French law stipulates that to be called “Roquefort,” a cheese must come only from that village in France, but the name is used, imitated, and abused widely.
Gift giving is very important in Japan, but extravagant gifts require an equally or slightly more extravagant gift in return. Always avoid giving pricey gifts. It is polite to belittle the value of your gift or food when you offer it, even if it's obviously untrue.
Hailed as a wonder drug in the late nineteenth century, cocaine was outlawed in the United States in 1914.
Impotence is grounds for divorce in 24 states in the United States.
In 1388, English Parliament banned waste disposal in public waterways and ditches.
In 1497 in Scotland, the Declaration of the Education Act was passed, introducing compulsory schooling for all Scottish children.
In 1838, the city of Los Angeles passed an ordinance requiring that a man obtain a license before serenading a woman.
In 1860, the first pure food and drug act became law in Great Britain.
In 1932, Aldous Huxley's Brave New World was banned in Ireland.
In 1938, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the first minimum wage in the United States. The new law, considered controversial at the time, established a 25 cent-per-hour minimum wage and a maximum 44-hour work week for minors.
In 1996, Christmas caroling was banned at two major malls in Pensacola, Florida. Apparently, shoppers and merchants complained the carolers were too loud and took up too much space.
In Alaska, it is illegal to look at a moose from the window of an airplane or any other flying vehicle.
In ancient times, any Japanese who tried to leave his homeland was summarily put to death. In the 1630s, a decree in Japan forbade the building of any large ocean-worthy ships to deter defection.
In Atlanta, Georgia, it is illegal to tie a giraffe to a telephone pole or street lamp.
In Breton, Alabama, there is a law on the town's books against riding down the street in a motorboat.
In Britain, the law was changed in 1789 to make the method of execution hanging. Prior to that, burning was the modus operandi. The last female to be executed by burning in England was Christian Bowman. Her crime was making counterfeit coins.
In Canada, if a debt is higher than 25 cents, it is illegal to pay it with pennies.
Prior to the adoption of the Twelfth Amendment in 1804, the candidate who ran second in a presidential race automatically become vice president. Thomas Jefferson became John Adams' vice president in this way.
Private automobiles were forbidden on the island of Bermuda until 1948. This is one reason that there are still so many bicycles there.
Residential, economic, or educational qualification gave half a million Englishmen more than one vote in England in 1885. A university graduate who also owned a business in the City of London voted three times — once at his home, once for his university, and once in the City.
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