On Wednesday, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg proposed a ban on any drink larger than 16 ounces, which is a small or medium at most movie theaters. A year and a half ago, Bloomberg lead the New York City council in banning smoking in city parks.
Cities across America have banned all sorts of things: styrofoam, plastic bags, plastic bottles, plastic happy meal toys, foie gras. These are just a few of the contemporary bans, of course. Today, The Takeaway looks at the biggest ban in American history – a ban that started in specific cities but spread nationwide. It lasted for over a decade, but eventually was struck down. This was a ban on alcohol.
Daniel Okrent is a journalist, the first public editor of The New York Times, and the author of the book “Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition.”