15 APRIL-31 OCTOBER 1980 MARIEL BOATLIFT The Cuban economy took a nosedive in the 1970s. Housing shortages and joblessness fueled popular dissent, yet Fidel Castro’s harsh restrictions on emigration appeared to condemn Cubans to a life of struggle. Faced with possible Read More
23 APRIL 1924 THE RUM WAR On 16 January 1920, the 18th Amendment enacting Prohibition became the law of the land. But the US Coast Guard, tasked with seaborne anti-smuggling duties, found herself unprepared. She could muster only 30 sea-going cutters Read More