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# Today in History: 18th Amendment Passed
- URL: https://bevnews.net/today-in-history-18th-amendment-passed-2/
- Published: 2025-01-16T04:12:58.000Z
- Updated: 2025-01-16T04:12:58.000Z
- Author: Joel Whitaker
- Tags: History

The 18th Amendment, which launched the Prohibition Era, began its short career this day in 1919\. Considered by some a well intentioned act (of social hygiene), it sought to ban the availability of alcoholic beverages. The unintended consequences, though, were perhaps worse — vast flouting of the law by the public and a boost to organized crime. Prohibition was repealed in December 1933\. In the no-longer-dry U.S., there are over 31,000 beer, wine and liquor stores, with annual sales over $36 billion.