The Roaring Twenties: A History From Beginning to End

by Hourly History

The Roaring Twenties * * *Download for FREE on Kindle Unlimited + Free BONUS Inside!* * * Read On Your Computer, MAC, Smartphone, Kindle Reader, iPad, or Tablet. The Roaring Twenties was a golden age of economic prosperity and liberal social change. Innovations in numerous industries revived a sluggish post-World War I economy, and mass production methods allowed for the standardized, rapid production of various goods, the most notable of which was the automobile. The roar of thousands of newly manufactured vehicles filled the city streets, and the ripple effect of the industry spawned a myriad of ancillary industries, such as car dealerships and mechanic shops. Innovations in the entertainment industry heralded the Golden Age of Radio and resulted in the replacement of vaudeville with cinema as “talkies” replaced silent films and movies came alive with color. The most iconic image of the era was the flapper—a thoroughly modern, young woman, unafraid to flout the social norms of her parents’ generation and break with long-standing traditions. She typified the sexually expressive, modern, young, and fun woman who had gained the right to vote, and who was ready to take her rightful place in both the workforce and in the speakeasies that cropped up in the wake of Prohibition. Inside you will read about... ✓ The Booming Economy of the 1920s ✓ Babe Ruth, Jazz, Art Deco, and the Flapper ✓ Women’s Rights, Civil Rights, and Gay Rights ✓ Politics and All That Jazz ✓ The Wall Street Crash of 1929 And much more! Along with the social changes for women, African-American cultural and artistic expressions ruled the day as jazz music emanated from the speakeasies and the radio. African-American literature rose to prominence, and all-black casts were featured in the popular theatrical productions. It was an era of progressive change fueled by a sustained economic prosperity that seemed to have no end. It did come to an abrupt end, though, with the Wall Street Crash of 1929. The music stopped, the flapper faded, and the roar of prosperity was silenced. The impact of that golden era, however, still reverberates throughout the modern day. This book tells the compelling story of this raucous period in history in succinct, yet informative detail that is both educational and entertaining.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History, Amazon, Ebooks

112 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 11, 2017

About the author

At Hourly History, we focus on publishing history books that are concise, straightforward and take no longer than one hour to read.

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Reviews

[Murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

a lot more to the 20s than flappers

As iconic as flappers were to this era, and remain so, this essay highlights critical breakthroughs in areas of race, the arts, sexuality, and technology: 1) The Harlem Renaissance in the African-American community in Harlem, NYC; 2) an incremental openness to homosexuality in some regions and nations; 3) the Jazz Age emerging from New Orleans including music and dance; 4) the importance of contemporary authors like Langston Hughes, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and Carl Sandburg; 5) the rapid evolution of the radio industry; 6) the equally rapid evolution of the moving picture industry; 7) the growth of the automotive and aviation industries; 8) the widespread adoption of the telephone; 9) the electrical grid; 10) the social liberation of the flapper mindset that clashed with the social conservatism of the Prohibition mindset.

This essay advances several theories and observations that provide good starting points for discussion and vigorous debate.

[Tania · Rating 2 out of 5]

I usually enjoy these little pocket histories, but this one is just spread too thin. You just can't cover a decade in 47 pages. I think it would have been to have concentrated on one aspect of the roaring twenties.

[Young Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

- Despite some lines I disagree with, it's a good read giving readers chances to think.
- I don't care whether it's a man or a woman, but only his or her talent by nature I do care. I will happily salute a capable female Officer above my rank, if, only if, she is actually capable.
- I believe simply drawing line between men and women is wrong, and it only causes division among us while we are born to love each other by nature.

(Hourly History, "Roaring Twenties," Kindle Ed., 2017, loca. 18-19)
The spirit of the era was characterized by a feeling of novelty and modernity, something that resulted in a break with many traditions...

This book, among all the same author's works, has the longest entr'/ intr'o-duct'ion. That says, the author had a lot to think and talk about to start the book.

The famous writers are introduced in the Introduction as well, but I recommend the readers to act'ually "read" F. Scott Fitzgerald's "Great Gatsby" before this one, and then you will have eyes to see things behind all the colorful street lights and prosperity in the middle of fundamental social change in America and Britain after the Great War.

