Phonograph, Radio, Film and Television
With the invention of the phonograph (record player) music became a force in American culture to an even greater degree. While sheet music publication during the 1800's meant that Americans were playing and singing much the same music on the pianos in their parlors, Thomas A. Edison's phonograph meant that Americans from coast to coast were sharing the same sounds in the same way.

Radio's introduction and rapid, widespread adoption would become the first true "mass media". Coming of age in the 1920's radio introduced Americans to a whole new form of communication and shared experiences like no technology had before.

Impact of Radio:

• Commercials on radio broadcasts introduced Americans to national "brands" of products and services that quickly began to overtake the smaller regional companies of the past
• Radio networks such as National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) and the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) transmitted signals to nearly all of America, insuring that the public heard the same entertainment and the same newscasts, creating a shared experiences and understandings that had no previously been possible.
• By the year 1929 over 45% of American homes had radios, eclipsing the rate of introduction seen by even the telephone.

Film (motion pictures) were introduced to Americans in the early 1900's and by 1925 had become the US's fourth largest industry. Prior to the introduction of the television over half of Americans went to the movies at least once a week and more than 30,000 movie theaters were in business. The movies offered newsreels, or filmed news coverage, which was the first time Americans were able to see their political leaders and news makers in motion. The earliest films were black and white silent movies with stars such as Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Clara Bow and Rudolph Valentino. These stars, among others, helped to launch the birth of "Hollywood". The first major film with sound, the 1927 Jazz Singer starring Al Jolson ushered in a new era in film that is still thriving in movie theatres across the globe.

Impact of Film:

• By 1925 the film industry was the US's fourth largest business
• The 1927 introduction of "talkies" in The Jazz Singer with Al Jolson causes movie attendance to double from 40+ million in 1922 to over 85 million in 1929
• In response to the growing sexual and political openness of the 1960's the film industry introduced "ratings" on films starting in 1968 as US films began to reflect changing US society.

Television however, impacted US society more than any other new medium. As the natural extension of radio, television offered Americans both sound and motion in the comfort of their own living rooms. Television also decreased and usurped the importance of both radio and film to become the most dominate media force in American society and indeed most of the world's societies.

Impact of Television:

• By 1960 the widespread adoption of television had cut movie attendance from its 80 million per week high to under 40 million
• Television played a huge role in the 1960 presidential election between John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon. The September 26th debate had over 70+ million Americans viewing and was generally regarded as the turning point for Kennedy's campaign, as his youthful appearance and well-spoken manner on television attracted him legions of new supporters.
• Television also played a huge role in influencing public opinion on the Vietnam War. Vietnam was the first US conflict that did not involve government restriction of the media, as such images from the front lines of the often disturbing and confusing combat played nightly on America's television sets. The actual images of the war played in stark contrast to the optimistic statements of Lyndon Johnson's administration, creating a "credibility gap" between what the government said and what Americans saw. As such, television coverage is often credited with eroding public support for the conflict in Vietnam.

Sports
With the economic growth of the industrial age (late 1800's-1900's) and the corresponding growth of a larger middle-class, Americans found themselves with increasing time for leisure activities and money to spend. As a result there was the development of organized spectator sports in the United States, starting most notably with baseball and boxing.

Boxing emerged as the first great spectator sport, attracting attendance and dollars in record amounts. Early stars like bare-knuckle boxer John L. Sullivan and "Gentleman" Jim Corbett helped craft America's first popular sporting events.

Baseball was originally a child's activity but was was developed into a professional sport starting in 1869 with the Cincinnati Reds and expanding into a organized league in 1875 with the formation of the National League, the American League followed in 1901 and "America's pastime" was born. Baseball remained a popular, but highly segregated sport. While all-Negro leagues had existed prior, it was Jackie Robinson's playing for the 1947 Brooklyn Dodgers that "broke" the color barrier in professional baseball. Despite initial insults, opposition from fans and players and even death threats, Robinson refused to quit. His heroic stance and exceptional play was rewarded with his being named the 1949 most valuable player and being the first African-American player inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Music
While American's had long enjoyed music in concerts and performances it was the introduction of the phonograph and the radio that helped create a selection of music that many Americans could share. The great mix of cultures that was the American "melting pot" of the late 1800's also helped birth the first great, uniquely American form of music Jazz.

Jazz has its roots in the multi-cultural city of New Orleans, a hodge-podge of European (both Spanish and French) tastes, as well as African slave traditions mixed with the unique Creole culture (of European and African-American decent). This uniquely American mix created Jazz, which owes its musical stylings to the traditions of European military brass bands, African drumming polyrhythm and southern slave works songs. Early New Orleans pioneers of Jazz included trumpeter Louis Armstrong, pianist Jelly Roll Morton.

While born in New Orleans, Jazz grew of age in New York City among the resurgence of African-American  culture that was the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920's. Influential musicians of the era included the composer/pianist Edward "Duke" Ellington, band-leader Cab Calloway and blues singer Bessie Smith. The Harlem Renaissance and the success of black musicians of the 1920's helped white America to develop a more profound respect and appreciation for the art and culture of black America.

Impact of Jazz:

• The huge success of Jazz recordings in the 1920's earned the decade the name, "The Jazz Age"
• While black performers were welcomed to play in clubs such as the Cotton Club and Savoy Ballroom in New York City, the patrons of these segregated clubs were all white.