Speaking of bad public policy decisions, Prohibition was ratified by the States on this very day in 1919. One year and one day later (January 17, 1920), it officially went into effect across the land, and was not repealed until late 1933—resulting in almost 14 years of (ostensibly) dry January-to-Decembers across the USA. The 18th Amendment banned the production, importation, transportation and sale of all alcoholic products across the country. Of course, Prohibition didn’t actually stop the consumption of alcohol, as an industrial-scale cottage industry of bootlegging and rum-running stepped in to quietly meet ... (full story)