It was a beginning of new era where the America-led social changes and culture started to dom'in-ate the Human senses of the world, which led the intellects like Francis S. Fitzgerald to his despair and early grave as well as E. Miller Hemingway to his ultimate end with the "Old Man and the Sea" after all.

You read the "Little Women" by Louisa M. Alcott, and you will see what both the friends, Fitzgerald and Hemingway (old Gatsby in real life), killed themselves in despair for ardently missing it.

Despite some lines I disagreed with, I liked the read since it made me think a lot.

(Ibid., loca. 52-54)
Significant advances were also made in the medical field. Most notably, Scottish biologist Alexander Fleming discovered a substance that killed various disease-causing bacteria. This substance was penicillin. Though his publications during the 1920s were ignored, penicillin became a significant antibiotic in the 1930s, and of course, continues to be so today.

Ignored... So it took 10 years to be recognized...even penicillin...sigh. I don't think people know this fact today as penicillin is now so common as a part of our lives. But imagine those in medical field at the time...especially the leading ones at the time. I bet they felt insecure about themselves with the news of the invention, and...ignored.

(Ibid., loca. 154-157)
One cause of the change in women’s behavior, as represented by the flapper, is believed to be associated with both World War I and the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918, which killed between 20-40 million people. Because of these events, some scholars argue that young people, in general, felt that life is short, and since it could end at any moment, they should enjoy it while they can. Thus, the cigarette smoking, dancing, bare-legged flapper was born, and more than any other image, she symbolizes the Roaring Twenties...

Spanish Flu was a global "pandemic." Anyways, the reason for the people like Hemingway or Fitzgerald was different than most of the others'. At the end of the day their choice was giving up, just like the general public since there was nothing they could do about the change, but to live with it, and that helped the leaders in politics who were concerned with social unrest through revolutions in other countries.

They worried so much that they even sent troops to Russia to stop the change in the early '20s. They must have been relieved to see the relaxing change in their own societies with the people'/ popul'ace becoming more and more indifferent about the world affairs. People found new version of "Masters," "Kings" and "Queens" in dance or other entertainments that the politics didn't have to check and worry about.

(Ibid., loca. 174-181)
The rise of radio as a form of entertainment earned the 1920s the moniker of the Golden Age of Radio. The Italian inventor, Guglielmo Marconi, is credited with the invention of radio. While his work was based on that of others who had come before him, he invented the first commercially successful radio transmission system in 1894. He later established a radio station on the Isle of Wight in England in 1897, and he would be awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1909 for his efforts. Of course, his invention would ultimately change the world, and this began with the more widespread use of the technology during the 1920s. The first radio news program was broadcast August 31, 1920, in Detroit, Michigan. The first public entertainment broadcasts began in October of that same year, and by 1922, regular entertainment broadcasts began from the Marconi Research Centre in Writtle, England...

Just like the United States today, it was still Great Britain back then: The center of new high-techs.

(Ibid., loca. 202-206)
...Though television would not rise to prominence until after the 1940s, technological advances, including the first color transmission and long-distance signals, were made by John Logie Baird in 1927 and 1928. Baird also established the Baird Television Development Company Ltd., which made the first transatlantic TV transmission and developed the first programs for the British Broadcasting Company (BBC). These technological advances built the foundation for television to later replace radio as the leading home-based form of entertainment.

See? It was still Britain. Later America made it more commercially useful during and after the war in the 1940s.

(Ibid., loca. 257-258)
At this time in U.S. history, higher education was rapidly expanding to include more women, and that education refuted the belief that men and women’s social roles were somehow biologically inherent...

So they suddenly started to believe that a man doesn't have to find a partner to carry his own baby? And a woman can carry heavy stuff on their own? All of sudden the word "women and children first" didn't apply anymore? Now it was just "children first?"

Yes, both men and women are the same as Human species, but also different by nature. Why deny the nature, can we really? Our developed word societies have been trying hard to deny it as if it was sort of "Human progressive," but is it really? It is against the nature. Seriously, is every woman happy about that denial?

