Today: Headlines from 28 April 1925 | YesterdayToday

“Today 100 Years Ago” – A Time-Hop to 28 April 1925

One hundred springs ago the world was humming with post-war optimism, bold design, and uneasy economics. Let’s step back to 1925’s late-April newsstands and see what made the front pages.

1) Paris Throws Open the Gates to Modern Style

International Exposition of Modern Industrial and Decorative Arts Opens

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On the sun-dappled quays of the Seine, President Gaston Doumergue cut the ribbon to an exhibition so dazzling that its very nickname—“Art Deco”—would become shorthand for a whole design era. Pavilions from 20 nations stretched from the Grand Palais to the Esplanade des Invalides, flaunting zig-zag façades, chrome-banded furniture, and geometric stained glass. Josephine Baker previewed her jazz revue; glass master René Lalique unveiled crystal fountains; visitors gawked at the Soviet pavilion’s stark red wedge—pure avant-garde.

🕰️ 1925 vs. 2025: We still chase immersive “world expos,” but today they’re livestreamed in 8K. Back then, the only ‘feed’ was the smell of fresh paint and Gauloises drifting over the river.

2) Britain Bets Big on Bullion

Winston Churchill Announces Return to the Gold Standard

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Across the Channel, Chancellor of the Exchequer Winston S. Churchill stood at the Commons dispatch box and declared that, as of 4 May, the pound sterling would once again be ‘as good as gold’ at its pre-war parity of £1 = $4.86. Applause thundered—but economist John Maynard Keynes muttered that the move was “a tragic blunder.” The over-valued pound soon pinched British exports, nudged unemployment upward, and—six years later—forced an ignominious exit from gold.

🕰️ 1925 vs. 2025: A century later the U.K. debates digital pounds and stablecoins, not sovereign ingots. Yet the core question—what anchors trust in money?—remains wonderfully unchanged.

3) Germany Chooses an Aging Field Marshal

Paul von Hindenburg Wins the Weimar Presidency (results reported 27-28 April)

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Berlin’s newsboys hollered “Hindenburg siegt!” as final ballots confirmed that 77-year-old WWI hero Paul von Hindenburg had edged out Centre-Party candidate Wilhelm Marx. Many Germans yearned for a stabilizing figurehead; instead, they got a reluctant statesman who would later unlock Article 48 emergency powers—and, fatefully, appoint Adolf Hitler chancellor in 1933.

🕰️ 1925 vs. 2025: Germany’s modern presidents wield mostly ceremonial authority, but 1925 proved how potent even symbolic offices can become when democratic guardrails wobble.

Quick Takes

Jazz was booming: Louis Armstrong cut his first records in Chicago this very week.
Tech on the street: Paris taxis sported new electric meters—clunky brass boxes the size of a shoebox.

Thanks for time-travelling with us. Tune in tomorrow for another century-leap headline!