2013 Is 80th Anniversary Of The Repeal Of (burp) Prohibition!

2013 marks the 80th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition in 1933.  It is hard to imagine this ever taking place in today's society, but it did seize the nation in 1919.  While it was going strong for a number of years, the onset of the Depression really began Prohibition's downfall (read: America needed a drink).

There are many great books our about Prohibition and many movies and TV shows focus on the subject currently and in the near future ("Take a look at "Boardwalk Empire").  One of hte best is a book called "Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition" by Daniel Okrent.  I have read it and it is great.

I have been researching many archival photographs of the era, and the one featured above really struck me.

It shows a crowd of over 1,000 people lining up at the New York City Board of Health Office on Centre Street in New York City.  What were they doing?  They were applying for liquor licenses to open up a legal bar the following day when drinking became "allowed" again in the U.S."