If you don’t have a beer any other day of the year (I pity you) you should have one today.

This is the day, in 1933, when Utah, of all places, ratified the 21st Amendment to the Constitution, thereby repealing the “Great Experiment”: Prohibition.

Over the course of thirteen years, a simple activity that we take for granted was completely illegal. It begat crime syndicates that are still active today. And it destroyed much of the beer tradition in this country. (If you want to drink, or give people alcohol illegally, gin was much more cost-effective.)

The temperance movement is alive and well, though. Just witness the patchwork of local and state laws around this country. (”What do you mean I can’t buy beer on Sunday?!”)

But, for today, don’t worry about that. Just hoist yourself a beer and be thankful for number 21.

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