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Louisiana

Louisiana is the only state in the United States that does not have counties; instead, it is divided into 64 parishes.

Louisiana has the highest incarceration rate in the United States.

The state nickname, “The Pelican State,” is derived from the state bird, the brown pelican.

Louisiana is the birthplace of jazz music, with its origins in New Orleans.

Louisiana is home to the largest freshwater swamp in the United States, the Atchafalaya Basin.

The state’s official language is English, but many residents also speak French, Spanish, and Creole.

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Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. that has a system of civil law, which is based on the French and Spanish legal codes.

The Louisiana Purchase, in which the United States acquired the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803, nearly doubled the size of the United States at the time.

The state’s capital, Baton Rouge, is named after the French phrase for “red stick,” which refers to the red pole that marked the boundary between two Native American tribes.

Louisiana is home to the world’s longest bridge over water, the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway.

The Louisiana State Capitol building in Baton Rouge is the tallest capitol building in the United States, standing 450 feet (137 meters) tall.

The Louisiana Superdome, located in New Orleans, is the largest enclosed stadium in the world.

The city of Lafayette, Louisiana is known as the “Hub City” because of its location at the intersection of major highways and railways.

Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. that still has a legal system of napoleonic code.

Louisiana is the birthplace of zydeco music, a genre that blends Creole music with blues and rhythm and blues.

The Louisiana State University football team has won three national championships and has produced a number of NFL players.

Louisiana is home to the world’s largest population of American alligators.

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Kentucky

The first commercial oil well in the United States was drilled in Kentucky in 1818.

Kentucky is the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States.

Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky has the longest cave system in the world.

Kentucky has the world’s largest cave chamber, the “Mammoth Dome,” which is 192 feet high and 360 feet wide.

The Corvette, a popular American sports car, is produced in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

The first American performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony took place in Lexington, Kentucky in 1817.

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The state of Kentucky produces 95% of the world’s bourbon.

The Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory in Louisville produces more than 1.8 million baseball bats each year.

The famous American outlaw Jesse James was shot and killed in St. Joseph, Missouri, but he was born and raised in Kentucky.

Fort Knox, a United States Army post in Kentucky, is home to the United States Bullion Depository, which stores gold reserves.

The song “Happy Birthday to You” was written by two sisters from Kentucky, Mildred and Patty Hill.

The Kentucky State Fair, held annually in Louisville, is one of the oldest and largest state fairs in the United States.

The world’s largest outdoor go-kart track, Kart Kountry, is located in Shepherdsville, Kentucky.

The Kentucky Bourbon Trail is a popular tourist attraction that includes tours of distilleries and tastings of bourbon.

The Louisville Zoo is home to the largest indoor rainforest exhibit in the United States.

The town of Rabbit Hash, Kentucky, has elected a dog as its mayor for multiple terms.

The Kentucky State Police was the first statewide police force in the United States.

Muhammad Ali, one of the greatest boxers of all time, was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky.

In 1990, the town of London, Kentucky passed an ordinance declaring that anyone who attempted to steal someone else’s horse would face the death penalty.

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Kansas

Dodge City, Kansas was once known as the “Wickedest City in the West” due to its reputation for lawlessness.

Kansas is known as the “Sunflower State” because it produces over half of the world’s sunflowers.

The first woman mayor in the United States was Susan Madora Salter, who was elected in Argonia, Kansas in 1887.

The world’s largest ball of twine is located in Cawker City, Kansas.

In 2015, the town of Lucas, Kansas was declared the “Grassroots Art Capital of Kansas”.

The only World War I museum in the United States is located in Kansas City, Kansas.

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In 1959, Kansas became the first state to prohibit racial discrimination in public accommodations.

The world’s largest hand-dug well is located in Greensburg, Kansas and is 109 feet deep.

The first Pizza Hut restaurant was opened in Wichita, Kansas in 1958.

Kansas has an official state soil, called Harney silt loam.

The world’s first helicopter was invented and built by Igor Sikorsky in Wichita, Kansas in 1939.

Kansas is the flattest state in the United States.

The “Little House on the Prairie” books by Laura Ingalls Wilder are set in Kansas.

Kansas has the largest population of wild grouse in the United States.

The longest wheat field in the world is located in Kansas and stretches for over 150 miles.

