At 12:01 a.m., Jan. 17, 1920, America was cut off. Saloons closed their doors. Taps stopped flowing. People stockpiled their whiskey, beer and wine to weather the dry spell that would last 13 years.

Liquor, women and jazz -- that combination set the country on a tilt in 1920. In 1920 women were given the right to vote. A new form of music called jazz was sweeping through the country, capturing ...