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The timeline can be navigated with the “Scroll Left” and “Scroll Right” buttons or by dragging the pointer to a date on the timeline waveform (located at the bottom of the screen on the desktop version and on the left of the screen on mobile). To filter by a particular topic and see a smaller section of the data, make a selection on the dropdown “Filters” menu or click “Search” to do a keyword search. Hover over the abbreviated filter tags in the blue boxes to see the complete name of the filter, or click a filter to display all the data with this tag. If you want to take a deeper dive into a specific topic by viewing a narrative essay page and a curated timeline, click on “Stories.”

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A procession of men in suits and hats holding signs that say: "We want beer." A crowd of bystanders look on.
Photograph of an anti-prohibition demonstration in Chicago in the 1920s.

Prohibition begins.

1920

DRUG
MJ
Photograph of an anti-prohibition demonstration in Chicago in the 1920s.

The United States passes a law that nationally bans the sale, production, and transport of alcohol. Prohibition is sought to counter alcoholism, domestic violence, and political corruption.

Doctors are licensed to provide medicinal alcohol in the same way that medical marijuana is licensed in this era.