I saw a mother who lost her son killed in action because of a young woman's self-esteem and ego to prove herself. That mother is not a woman? Can't we not use this for political purposes and just be natural giving jobs to those who are actually good at them.

I don't care whether it's a man or a woman, but only his or her talent by nature I do care. I will happily salute a capable female Officer ab'ove my rank, if, on-ly if, she is act'ually cap'able. That says, I believe simply drawing line between men and women is wrong, and it only causes di-vis'ion among us while we are born to love each other by nature.

(Ibid., loca. 264-266)
As the status of women changed, the advertising agencies began to exploit their new-found freedoms. Ads for automobiles began to appear in women’s magazines and advertisers in general paid more attention to women’s buying power. Politicians also began focus on issues considered more important to women...

That's our democracy, the policies and society chase after votes and profit right before our eyes without thinking about the consequences.

(Ibid., loca. 270-271)
Though women advanced the cause of equality to a great extent, there were also some setbacks. Many women who went to college took traditionally gendered classes, such as home economics, and they often went with the goal of finding a husband...

Still the same among the majority today. Can you deny it, honestly?

Again, it is not about men or women, but the goal is to find wealth and ease in our lives, not real dream or career. If you didn't have to, for example, by finding a wealthy partner, would you really want to study and work hard? Of course, there are some great souls with dreams and ambitions, but I mean in general in modern society. Men and women are the same in this.

(Ibid., loca. 271-273)
...While more women entered the workforce, they were often only hired into positions considered appropriate for a woman, such as the clerical jobs created by the mass production of workplace machinery like typewriters. Additionally, women were encouraged to quit—or were fired outright—when they married...

And, again, let's be honest about raising a family. I was an English teacher for a long time, and I can't deny the fact that the kids with both the parents working were the toughest with lots of behavioral issues. Duh, they don't get enough attention and care at home! Bottom line is at least one par'ent better stay home with the babes and give them enough love.

(Ibid., loca. 349-351)
...He reduced taxes to give businesses more money to grow, he imposed taxes on imported goods, and he followed a general policy of protectionism that included anti-immigration legislation. Calvin Coolidge continued Harding’s laissez-faire business policies, and although he didn’t really do much during his presidency, he was viewed as a good president by most Americans because of the strength of the economy...

Didn't really matter 'cause America wasn't the global hegemon yet. But if the US goes that way now it will cause huge problem again with the "US-led" global order as we've witnessed during Trump's presidency.

(Ibid., loca. 386-389)
...Speculators were betting that the stock market would continue to rise without end, and after a warning from the Federal Reserve in March 1929, a mini crash exposed the market’s shaky foundation. Still, economist Irving Fisher famously proclaimed that “Stock prices have reached what looks like a permanently high plateau.” He said that just before the crash.

Just like many so-called the experts talking about the US-PRC relations today right as we speak.

(Ibid., loca. 389-391)
On September 20, 1929, the London Stock Market Exchange crashed after Clarence Hatry, an investor, and many of his associates were jailed for fraud and forgery. This event weakened American optimism in overseas investments. This was followed by a period of instability in the markets with periods of selling high volumes interspersed with short periods of recovery...

See? It was still Great Britain. It all depended on what was going on in that global hegemon of the time. Yet, that affected the rising power US at the time. And the Great Depression from the US would shake the global economy as the US economy was the most viral like the Chinese today. It was already kind of clear what country would take over the UK. So, let's watch closely what happens in Chinese market that could shake the global market again.

But, of course, unlike the US on the UK side back in the days, the People's Republic of China has less chance to keep up its rise like German Empire back then. The only way for it to fulfill its goal to take over the the US is to survive the armed conflict with the United States.

(Ibid., loca. 417-423)
...While politicians made numerous legislative attempts to prompt an economic recovery, it wouldn’t be until World War II that lasting recovery would be achieved, something prompted by government spending for the war effort...Though the Roaring Twenties followed on the heels of a horrific war and may have been spawned by the cynical reality of the fragile nature of life, it was a time period typified by an almost child-like joy of living...

