From the course: Everyday Statistics, with Eddie Davila

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Prohibition

Prohibition

- [Instructor] In the 1830s, the average American 15 years or older drank about 16 proof gallons of alcohol per year. To put this in perspective, that's about 88 bottles of whiskey per year, 1.7 fifths of whiskey per week. This average includes both men and women, but men did a majority of the drinking. The impact on healthcare, the economy, and society as a whole was enormous. In particular, families were significantly hurt by the drinking epidemic. And while it took decades to enact, the Prohibition of alcohol sales became law. In January 1919, the States ratified the 18th Amendment outlawing the sale of alcohol beginning in January of 1920. Mind you, while it was illegal to sell alcohol, it was not illegal to make or drink alcohol. Nonetheless, by 1929, Prohibition was quite unpopular. Thus, selling alcohol once again became legal. Statistically, these types of events are exciting because there are inflection points…

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