Headlines:
The Wright Brothers take off and the Titanic sinks Innovations:
A car, a radio ... and plastic Culture:
From ragtime to the blues
The Open Road
In 1909, Wayne County, Michigan
paved a country road. Ninety years and millions of tons of
concrete later, America is a land of superhighways, high-speed travel ... and sprawl.
When he knocked out Tommy Burns in 1908, Jack Johnson became the first African American
crowned the heavyweight champion of
the world. But as a victor, he was a popular
villain -- despised and feared for challenging
the racial divide.
The opening years of the
20th century represented the
dawn of a new age -- when
the old world gave way to the
new. Test your knowledge of
the history in our interactive quiz.