On this day in 1916 the U.S. government passed the 18th amendment prohibiting the “…manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors.” The rest is history. But where did all the existing booze go and how did the feds dispose of alcohol confiscated in the years it was illegal? Retronaut has a series of photos with the answer to this question. It looks as if liquor fed the fishes and the daisies, marking an unintentionally intoxicating period of American history.
More at Retronaut.
Lisa Wade, PhD is an Associate Professor at Tulane University. She is the author of American Hookup, a book about college sexual culture; a textbook about gender; and a forthcoming introductory text: Terrible Magnificent Sociology. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Comments 3
Charles Richter — January 16, 2013
The 18th Amendment was ratified on this date in 1919, not 1916, and did not go into effect until January 17 of the next year, as per the text of the amendment itself.
Photos like these give the mistaken impression that prohibition was effectively and uniformly enforced, and that alcohol itself was illegal. People stocked up on alcohol, because possession and consumption were not illegal--only "manufacture, sale, or transportation." Additionally, you could produce alcohol for home consumption, and the federal government allowed for medical and sacramental use. I've got a prescription slip for whiskey right here.
So, a better answer to the post's question, "where did all the existing booze go?" would be: "into Americans."
myblackfriendsays — January 16, 2013
What a waste of time and money. And to think people actually gave their lives trying to enforce prohibition--sad.