10 Things You Didn't Know About Prohibition

In the course of writing my current novel, which takes place shortly after the start of Prohibition, I came across some fun and surprising facts about that time period.  (The 18th Amendment took effect on January 1, 1920 and was repealed in 1933.) 

Below are ten pieces of Prohibition trivia you can use to astound and amaze your friends:
 

1.  First of all, it technically was not illegal to drink alcohol.  However, it was illegal to make, transport or sell alcohol.
2. Also, it was not illegal to drink alcohol at home.  So many wealthy families stockpiled alcohol before the 18th Amendment took effect.  The president at the time, Warren G. Harding, even moved his entire cache of alcohol to the White House.
3. Many small towns were so convinced that they would have no crime after Prohibition took effect, they actually tried to sell their jails.  What they didn’t know, is that crime (with the help of gangsters and the mafia) would in fact increase during this time period.
4. During Prohibition, if you saw a building with a green door, there was a very good chance you could find a speakeasy on the other side.  A green door was a sneaky way to advertise to thirsty patrons without attracting too much attention from the police.
5. Another way cities on the coasts got around the restrictions was by creating the original “booze cruises.”  Many port cities had ships which took people out into international waters to drink, and then returned to port several hours later.
6. Al Capone was one of the big winners during Prohibition.  It is estimated he made around $60 million-per-year in 1920’s dollars.  This would be over $800 million-per-year in today’s dollars. 
7. Cocktails were invented during Prohibition.  People needed something to cover the awful taste of their homemade booze.
8. It turned out that Prohibition was terrible for the economy.  Thousands of jobs in breweries and distilleries were lost right away, and more were lost later when restaurants and even movie theaters started to fail due to the ban on alcohol.  The U.S. Government also lost out on an estimated $860 billion in taxes on alcohol.
   
9. Prohibition was hard on people, too.  About 1,000 people died each year after drinking bad hooch.
10. The fact was Prohibition didn’t work, and people were getting tired of it.  By 1930, over 80% of Congress drank.  Franklin Roosevelt was elected in 1932, in part, because he promised to repeal the 18th Amendment and let people drink again.

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