What the World Was Like When Your Grandparents Were Born

1919

In 1919, a movement built on a century of activism that involved groups as disparate as abolitionists, women’s rights organizations, and religious revivalists got its due. The 18th Amendment became the law of the land, and Prohibition ended the manufacture, sale, and consumption of alcohol in America—at least on paper. In reality, Prohibition drove booze underground, creating a gargantuan black market that fueled an unprecedented rise in organized crime.