April 16, 778: On this day, Louis the Pious was born. From 813, Louis the Pious, also known as the Fair and the Debonaire, co-ruled the Roman Empire with his father, Charlemagne. He reigned as king of Aquitaine starting in 781. He succeeded his deceased father, Charlemagne, as the sole king of the Franks in 814. He retained this position until his death, except in the years 833–844, when he was removed from power. As the Rhine’s wine-growing region’s heir, Louis the Pious carried on his father’s work and actively promoted wine production at these monasteries. He was laid to rest at the Monastery of Lorsch, which at the time was a major center for wine production.

April 16, 1922: On this day, Manny Sullivan challenged his 1922 tax evasion conviction for operating a bootleg booze company in violation of the National Prohibition Act, which he was convicted of in 1922. “Manny” was Sullivan’s nickname. Sullivan appealed his conviction because submitting a tax return on the earnings of criminal operations violated his Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination. Sullivan claimed that the alcoholic drinks sent to Charleston, SC, were not his. Sullivan won his appeal in the Department of Justice’s Court of Appeals, which ruled that his illegally obtained money was subject to federal taxes. For this reason, he was protected by the Fifth Amendment, which forbids him from paying such taxes. Mabel Willebrandt, an Assistant US Attorney General, tasked with executing federal tax and prohibition laws, filed an appeal with the Supreme Court.

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