In January 1920, the US government has decided to ban the production, transportation and sale of alcoholic beverages . The only exceptions are made for use in medical and religious purposes. The motives behind the prohibition were moral and health issues, but instead it completely eliminates or at least reduce the alcohol consumption , the government 's decision had a counter-effect .
At the time of prohibiting alcohol consumption has risen to one of the highest levels in US history. Illegal production has flourished and further strengthens organized crime and numerous gang turned into a real small empire. Gangsters like Al Capone during Prohibition could only rub his hands with satisfaction . This in turn has led to a number of bloodshed , as between the various gangs that are produced and distributed illegal liquor , and the conflicts of the same gang with the forces of law.
Things went , in short , quite out of control , and then at the end of 1926 all went metaphorically - hell . On Christmas Eve of that year the streets of New York were decorated with many lights and decorations. The streets are filled family in the common joy of anticipation of Christmas. Then he walked to the hospital Bellevue distraught man who claimed to be haunted by Deda Mraz baseball bat . Before the staff understand what is actually the man who is hallucinating , he died . That same night, the hospital is in a similar situation walked another 60 people. Eight of them died. Throughout the next two days are still recorded 23 deaths caused by - alcohol.
The doctors were accustomed to everyday scenes of alcohol poisoning since illegally produced alcohol was usually terrible quality. But this, this was something completely different , says Slate.com . An initiative was a big investigation whose results at the end of her shock and investigators , but also the entire nation . Frustrated by the fact that after the introduction of Prohibition alcohol consumption even increased , government officials have decided on extreme measures in the full sense of the word.
They were in fact made to start a bane legally produced industrial alcohol ( which is used in the manufacture of paints , medical products and fuel ) which are often used to steal illegal manufacturers and processed for resale and consumption. According to government estimates, at the end of the 20s was stolen more than 227 Milioli liters - per year.
Prohibition ended in 1933 , but by then the national program of industrial alcohol poisoning , the figures , killed at least tens of thousands of American citizens . Although today the mostly forgotten, the so-called ' rat Chemical Prohibition ' remains one of the most unusual and the most deadly decisions in the history of American law .
