Here is the origin of 'Happy Hour'

WLS logo
Thursday, April 7, 2016
Happy hours have a long history that dates back to the early 1900s.
Nejron Photo/Shutterstock

Happy hour may be most commonly associated with grabbing drinks with friends, but the popular social event wasn't always about discounted beer and appetizers.





The term first became popular in early 1900s, when the Navy would hold weekly shows called "Happy Hours" to entertain sailors at sea, according to writes Peter Jensen Brown, a cultural history blogger.



When Prohibition rolled around in the 1920s, the term was then associated with alcohol, with people meeting at speakeasies to get a drink, according to Seattle Magazine. After Prohibition was lifted, "Happy Hours" began to look as they do today, with people gathering at bars and restaurants for a drink.

Copyright © 2024 WLS-TV. All Rights Reserved.