America, 1926: What a Forgotten 100-Year-Old Report Says About Who We Are
This article compares the United States of 1926 to 2026 using a forgotten government report titled 'Recent Social Trends.' It highlights surprising parallels in economic anxiety, technological disruption, and immigration policy.
Why it matters
Historical context provides a valuable lens for understanding current societal anxieties regarding AI and economic shifts.
1920s Los Angeles Subscribe One hundred years ago, on September 26, 1929, President Herbert Hoover gathered a group of social scientists at the White House. He asked them to begin research on the most detailed report ever produced on the state of the nation. Four years later, running more than 1,500 pages long, Recent Social Trends was published, offering an unusually granular look at life in the mid-1920s.
The author draws historical parallels but maintains a descriptive tone regarding the source material.
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