, the Midlands and London.
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