The first woman to win an Olympic gold medal was Kansas native Margaret Abbott, who won the golf tournament in Paris in 1900.

The first African American to serve in the United States Senate, Hiram Revels, was a Kansas resident.

The first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, Amelia Earhart, was born in Atchison, Kansas in 1897.

The “Geographic Center of the Contiguous United States” is located in a small town called Belle Fourche, Kansas.

The “Leaning Tower of Kansas” is a 25-foot-tall tower in the town of Galesburg that leans at a 10-degree angle.

The town of Nicodemus, Kansas was founded in 1877 by African American settlers and is now a National Historic Site.

The world’s first electric guitar was invented and built in Wichita, Kansas by George Beauchamp in 1931.

The “OZ Museum” in Wamego, Kansas is dedicated to all things Wizard of Oz and includes artifacts and exhibits related to the classic movie.

The “Kansas Underground Salt Museum” in Hutchinson, Kansas is built inside an active salt mine and includes exhibits on the history of salt mining in the area.

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Indiana

In 2007, the town of Santa Claus, Indiana, passed a law making it illegal for anyone to impersonate Santa Claus.

The state’s official nickname is “The Hoosier State.” No one knows where that name came from or what it means.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home of the Indianapolis 500, is the largest spectator sporting facility in the world.

The town of Remington, Indiana, is home to the only two-story outhouse in the world.

Indiana is home to the world’s largest children’s museum, located in Indianapolis.

The town of French Lick, Indiana, was once a popular destination for mobsters like Al Capone and Frank Sinatra.

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The world’s largest collection of dental floss is located in Lebanon, Indiana.

In 2017, a 24-pound (10.8 kg) mushroom was discovered in the town of Orleans, Indiana.

Indiana was the site of a famous train robbery, possibly the first train robber in the United States, in 1866 by the Reno Gang, who stole $96,000 in cash and securities.

The world’s largest collection of circus memorabilia is located in Peru, Indiana.

In 1913, a man in Muncie, Indiana, invented the first electric blender.

The town of Peru, Indiana, is home to the world’s largest amateur circus.

The town of Greensburg, Indiana, is home to a tree growing out of the top of the courthouse.

The town of South Bend, Indiana, is home to the world’s largest chocolate factory.

The town of Jasper, Indiana, is home to the world’s largest furniture store.

The town of Knightstown, Indiana, is home to the world’s largest high school gymnasium.

The town of Crawfordsville, Indiana, is home to a museum dedicated to the history of buttons.

In 1988, a group of inmates in the Indiana State Prison created a fully functioning electric car.

In 1983, the town of Valparaiso, Indiana, became the first in the United States to ban smoking in all public buildings.

In 2014, the town of New Castle, Indiana, set a world record for the largest gathering of people wearing fake mustaches.

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United States From a European Perspective

How do Europeans view the United States?

Tipping culture: In the US, tipping is expected in many service industries, including restaurants, hairdressers, and taxis.

Personal space: Americans tend to have a larger personal space bubble than Europeans, and physical contact is less common in public.

Portion sizes: American food portions tend to be much larger than those in Europe.

Public restrooms: In the US, it is common to find large public restrooms with multiple stalls, whereas in Europe, individual or small shared restrooms are more prevalent.

Patriotism: Americans tend to show a lot of national pride and display the US flag frequently.

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Sales tax: In the US, sales tax is added on top of the advertised price, whereas in Europe, the advertised price includes tax.

Gun laws: The US has more lenient gun laws than many European countries.

Driving culture: In the US, driving is more common than public transportation, and many cities lack pedestrian infrastructure.

Customer service: American customer service tends to be very friendly and enthusiastic, sometimes to the point of seeming insincere or over-the-top.

College culture: US universities are often more sports-oriented and social than their European counterparts.

Healthcare system: The US healthcare system is primarily privatized and often expensive, unlike the publicly funded healthcare systems in many European countries.

Casual dress: Americans tend to dress more casually than Europeans in everyday situations.

Supermarkets: American supermarkets tend to be much larger than European ones, with a greater emphasis on pre-packaged and processed foods.

Time zones: The US spans multiple time zones, making travel and communication across the country more challenging.

Electoral system: The US electoral system, including the use of an electoral college, can seem confusing and outdated to Europeans.

Flags: Americans often display the US flag on their homes, cars, and clothing.

Work culture: Americans work longer hours and take fewer vacations than their European counterparts.

