The 1919 World series pitted the Chicago White Sox against the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago was the hands down favorite to win. But, Chicago lost the series five games to three, and it wasn’t until about a year later that baseball fans would be shocked with the truth. (1919 was a tough year for Chicago.) 
The Lager Beer Riot, April 21, 1855) was Chicago’s first instance of civil disobedience. Stemming from strong anti-immigrant sentiments, who were blamed for the escalating crime rate, Mayor Levi Boone raised liquor license fees and shortened their term from one year to three months. At the same time he enforced a 12-year-old “blue law,” which till then had been ignored, that required saloons to close on Sunday. The move was obviously aimed at the German and Irish population since Sunday was their only day off from work and hoisting a few was an old world tradition.
Have a cold one in honor of those who fought for the right! And, Go Cubs! (OK, Go Sox, too!)
1 comments:
it doesn't get any better than baseball and beer. 1855 beer riot... hmmm.. would be an interesting book from a political/socio economic perspective... could be a book like the one by Steven Puleo on the great Molasses flood of boston called Dark Tide... a great history of people, personalities and neighborhoods, all stemmed around one event.. good read
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