They were not supposed to live that life style in Britain and America right after a global warfare. The crisis they created caused the rise of Hitler’s Nazi Party and "ended their recklessness" ignorant of seeing the world in the long line of history.

(Ibid., loca. 423-430)
...The quintessential symbol of the era, the flapper, was a young girl who refused to obey the traditional social rules of her parents’ generation. Jazz music filled the dance halls and speakeasies, and the sound of automobiles filled the streets. Mass production methods met the demand of a wave of consumerism that had been postponed during the war. While a brief recession resulted as companies initially struggled to retool their factories to meet the needs of a peacetime economy, that economy soon roared back to life once factory production focused on new technologies designed to keep pace with rapid social change. Modernity marked the era as innovations in radio technology brought mass media into many American homes. Mass production cranked out new automobiles by the thousands in order to satisfy the hungry American consumer. The consumerism that propelled the United States to the status of the richest country in the world soon spread to most of Europe as well...

...chasing profits right before their eyes...they are still the same today without any second thought of the long-term consequences. Sad that it is not easy for "American" intellects and readers to see it through.

There are a few simple errors for an editing work, such as:
(Kindle Ed., loca. 46-47)
...During this time period, the first feature film,Don Juan, was released as was the box office smash, The Jazz Singer...

Correction: ...the first feature film, Don Juan, was released...

I didn't agree to every line and chapter, but overall it was a fine read with lots of thoughts.

[RM(Alwaysdaddygirl) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disgrace

The Roaring Twenties: A History from Beginning to End, published by Hourly History, is a short, forty-seven-page book. This book needed to be longer. It seems overly rushed. It also left out information about this period. It is a disgrace for a history book to be treated liked this. There was some information in the book that I questioned, and there is no reference section in it. Regardless of its length, a work of nonfiction needs references! For all these reasons, I give this book one out of five stars.

[Readasaurus Rex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

Seems like both a fun but hard time to live in. I don't think I would have liked living in this decade at all

“Masculine women, Feminine men Which is the rooster, which is the hen? It's hard to tell 'em apart today! And, say! Sister is busy learning to shave, Brother just loves his permanent wave, It's hard to tell 'em apart today! Hey, hey! Girls were girls and boys were boys when I was a tot, Now we don't know who is who, or even what's what! Knickers and trousers, baggy and wide, Nobody knows who's walking inside, Those masculine women and feminine men.”

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really short summary of the roaring twenties

This book was a very short summary of the roaring twenties. As a historian, it did not really help me much, but if you know nothing about the twenties, it's okay as a summary. You just can't cover a decade of history in 44 pages. To be fair, I did not realize that "Hourly History" meant a short history you can read in an hour. This book does exactly what they say they will do. Good read if that is what you are looking for.

[William · Rating 3 out of 5]

Again while seeking out information during my research of the Jazz Age to make sure my novel feel set in the decade, I picked up this booklet. To me it was too long to be a research paper and not long enough to be a thesis, but it was useful in setting the stage of information from the 1920s. Its another source that springboards you into the epoch. I did get a few pieces of information that I need to research further as everyone who write about the lost generation gives a different perspective.

[Ronnie Cramer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This short ebook does a decent job of showing why "the decade of the 1920s was one of enormous social, economic, and technological advances and achievements," though it has its' share of errors (such as saying "Calvin Coolidge would lose his re-election bid in 1929 to Herbert Hoover" when in fact Coolidge didn't run in 1928). My main complaint though, is with the repetitive nature of the text; there is really no excuse for stating so many things two and three times in a forty page book.

[Daniela Sorgente]

There are many repetitions, as if each chapter was written by a different person.

