Breathalyzers in...wait, 1947? What?!

As kind readers celebrate--er, continue to celebrate--the 76th anniversary of Michigan's repeal of Prohibition, let's take a memorial sip for those unlucky 1947 Ypsilantians who encountered the city's first Breathalyzer. It's described in this May 9, 1947 article from the Ypsilanti Daily Press.

Pulled over by police, the tipplers had to concentrate long enough to blow up a balloon--kind of a built-in sobriety test. A meter measured the balloon-breath's alcohol content. The blood-alcohol limit in 1947 was .15--almost twice as high as today's limit of .08!

Note that the police post commandant is named Thor. If you want your kid to grow up to be a police post commandant, "Thor" is not a bad choice of name.

Except for the part that he's driving around town with a patrol car full of not lightning bolts but cheerful multicolored balloons. Ah well.