Obesity rates: The US has higher obesity rates than many European countries.

Air conditioning: American buildings and homes are often heavily air-conditioned, even in mild weather.

Measurement system: The US uses the imperial system of measurement, which can be confusing for Europeans.

Diversity: The US is a melting pot of different cultures and ethnicities, which can be both fascinating and overwhelming to Europeans.

Religion: Religion plays a more prominent role in American culture than it does in many European countries.

Advertising: American advertising is often more aggressive and in-your-face than European advertising.

Political correctness: The US is more politically correct than many European countries, with a greater emphasis on inclusive language.

Plastic surgery: Cosmetic surgery is more common in the US than in many European countries.

Personal freedoms: Americans place a strong emphasis on personal freedoms, including the right to bear arms and freedom of speech.

Flags at half-mast: Americans often display flags at half-mast to mourn national tragedies, which may seem strange to Europeans.

Road trips: The US is a popular destination for road trips, with many scenic drives and long stretches of highway.

Public transportation: Public transportation in the US is often limited and underdeveloped compared to many European countries.

Advertising for prescription drugs: It is legal in the US to advertise prescription drugs directly to consumers, which is not allowed in many European countries.

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Illinois

Illinois is the largest producer of pumpkins in the United States.

In Mount Pulaski, Illinois, it is illegal for boys to hurl snowballs at trees.

The world’s largest bottle of catsup (ketchup) was made in Collinsville, Illinois.

The city of Metropolis, Illinois, is the official home of Superman.

In Evanston, Illinois, it is illegal to change clothes in an automobile with the curtains drawn, unless the car is parked in a garage.

The world’s first skyscraper, the Home Insurance Building, was built in Chicago in 1885.

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Illinois has more units of government than any other state in the United States.

The world’s first McDonald’s restaurant opened in Des Plaines, Illinois.

In the town of Casey, Illinois, there are eight giant objects including a rocking chair, a wind chime, and a pitchfork.

The Chicago River is the only river in the world that flows backward.

The Chicago Water Tower is one of the few buildings to survive the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.

The Willis Tower in Chicago was once the tallest building in the world.

The oldest continually running hotel in the United States is the Beall Mansion in Alton, Illinois.

The Illinois state motto is “State Sovereignty, National Union.”

Illinois is the birthplace of former U.S. Presidents Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, and Barack Obama.

The first public zoo in the United States opened in Lincoln Park, Chicago.

The official state dance of Illinois is the square dance.

The world’s largest collection of books is located at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The city of Moline, Illinois, is home to the John Deere Pavilion, a museum dedicated to farming equipment.

The Chicago Cubs baseball team has not won a World Series since 1908.

The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois, has a collection of over 12 million items.

The world’s largest collection of pencils is located in Hinsdale, Illinois.

The world’s largest rubber band ball is located in Lauderhill, Illinois.

In Evanston, Illinois, it is illegal to throw snowballs at someone’s property.

The town of Normal, Illinois, was named after the Illinois State Normal University, which trained teachers.

In Willowbrook, Illinois, it is illegal to disturb “any congregation or assembly of persons met for religious worship.”

In Galesburg, Illinois, it is illegal to burn bird feathers in public.

The town of Henry, Illinois, has a statue of a two-headed calf.

In University Park, Illinois, it is illegal to gamble.

In Illinois, it is illegal to hunt whales.

In Chicago, it is illegal to fish while sitting on a giraffe’s neck.

The Illinois state snack is popcorn.

The town of Ashmore, Illinois, has a museum dedicated to brooms.

In Peoria, Illinois, it is illegal to give a lighted cigar to a pet.

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Florida

Key West, Florida is closer to Cuba than to Miami.

In 2015, a Florida man was arrested for throwing a live alligator through a drive-thru window at a fast food restaurant.

In Florida, it is illegal to shower naked.

Florida has the highest population of alligators in the United States.

The Florida Everglades is the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles coexist in the wild.

Florida has the highest lightning strike rate in the US.

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The University of Florida’s mascot, Albert the Alligator, is based on a real alligator that was captured in Lake Alice on campus in 1957.

In 1982, the first and only legal duel was fought in Florida. It was fought with water pistols.

The town of Cassadaga, Florida is known as the “Psychic Capital of the World” and is home to a large community of psychics and mediums.

