The Dawn of Mass Culture Ch.8 section 4

American Leisure Amusement Parks ◦Amusement parks were constructed on the outskirts of cities  Coney Island opened in 1884 with a roller coaster  Chicago offered the first Ferris wheel in 1893 Bicycling ◦Cycling began as a male only sport ◦Eventually cycling changed women’s clothing and allowed them to get away from male chaperones ◦By 1890 more than 10 million bikes were made every year Tennis ◦Modern version originated in Wales in 1873 ◦By the 1890s tennis was a popular sport

American Leisure Spectator Sports ◦Boxing and baseball ◦Began informally ◦Those who couldn’t attend listened on the radio Baseball ◦Alexander J. Cartwright set down formal rules in 1845 ◦By 1900, the American and National Leagues had formed ◦Negro National League and Negro American League ◦1903 first World Series- Boston Pilgrims beat Pittsburgh Pirates

Mass Circulation Newspapers Joseph Pulitzer-New York World ◦Sunday edition, comics, sports coverage, women’s news ◦Emphasized “sin, sex, and sensation” William Randolph Hearst-Morning Journal (NY), and San Francisco Examiner ◦Journal filled with stories of scandal, cruelty, hypnotism, and an imaginary conquest of Mars By 1898, both the World and Journal sold over 1 million copies a day

Spread of Mass Culture Promoting Fine Art ◦Ashcan school of American art painted urban life with realism ◦Thomas Eakins and Robert Henri ◦Thousands of libraries provided books on any subject Popular Fiction ◦Light fiction books sold for 10 cents (dime novels) ◦Successful writers include Mark Twain, Edith Wharton, Henry James, Stephen Crane, and Jack London

New Ways to Sell Goods Urban Shopping ◦Earliest shopping center opened in Cleveland, Ohio Department Stores ◦Marshall Field of Chicago opened the first department store. ◦He catered to women Chain Stores ◦Sold goods for less by buying in quantity and limiting personal service Advertising ◦$10 million in 1865 to $95 million by 1900 Catalogs and RFD ◦Montgomery Ward and Sears Roebuck produced catalogs so shopping could be done by mail ◦1896 USPS introduced rural free delivery that took packages directly to homes