"I'LL DRINK TO THAT!" and other paved roads to Hell _ Thoughts of Jan. 16th

 

On this date in 1919, the 18th amendment, which established prohibition, was passed in the US Constitution.

Prohibition made the Mob acceptable by creating a huge demand for illegal alcohol, 

which provided gangsters with the opportunity to make enormous profits. 

This led to the rise of organized crime in the United States.

Prohibition ended in 1933 with the ratification of the 21st Amendment. 

However, the Mafia continued to grow and expand into other rackets,

 such as loan sharking, prostitution, and gambling.

 

In 27 B.C. on this date, the Roman Senate granted the title of Augustus to Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus,

 marking the beginning of the Roman Empire

and the Pax Romana --

the fist of steel in a velvet glove.

On this date in 1547, Ivan the Terrible, became Tsar of Russia.

And he was a piece of work -- check the above video.

In 1991, the Persian Gulf War began on this date.

Many "Monday Morning Quarterbacks"

argue that the war was primarily motivated by securing oil interests

 and did not adequately address the underlying causes of conflict in the region. 

Stalin once said, "A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic."

On that note,

On this date, Bill Cosby's only son, Ennis, was murdered in 1997 while fixing a flat on Interstate 47.

And to end with a bit of beauty ...

Kate Moss was born on this date in 1997.

But there is sadness to her fame, too.