When Prohibition finally arrived, it was a shock to many Americans.
The law was widely flouted. People held cocktail parties in their homes or went out to speakeasies, which ranged from drab basements to upscale nightclubs. For the first time, as many women as men were drinking at bars.
Prohibition was lucrative for the criminal element, most notably Chicago ganster Al Capone, who perpetrated the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre on February 14, 1929.
- Listen now:
Playlist:
Fanfare
Opening Theme
“Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes”
Composed ca. 1790 by John Wall Callcott. Public domain.
Closing Theme
Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.