All right, I get it. Trust me. I really get it. It's January. Time to straighten up,

take a good look at ourselves, and fix what needs to be fixed. Now, for some of us, it's dry January,

and that means just for the month, switching from beer, wine, and liquor to sparkling water,

juice or soda. But not everybody's willing to give up the hooch, right?

It's nothing new. In America, prohibition kicked in in 1920. Lots of folks, including one very

prominent visitor to the U.S., found a way to get around those strict liquor laws. I'm Patty Steele.

Party on. Even using doctors' orders to get a stiff drink.

That's next on the backstory.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human.

The backstory is back. All right. On January 17th, 1920, when Prohibition shut down all the bars, saloons, and taverns across the United States,

the dries, as they were called, were ecstatic.

They thought that a lot of the problems in our society were rooted in booze.

Alcoholism, they said, led to fights, domestic violence,

family breakups, and what was called saloon-based political corruption. They saw it as a battle

for public morals and health. Progressives from all the big political parties, as well as the

Women's Temperance Union, pushed for the ban on booze of all types.

But as you can imagine, there were a bunch of people who decided they'd find a way around

prohibition, even if it was an illegal path or sketchy path at best.

In 1922, Winston Churchill, later the Prime Minister of Great Britain, came to the United

States to give some speeches. He was a super wealthy, aristocratic party boy, but he was also

building his political career. Now, the problem is, Winston, in addition to being a big cigar smoker,

love to drink. Records show he would start his day

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