Millions of Americans celebrated the end of Prohibition in 1933 with a drink or two, but legally, Mississippians were supposed to hold out for a while longer – as in, another 88 years.
Obviously, many if not most Mississippi residents feel free to imbibe alcohol, and have for many years, but technically, it wasn't until Governor Tate Reeves signed a recent law that Prohibition officially ended throughout the entire state. That law went into effect on Jan. 1, 2021. Before then, it was up to local governments to declare alcohol legal – or not. As of the end of 2020, 29 out of the state's 82 counties remained "dry."
And even though the new law means that Mississippi is now OK with the sale of booze, county residents must still approve of it. For the record, Mississippi was the first state to ratify the 18th Amendment, which instituted Prohibition, and had already had a state law against the sale of alcohol in place since 1908.
More about Mississippi:
- The state of Mississippi is named after the Mississippi River, not the other way around.
- Mississippi has the most churches per capita in the United States, and it has more churchgoers on a regular basis than any other state.
- The African nation of Liberia was founded by slaves freed from Mississippi in 1834.