Florida has more toll roads than any other state in the US.

The world’s largest collection of Salvador Dali’s work can be found in St. Petersburg, Florida.

There is a bridge in Florida that is only one lane wide and swings open to allow boats to pass.

In 2007, a woman in Florida was arrested for riding a manatee.

In 1985, a man in Florida named Carl Tanzler was found living with the corpse of a woman he had been obsessed with for years.

In Miami, it is illegal to imitate an animal.

Florida has the highest number of people who are bitten by sharks in the US.

The Florida Keys are home to the only living coral barrier reef in North America.

The town of Christmas, Florida celebrates Christmas year-round.

In 2018, a woman in Florida was arrested for throwing a bucket of human feces at her landlord.

Florida has more golf courses than any other state in the US.

In 1967, a group of young men from Florida tried to start their own country called the Conch Republic.

The town of Weeki Wachee, Florida is home to a mermaid show that has been running since 1947.

Florida is the flattest state in the US.

The world’s largest coconut can be found in Sarasota, Florida.

In 1989, a man in Florida named Bob Love set a world record by riding a rollercoaster for 365 hours.

The town of Seaside, Florida was used as the setting for the movie “The Truman Show”.

Florida is the only state in the US that has two rivers with the same name – the Withlacoochee River.

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Delaware

The state of Delaware was named after the Delaware River, which was named after Lord De La Warr, the governor of Virginia from 1610 to 1618.

It is illegal to wear pants that are “form-fitting” in Delaware on Sundays.

Delaware is the only state in the United States without any national parks.

The population of Delaware is 1.003 million, as of census results in 2021.

Delaware has the highest percentage of Catholics of any state in the U.S.

Delaware is the second smallest state by land area in the U.S., but the sixth most densely populated.

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Delaware has the lowest mean elevation of any state in the U.S.

Rehoboth Beach, Delaware is known as the “Nation’s Summer Capital” due to the high number of visitors it receives during the summer months.

Delaware is home to the first Swedish and Finnish settlements in North America.

The first steam locomotive to be built in the United States was built in Delaware in 1831.

Delaware has the highest percentage of credit card holders of any state in the U.S.

The first log cabins in the United States were built in Delaware by Swedish settlers.

Delaware was the first state to ratify the United States Constitution, earning it the nickname “The First State.”

Delaware has no sales tax.

The Wilmington Blue Rocks minor league baseball team is named after a type of blue granite that is native to the area.

The world’s largest frying pan, weighing over 1 ton, is located in Delaware.

Delaware has a law that prohibits people from pretending to sleep on a bench on the boardwalk in Rehoboth Beach.

The first transgender mayor in the United States was elected in Delaware in 2017.

Delaware is home to the largest horseshoe crab population in the world.

The University of Delaware is the only university in the United States with a live mascot that is a bird of prey, a Peregrine Falcon named YoUDee.

Delaware was the first state to offer slot machines in casinos.

Delaware has the highest percentage of people who walk or bike to work of any state in the U.S.

The world’s largest banana split was made in Wilmington, Delaware, in 1988.

Delaware has more scientists and engineers per capita than any other state in the U.S.

The Delaware State Fair is the oldest continuously operating state fair in the United States.

Delaware has the highest percentage of home ownership of any state in the U.S.

The state of Delaware has a high number of shipwrecks due to its rocky coastline and history as a major port city.

The first state-run lottery in the United States was introduced in Delaware in 1975.

The state of Delaware has a high number of chemical plants and is known as the “Chemical Capital of the World.”

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Connecticut

Connecticut has the highest per capita income in the United States.

Connecticut has the highest percentage of people who walk to work in the US.

The state insect of Connecticut is the praying mantis.

The first speed limit law in the US was passed in Connecticut in 1901.

Connecticut is the third smallest state in the US by land area.

It is nicknamed “The Constitution State” because it is believed to have had the first written constitution in history.

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The first lollipop-making machine was invented in New Haven, Connecticut in 1908.

In the early 20th century, Hartford, Connecticut was known as the “Insurance Capital of the World” because many of the world’s largest insurance companies were headquartered there.

The first American cookbook, “American Cookery,” was written by Connecticut native Amelia Simmons in 1796.

The world’s first submarine was built in Connecticut in 1775 by David Bushnell.

