Better drink up

You know what we haven't done in awhile? I haven't posted a "Today in history" lesson in quite some time. Let's give it a whirl...

So, I'm browsing through the fun historical dates for Jan. 16 and came across Jan. 16, 1919. Got any clue?

Today in 1919 was the day the USA ratifies the 18th Amendment to its constitution. And do you know what that amendment was? Prohibition!

But, thanks to a handy little clause, the amendment only took effect a year after it was ratified. So - this means everyone had a year to drink. Because on Jan 16, 1920 - it was illegal to posses alcohol. On an interesting note: it wasn't illegal to drink it, just posses it - so if you were caught drinking you weren't charged for drinking but possession.

But can you imagine what America was like on Jan. 15, 1920? I bet there were some seriously sloppy people out there drinking all the way up until midnight. I'd be very interest to see statistics on the rate of alcohol-related accidents and deaths on that day compared to let's say Jan 17 of that same year.

A few notes (from Wikipedia) I found interesting...

• The prohibition or "dry" movement began in the 1840s, spearheaded by religious denominations, especially the Methodists. In 1881 Kansas became the first state to outlaw alcoholic beverages, with Carry Nation gaining notoriety for enforcing the Kansas law with a hatchet. (Got to love good old Carry. One of the few names from history class that still stick out.)


• By 1905, three American states had already outlawed alcohol; by 1912, this was up to nine states; and, by 1916, legal prohibition was already in effect in 26 of the 48 states. Even the Ku Klux Klan strongly supported Prohibition and its strict enforcement.


• The 21st amendment, which repealed nationwide prohibition, explicitly gives states the right to restrict or ban the purchase and sale of alcohol; this has led to a patchwork of laws, in which alcohol may be legally sold in some but not all towns or counties within a particular state.


• After the repeal of the national constitutional amendment, some states continued to enforce prohibition laws. Mississippi, which had made alcohol illegal in 1907, was the last state to repeal prohibition, in 1966.


• Many social problems have been attributed to the Prohibition era. A profitable, often violent, black market for alcohol flourished. Racketeering happened when powerful gangs corrupted law enforcement agencies. Stronger liquor surged in popularity because its potency made it more profitable to smuggle. The cost of enforcing prohibition was high, and the lack of tax revenues on alcohol (some $500 million annually nationwide) affected government coffers.


• Prohibition had a notable effect on the brewing industry in the United States. When Prohibition ended, only half the breweries that had previously existed reopened. Wine historians also note that Prohibition destroyed what was a fledgling wine industry in the United States.


• Productive wine quality grape vines were replaced by lower quality vines growing thicker skinned grapes that could be more easily transported. Much of the institutional knowledge was also lost as winemakers either emigrated to other wine producing countries or left the business altogether. It was not until the Paris Wine Tasting of 1976 that American wines could claim to be world class.


• The first beer legally sold in the United States after Prohibition was Utica Club of the F.X. Matt's Brewery in Utica, New York.

So that's today's history lesson. Hope it didn't bore you too much!