Here's How Many People Would Live In The Roaring Twenties If They Could

If you could go back to any time in history and live there, would you? Many people see advantages to living in a time before cellphones and social media, but when in history are people interested in?

To find the answers to this very pressing question, we turned to science. More specifically, the science of asking people via a survey.

Grunge surveyed 518 people in the United States to find out which era in history they'd most likely want to live in. And it turns out, the Roaring Twenties is the most popular choice, followed by the American Wild West and Colonial America.

The Roaring Twenties was a time of great economic success and social upheaval. When women could finally be flappers, but alcohol was illegal. People began flocking to cities, leaving their farms for the first time, and the American economy doubled, explained History. No wonder 35 percent of those surveyed want to live back then and experience the headiness of the 1920s. (Though, the lack of alcoholic drinks is problematic.)

The economic and cultural change wasn't limited to the United States. Even Europe, finally recovering after World War I, caught the bug. One of the most significant changes during the 1920s was the status of women. Slowly, women had more rights than before.

American women got the right to vote after the 19th Amendment was ratified on August 18, 1920, said the Constitution Center. English women got the same rights in 1928.

It's not surprising that people want to live in the Roaring Twenties. Not only did women get the vote, but the whole era just had a sense of glamour and danger to it.

Jazz clubs had started popping up in different cities, so men and women could dress up in their fanciest clothing and dance close to the Charleston. Despite prohibition beginning in January 1920, the bars still sold alcohol to excess. It even became cool to know where they were serving cocktails.

And speaking of danger, the '20s was when the fortunes of gangsters like Al Capone began. It was a time when things were in excess. That's why the term "bright young things" was coined because the younger generation shook off the gloom of war.

Besides broadening civil rights, the Roaring Twenties also offered something else, and it isn't jazz. The '20s was the calm before the storm that was the Great Depression.

According to Investopedia, the Great Depression started because of a confluence of events. Droves of people began investing in the stock market, seeing it as a way to make large amounts of money in a short amount of time. The government, aided by the Federal Reserve, encouraged this growth. However, when the stock market bubble burst in 1929, the Federal Reserve cut money supply, and banks could not meet demand, therefore, kick-starting the Depression.

It makes more sense now why people partied quite a lot during that time.

The 1920s may have offered glamour, danger, and a hint of familiarity — after all, some creature comforts like cars proliferated — it's not the only historical era that people want to live in. The American Wild West, Colonial America, and medieval England also ranked high in the survey.

Of the 518 surveyed, 20.8 percent want to go back to the American Wild West and ride with the outlaws and cowboys that expanded the country. Getting to explore the West coast before it became all cities and Hollywood sure sounds like a fun time; just make sure you carry the right gun.

Roughing it seems to be a theme with the next two choices. Colonial America and medieval England don't have a lot of glitz that exemplified the 1920s, but they did have famous historical figures like the Founding Fathers. Many people probably want to try their hand at medieval medicine, you know, with the leeches and bloodletting.

Some people also said they would love to go back and live in Tudor England and Reformation Germany, which offers interesting historical events to experience firsthand.

But others chose differently. For some people, witnessing a historical event or getting to live out a fantasy of meeting famous people aren't enough. Some said there was no other time they would love to live in, but now. And well, considering we're going through another plague, have seen several economic downturns, and may experience another cultural revival once the pandemic is over, now seems like a historical moment, too. Aww, that's sweet.