Connecticut has the oldest continuously operating newspaper in the US, The Hartford Courant, which was established in 1764.

The town of New Haven, Connecticut is home to the first hamburger, which was created in 1900 by Louis’ Lunch.

Connecticut was the first state to issue license plates for cars in 1901.

The Nutmeg State is Connecticut’s official nickname, due to the state’s history of trading nutmegs.

The Mystic Seaport Museum in Connecticut is the largest maritime museum in the world.

Connecticut has a state hero, Nathan Hale, who was a spy for the Continental Army during the American Revolution.

The first artificial heart was implanted in Connecticut in 1982.

Connecticut is the only state in the US to have an elected state attorney general.

The town of New Canaan, Connecticut has the highest median income in the US.

Connecticut has more than 3,000 miles of hiking trails.

The first telephone book was issued in New Haven, Connecticut in 1878.

The oldest public library in the US, the Scoville Memorial Library, is located in Connecticut.

Connecticut is the birthplace of many famous people, including Katherine Hepburn, Mark Twain, and Noah Webster.

The state tree of Connecticut is the white oak.

The oldest continuously operating amusement park in the US, Lake Compounce, is located in Connecticut.

The town of Essex, Connecticut is home to the world’s largest gathering of steamboats.

The Mystic Pizza restaurant in Mystic, Connecticut was the inspiration for the 1988 movie “Mystic Pizza” starring Julia Roberts.

Connecticut was one of the 13 original colonies of the US.

Connecticut is home to the first publicly funded park in the US, Bushnell Park in Hartford.

The state bird of Connecticut is the American robin.

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Arkansas

Arkansas has over 600,000 acres of lakes and 9,700 miles of rivers and streams.

The state is home to the world’s largest diamond mine, the Crater of Diamonds State Park.

The first Walmart store opened in Rogers, Arkansas in 1962 and in Bentonville, Arkansas, there is a museum dedicated to the history of Walmart.

The state’s nickname is “The Natural State”.

In Arkansas, it’s illegal to mispronounce the state’s name.

In the town of Gurdon, Arkansas, there is a yearly “Gurdon Light” festival to celebrate an unexplained phenomenon of a strange light that appears in the woods.

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In Texarkana, Arkansas, there is a courthouse that straddles the state line between Arkansas and Texas.

Arkansas is the only state in the US where all three types of rocks – igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic – can be found.

In the town of Damascus, Arkansas, there is a yearly festival that features a “Toad Suck” contest, where participants suck up toads and measure how far they can spit them.

Arkansas has a law that makes it illegal to honk your horn at a sandwich shop after 9 PM.

The town of Lake Village, Arkansas, is home to a watermelon festival that features a watermelon seed-spitting contest.

In Arkansas, it is illegal to keep a bear as a pet.

Texarkana is a city that is in both Arkansas and Texas, straddling the border.

The state is home to the world’s largest statue of a watermelon, located in Hope, Arkansas.

Arkansas has the highest percentage of people who walk to work in the United States.

Arkansas is the only state in the U.S. that produces diamonds commercially.

The town of Dardanelle is home to a “Yell Fest” every year, where people compete to see who can yell the loudest.

The town of Mena, Arkansas is home to the “Iron Mountain Festival,” where participants compete in events like an axe-throwing contest and a beard-growing contest.

The town of McGehee is home to the “Great Arkansas Championship Outhouse Races,” where teams compete to see who can push an outhouse on wheels the fastest.

The town of DeQueen is home to the “Rattlesnake Ridge Run,” a 10K race that takes runners through rattlesnake-infested woods.

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Silly Laws

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The Worst Of Everything

In Switzerland, it is illegal for men to urinate in a standing position after 10pm.

In Mount Pulaski, Illinois, it is illegal for boys to hurl snowballs at trees.

In Harper Woods, Michigan, it is against the law to paint a sparrow and claim it’s a parakeet.

In Evanston, Illinois, it is illegal to change clothes in an automobile with the curtains drawn, unless the car is parked in a garage.

If you live in Kentucky, you must take a bath at least once per year. It’s the law.

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Cleveland, Ohio once banned women from wearing patent leather shoes, fearing men could see reflections of their undergarments.

In Massachusetts you can’t legally use tomatoes in clam chowder.

It is illegal to wear pants that are ‘form-fitting’ on Sundays in Delaware.

