Today, April 7 2008 marks the 75th anniversary of the enactment of the Cullen-Harrison Act. Although the Cullen-Harrison Act was not the end of prohibition, which would come in December of 1933 with the ratification of the Twenty First Amendment, it showed that the US had become fed up with prohibition and was ready for it's end.
The Eighteenth Amendment made the "manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors" illegal in the US, but did not define the term. The Cullen-Harrison Act changed the definition of "intoxicating liquors" from 0.5% alcohol by weight (the previous limit under the Volstead Act) to 3.2% alcohol by weight. This legalized weak beer througout the United States. It also began the tradition of weak, crappy American beer. Huzzah!
Another interesting footnote, the Twenty-First Amendment specifically permits state regulation of alcohol (Section 2). This is why dry counties, blue laws, etc can exist.
More info here.
Photo from Flickr user surfstyle used under Creative Commons license.
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