Business & Economics

For nearly 50 years after the Civil War, the U.S. government ran almost entirely on 'sin taxes.' An incredible 90% of federal revenue came from levies on alcohol and tobacco, a system that only ended with the creation of the federal income tax in 1913.

In 1859, the Russian Empire was so dependent on vodka for over 40% of its revenue that it violently suppressed a massive popular temperance movement. This is the story of the state's 'drunken budget' and its shocking social consequences.

In 1912, the Society for the Prevention of Useless Giving (SPUG) fought against obligatory holiday gifts. Backed by prominent figures like Theodore Roosevelt, the 6,000-member group challenged the era's rampant consumerism and workplace gift pressure before fading away with the onset of WWI.