In Idaho, it’s illegal to fish while riding a camel.

You may not legally own a pair of pliers if you live in Texas.

In Galesburg, Illinois, it is illegal to burn bird feathers in public.

In Memphis, Tennessee, a woman cannot legally drive unless there is a man running on foot ahead of her car with a red flag to warn motorists that a woman is driving. Like many of these laws, this one is seldom enforced.

You are violating the law if you mispronounce the name of Arkansas.

In Alabama, it is illegal to wear a fake mustache in church that causes laughter.

In Illinois, a state far removed from any oceans, it is illegal to hunt whales.

In New York City, it is illegal to greet anyone “by placing the end of his thumb against the tip of his nose, at the same time extending and wriggling the fingers of his hand.”

Don’t wiggle while dancing. That’s illegal in California.

In Texas when two trains meet at a crossing “neither shall proceed until the other has gone.”

In the city of Athens, Alabama, it is illegal to walk down the street with an ice cream cone in your back pocket.

In Florida, you can legally fart until 6pm.

Vibrators cannot legally be sold in the American states of Mississippi and Alabama.

In Alabama, it is illegal to flick a booger into the wind.

If you should choose to have sex with a porcupine in Florida, you should be aware that you’re breaking the law.

It Swaziland, Women should be very careful about wearing pants in public. Members of the military are allowed to tear the woman’s pants off.

If you happen to own a bar in Oklahoma, watch out for people pretending to have sexual intercourse with a buffalo. If you allow that, you are breaking the law.

In Utah, you may not legally have sexual intercourse in an ambulance while it is on its way to an emergency.

In Ohio, no more than five women can live in one house. (Because it would then be assumed to be a house of prostitution.)

According to the law in Indonesia, the punishment for masturbating is decapitation. This law is seldom enforced.

In Chicago, it is illegal to fish while sitting on a giraffe’s neck.

In Alabama, it is illegal to drive a vehicle while blindfolded.

When Peter the Great, who couldn’t grow a respectable beard, was in power, any Russian who had a beard was required to pay a beard tax.

During the 1920’s there was a law in Russia that all private automobiles (not ones used by the government) had to have a yellow stripe painted all the way around the whole body.

There is an actual court case on record named: “The United States v. 350 Cartons of Canned Sardines.” It has something to do with interstate commerce.

In Illinois, prison inmates were offered free plastic surgery to change their faces. Of those who elected to become “new men” their rate of committing new crimes after release was less than average.

In Kansas it is legal to round off pi from somewhere around 3.14159265 to 3.0.

It was illegal to teach evolution in Tennessee until 1968.

There is a man whose official name has been legally changed to Mr. 1069.

In Peoria, Illinois, it is illegal to give a lighted cigar to a pet.

According to one source, in Idaho it is illegal to give your lover a box of candy smaller than fifty pounds in weight. Another source stated that it is illegal to give any other citizen a box of candy weighing more than 50 pounds. In any case, the giving of huge quantities of candy is regulated in Idaho.

There is a law against shooting rabbits from a New York City trolley car.

In Chaseville, New York, you may not “drive a goat past a church in a ridiculous fashion.”

In New York City is a special court that hears about 400 complaints per day against taxi drivers. Since the cabbies in the Big Apple carry approximately 400,000 people per day, that means about one in every thousand passengers feels the need to bring a complaint against a driver. Overheard in court recently: A cab driver who had recently immigrated from Pakistan was in court because he punched a passenger. Asked why, the driver said, “In my country women aren’t allowed to speak disrespectfully to a man.” Many cabbies do not like this court because they have to waste hours waiting for their case to come up. In one case, a professor from Columbia University took a cab driver to court because he had made a face when he discovered the tip was a small one.

The U.S. Navy will not accept anyone with an obscene tattoo.

All gondolas must be black in Venice. Only government officials are allowed fancy colors.

In Oklahoma, it’s illegal for a baseball player to hit the ball out of the park.

Do not burn “offal” or bones, or grow ragweed in New York City. These are legal offenses.

It is illegal in Arizona to hunt camels.

The following are bits excerpted from a book, itself almost one hundred years old:

THE FAMOUS CONNECTICUT BLUE LAWS. – These laws, enacted by the people of the “Dominion of New Haven,” became known as the blue laws because they were printed on blue paper. They were as follows: –

The governor and magistrates convened in general assembly are the supreme power, under God, of the independent dominion. From the determination of the assembly no appeal shall be made.

