After nearly 14 eventful years, Prohibition ended on this date in 1933, and Americans were able once again to legally drink alcoholic beverages. This marked the closing of an unusual chapter in American history, where an amendment to the Constitution was overturned by the subsequent amendment. The 18th amendment, banning nearly all sales and manufacture of alcohol, was ratified in 1919 and took effect in January 1920. The 21st Amendment ratified on this date voided the 18th. After the lifting of prohibition, by the end December of 1933, there were just 17 liquor stores in the entire country. But today, the number of liquor stores approaches 33,000. On average, Americans spent nearly $2,400 a year on alcoholic beverages. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at <http://www.census.gov>.
Saturday, December 6th. Ancient Egyptians kept careful records and markings of goods kept in royal warehouses more than 53 centuries ago. This pre-numerical recording means that the practice of accounting predates written language itself. After some 5,200 years of development and refinement of accounting practices, New York state followed with the establishment of the certified public accountant. In December 1896, certificate number one, the first in the country, went to Frank Broaker of New York City. Properly so, as he was instrumental in pushing the state to enact a CPA law. Today there are over 57,000 offices of CPAs, which record over $77 billion of annual business. Of the nearly 2 million accountants, over 60 percent are women. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at <www.census.gov>.
Sunday, December 7th. The nation’s telephone systems are humming with activity as holiday wishes by the millions criss-cross the country. It was much different in 1876, when there were all of three telephones in the country. But Alexander Graham Bell’s startup proved a keeper, and a decade later there were 167,000 phones in the U.S. By the 50th anniversary year of the phone’s invention, there were nearly 18 million phones in the country. In 1926, a three-minute call from one of those phones in New York to another in San Francisco carried the considerable charge of $11.30, the equivalent of almost $152 today. Now, 70 percent of households have landline phones, and 89 percent own cellphones, with lots of free long distance included in the many plans. You can find more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at <http://www.census.gov>.