Claim Citation Readiness
Claim Count
2
Claim Fact-Check Status
Claims
Contributors
Date Precision
Exact day
Destination URL
Display Date
November 21, 1918
End Sort Year
1918
Era
Prohibition and Repeal
Event ID
73
Evidence Confidence
Strong
Featured?
Geography
United States
Historical Significance
Created a temporary federal prohibition regime during the transition to constitutional Prohibition.
Last Reviewed
September 2, 2026
Publication Status
Published
Record Type
Event
Research Notes
Do not describe this as the start of National Prohibition or imply that wartime policy alone caused the Eighteenth Amendment.
Scope
American Whiskey Core
Start Sort Year
1918
Summary
Congress enacted the Wartime Prohibition Act shortly after the Armistice, establishing temporary restrictions that would take effect in 1919.
Thematic Lanes
Law and TaxationBusiness and MarketsCulture and Consumption
Timeline Date
November 21, 1918
Evidence anchor
Federal Judicial Center, “Prohibition in the Federal Courts: Timeline,” fully reviewed and preserved.
Drafting guardrail
Separate enactment on November 21, 1918 from the restrictions’ June 30, 1919 effective date.