[Thom Swennes · Rating 4 out of 5]

After Germany’s surrender and the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, on June 28, 1919, the world was officially at peace again. American troops were sent back home and the war industry at home ground to a stop. A short post-war depression followed as the industries transformed from war to peace and soldiers changed their uniforms for civilian attire. This slowdown didn’t last long. Social changes, discoveries, inventions, and innovations would soon usher in a new age. It seems that after a major war or catastrophe, the United States undergoes a major and quite remarkable metamorphosis. With the formal adoption of the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States on August 18, 1920, women were given the right to vote. On October 2, 1925, John Logie Baird achieved the first color and stereoscopic television transmission. On September 28, 1928, Alexander Fleming accidentally discovered a way to stabilize and mass-produce penicillin, marking a dramatic breakthrough in combating infection; something that still holds true today.
When you couple these few advancements with the social aspects of the decade, you really have a period of remarkable and unexpected advancements and changes. Prohibition, the ban on producing, selling, and distributing of liquor, as laid out in the Volstead Act and the Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution; giving rise to bootlegging and speakeasies throughout the country. J. Edgar Hoover and his FBI played a large role in fighting Organized Crime that was growing in larger cities like New York and Chicago; adding color and a taste of danger to a country in transition. In and out of these speakeasies, dances like the foxtrot, waltz, American tango, Lindy hop, and, who can forget the Charleston, were taking the country by storm. The Roaring Twenties were the time of Art Deco and the Golden Age of Radio, where millions of Americans spent their evenings glued to the radio, listening to the latest songs or increasingly popular radio dramas. This was the time that moving pictures took on an increasingly important place in entertainment. Vaudeville embraced the down trot Negro and jazz was soon to become the music genre of choice.
The Roaring Twenties are a time of extremes that lasted until the United States, and indeed the entire world came to a sudden standstill with the Great Depression. This was a time of great promise and prosperity, of advancement and achievement, but it was also a time of urbanization as new and better roads and bridges were built to accommodate the increasing number of cars from Ford and many new auto companies that have joined on it bandwagon to prosperity. A vast increase in electrical power, telephone connections, and don’t forget indoor plumbing, transferred the country into a false utopia. With the up march of the middle class, anything seemed possible.
This short history of a dynamic decade is too brief to explore all of the advancements, changes, and pitfalls, but it does a good job in inspiring everyone to delve deeper into this decade of dramatic change.

[James Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 1920's were a period of basically some pretty wild things going on. Movies went from silent to talking. Many women became known as 'flapper girls.' Prohibition set in and was a miserable failure. Automobiles became predominant, women got the right to vote (finally) and Art Deco became an important architectural style.

Babe Ruth became one of the most famous baseball players ever. Jazz became a major musical force. On the dark side of things, though, organized crime took a major step forward and the crime rate and murder rate went up. Corruption became widespread among police and government people.

Then everything went even worse with the Stock Market Crash of 1929.

This book does a good, concise job of covering these events and why they were important.

[Terri's Dangerous When Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

This brief book covered a lot of ground. The Roaring Twenties was the era that began at the end of World War I and lasted until the stock market crash and the Great Depression in 1929. The book touched on the following topics: new technologies such as automobiles and radio and movies, women gained the right to vote, social changes in minority groups, prohibition and speakeasies, Jazz music, art deco, gangsters, flappers, the many other industries that grew with the automobile industry, aviation and Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart, medical advances, and the stock market crash. In the end I felt that this book was a very good review and while it was brief and unable to delve into great detail it was sort of like the Spark Notes of that decade. Well worth the read.

[Randolph Rossi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Americans Wanted to Forget WWI and They Did in the Roaring 20’s

The Roaring Twenties was a complex period of time in American History but this Hourly History Book was able to chronicle and explain the changes during the years 1921 to 1929. Although the party ended in 1929 many of the societal and technological advances had begun the process of massive changes in the decades to follow. An excellent guide to this period in American History.

[Dale · Rating 3 out of 5]

Published by Hourly History in 2023.
Hourly History specializes in producing little histories and biographies that can be read in about an hour.

If you are pretty well-versed in the basics of 1920's America, this short history offers nothing new. If you remember the basics from your U.S. history textbook or if you watched a documentary on the topic, this e-book ill offer nothing new.

The e-book repeats some of its main themes multiple times, sometimes within a few paragraphs of each other. I kept wondering if they were trying to fill space, which seems kind of ridiculous in a book with literal space limits (able to be read in just an hour). It also made me wonder if this book were written by an AI.

