In 1914, the US Navy went dry … but not before it threw a party

[Tony]

British, French, German, Spanish and Dutch navies ringed the harbor surrounding the Mexican port of Veracruz in observation of America’s soon-to-be, short-lived occupation of the city-state.

The gathering marked one of the last peaceful interactions between the navies for half a decade. The date was June 30, 1914, and the sailors were getting blitzed, courtesy of Uncle Sam and his teetotaler secretary of the Navy, Josephus Daniels.