Home»Al Capone and the Prohibition Era

December 5th is Repeal Day, the anniversary of the end of Prohibition in 1933. This tumultuous time in Chicago history began in 1920, when the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol was banned in the United States. But Prohibition did not prove to be as successful in practice as it looked on paper. Bootleggers and speakeasies became popular, and organized crime and gangsters rose in infamy. The Era of Prohibition has a special place in Chicago's history, giving rise to gangsters like Al Capone, one of the most recognized symbols of the lawlessness defining Chicago during this time.