As an example of what I was talking about, the e-book mentioned that people grew more accepting of LBTQ+ people in the 1920's. That is undoubtedly true, but it was mentioned so many times that it might persuade some readers that the 1920's were a very accepting time. I think it would be fair to say that the during the 1920's, the needle of the gauge of LGBTQ+ acceptance moved off of "zero", but that's about it. Progress, to be sure, but hardly worth mentioning multiple times.

The facts presented in the book are all solid, which is why I am giving it 3 stars out of 5, even if it was written in a clunky way.

[D. Thrush · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting time in US history. After the end of WWI and the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918, people were celebrating. In some ways, it was a progressive time – women wore less restrictive clothing and took jobs, the Equal Rights Amendment for constitutional equality for women was introduced in 1923 (and still hasn’t passed), the Harlem Renaissance happened introducing jazz, homosexuality was generally accepted. Pot was legal. However, alcohol was not. Unfortunately, this led to speakeasies that were controlled by organized crime until 1933. And the stock market crashed in 1929. Hard times snowballed with none of the safety nets we have today like unemployment insurance and Social Security. This 47-page book gives us a good overview of the 1920s.

[Willow Rankin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Low rating, as this is too exceedingly short to cover a decade of history. I know it was a free book from Amazon, but the book itself was just to light on the actual knowledge.
I also felt it was repetitive, in several areas - there is only so many times you can mention F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Overall, for a short book I wasn't particularly enthralled, and felt as though I need to go to other sources for more knowledge of the twenties.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I could give this a higher rating...seriously...what an amazing look at the 1920s!!! I am so impressed by this. I wish it was longer so I could stay in this era and learn more and more!!! Will be looking at getting more books on this era. I found it incredibly written and extremely fascinating.

[Neera Kapahi · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I think of the roaring twenties what comes to mind is people having fun, jazz, flapper girls, speakeasy’s, economic prosperity and mass production. It was a period after World War I that lasted until the stock market crash in 1929.

The book was a very enjoyable read. It gave me an insight into the changing attitudes and openness that defined that time.

[Bob Cantrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roaring in, Whimpering out

This point of time was one of great changes. Although this is a short piece on the Roaring Twenties it makes a good case that this was an era of change. I feel that anyone reading this will wonder how this ten years could have such an impact. But it did and in some ways still does. To get an idea of this period this one will do.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting

Learned a lot. Did not realize how many things came to be in the 1920's. Many famous people, mass production, and who could forget prohibition. Good learning experience.

[Adebayo Ijidakinro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice Short read

This was a nice short read that I really enjoyed. It was informative and yet fast paced. It’s not super detailed hence the length, but what is contained was pleasant and I enjoyed it.

[Susan Baranoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty good synopsis of the era. Although it does have a decidedly white, northern, urban point of view in its script, it does also include the somewhat normalizing of the view of the LGBTQ+ community in society which is often not mentioned in histories of the era. Well read.

[John Streit · Rating 2 out of 5]

Agenda driven

The author writes like a 21st century millinieal trying to shape the past with 21st century agendas. Thus is disappointing because most Hourly History books are objective.

[Irene O'Brien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

As usual, I enjoyed another hourly history read. The atmosphere of those times is reflected in the pages of this book. It is relevant that we are one hundred years from the time covered in this book.

[Charles O'Donnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice Synopsis

A short but sweet synopsis of the 1920s. Of course the decade was far more complex than this book reveals, however it is quite good for comprehending the larger picture of that age.

[Eileen Carter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good information

This is a concise book filled with well known information about the 1920s. It touches on aspects such as the flapper, Babe Ruth, and stock market crash of 1929.

[Polly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative & interesting. A lot happened in that decade that we don't think about now.

[Abel A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book

This is a good short history of America in the 1920s! I recommend it for anyone interested in that decade!

[Sean Rosekrans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roaring 20s

A very good short review of events that took place. Showing how they affected life in general. Well written and concise!

[Barry Jenkins · Rating 1 out of 5]

Who are you?

thank you for another opinionated view of what you call history. Why won't you identify yourself? You must be afraid of something