No one shall be a freeman or have a vote unless he is converted and a member of one of the churches allowed in the dominion.

Each freeman shall swear by the blessed God to bear true allegiance to this dominion and that Jesus is the only king.

No dissenter from the essential worship of this dominion shall be allowed to give a vote for electing of magistrates or any officer.

No food or lodging shall be offered to a heretic.

No one shall cross a river on the Sabbath but authorized clergymen.

No one shall travel, cook victuals, make beds, sweep houses, cut hair, or shave on the Sabbath Day.

No one shall kiss his or her children on the Sabbath or feasting days.

The Sabbath Day shall begin at sunset Saturday.

Whoever wears clothes trimmed with gold, silver, or bone lace above one shilling per yard shall be presented by the grand jurors and the selectmen shall tax the estate L300.

Whoever brings cards or dice into the dominion shall pay a fine of L5.

No one shall eat mince pies, dance, play cards, or play any instrument of music except the drum, trumpet, or jews harp.

No gospel minister shall join people in marriage. The magistrate may join them, as he may do it with less scandal to Christ’s church.

When parents refuse their children convenient marriages, the magistrate shall determine the point.

A man who strikes his wife shall be fined ten pounds.

A woman who strikes her husband shall be punished as the law directs.

No man shall court a maid in person or by letter without obtaining the consent of her parents; L5 penalty for the first offense; L10 for the second, and for the third imprisonment during the pleasure of the court.

MASSACHUSETTS BLUE-LAWS. – In regard to the so-called “blue-laws” of Massachusetts it is difficult to determine just where the line between fact and fancy is to be drawn. It is claimed that the founders of Connecticut borrowed most of their laws and judicial proceedings from Massachusetts. Many of these laws were enacted previous to 1640, and a number were the orders and sentences of the Massachusetts Court of Assistants and General Court. For instance, one order we find is as follows: “It is ordered, that all Rich. Clough’s strong water shall presently be seazed upon, for his selling greate quantytie thereof to several men servants, which was the occasion of much disorder, drunkeness, and misdemeanor.

Another record, in March 1631, is to the effect that “Nieh. Knopp is fyned 5L for takeing upon him to cure the scurvey, by a water of noe worth nor value, which he solde at a very deare rate, to be imprisoned till hee pay his fine or give securitye for it, or else to be whipped; and shall be lyable to any man’s action of whome he hath received money for the said water.

In September 1636: Robert Shorthose, for swearing by the bloud of God, was sentenced to have his tongue put into a cleft stick, and to stand so by the space of haulfe an houre. – from The Century Book of Facts, 1900

When Marquis de Pelier whistled at Queen Marie Antoinette, he was promptly thrown in jail and kept there for fifty years.

Four hundred years ago in Turkey drinking coffee was illegal. The sentence: death.

Anyone caught drunk in public in ancient China was put to death.

In 1871, James MacAndrew was the Chief Executive of Otago, New Zealand. He was ordered to go to debtors’ prison. So, he declared a law that his home was a prison.

Very important for those who live in Los Angeles: If you herd more than 2,000 sheep along Hollywood Blvd, you’re breaking the law. And, while you’re at it, don’t drive your car along Hollywood Blvd. more than twice in four hours. That, too, is illegal.

Do not stick your finger in the nose of a cow, unless you are willing to violate one of the rules of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.

In Saudi Arabia it has been against the law to play music until recently.

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Robocalls

Last year, Americans received 47.8 billion robocalls, averaging 146 calls per man, woman and child. One person who was probably the victim of a software bug, received 117 robocalls in a single day.

According to Congressman Greg Walden, “This year, nearly half the calls made to cell phones in the U.S. will be spam. These calls are more than just a pesky annoyance. Robocalls perpetuate fraud, threaten personal privacy, infiltrate our health care system, and undermine our communications system.”

Legally, robocalls can target only business phones, but that doesn’t seem to stop anyone.



Rep Greg Walden

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Ridges on Coins

What is the purpose of the ridges on the edges of coins? Without ridges, it is possible to scrape some shavings of metal off coins without being obvious. In the days when coins were made of silver or gold, a person could otherwise have made a good but illegal living from shaving coins and selling the precious metal.

Public domain via Wikimedia Commons