Hi I'm John Green, welcome to my Salon, this is mental_floss on YouTube and 1. In 2009,
it became illegal for groups, such as neighborhood associations, in the State of Vermont to ban clotheslines
is the first of 50 surprisingly illegal things that can get you arrested in the United States.
2. Wisconsin has a law that you cannot "propel any stone, brick, or other missile at any
railroad train." I think this means that you can technically drop a brick onto a railroad
train, although no one has tested the law.
3. In Arizona, you can not manufacture or distribute "imitation controlled substances."
Which I guess is why they don't film Breaking Bad there.
4. Virginia is currently trying to get rid of a law that makes it illegal for unmarried
couples to cohabitate.
5. In Washington DC, it is illegal to surf or water ski under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Which surprises
me because...you can surf in Washington, D.C.
6. Blasphemy laws used to be very common in the US but there are still some in existence.
Including in Michigan where cursing God is a *@&# misdemeanor.
7. Allowing dogs to pursue big game mammals, such as bears or bobcats, is illegal in California.
We were surprised to learn that this was an issue, because our office dog runs away from
squirrels--although to be fair, they are larger than her.
8. In Alaska, the only time it is illegal for a business to sell alcohol is between
5am and 8am. Which is unfortunate for parents of infants...because that's our primary party
time.
9. Bad news for Damon Salvatore and Mike Tyson, boxing in Utah cannot contain any biting.
10. It's against to law to swear at players or officials during sporting events in Massachusetts,
so I guess at the end of every Red Sox game, 37,000 people are taken into custody.
11. In New Hampshire, it is illegal to check into a hotel using a false name. So if Justin
Bieber tours in New Hampshire, Beliebers, YOU CAN GET HIM. I mention that because we
have a huge Belieber audience here at mental_floss...they'll be vocal in the comments.
12. And speaking of false identities, at public places in Alabama you cannot pretend to be
a minister, nun, priest, or rabbi if you are not one, thereby making productions of The
Sound of Music technically illegal. I mean, unless the nuns are played by nuns.
13. In Aspen, Colorado, you're not allowed to throw snowballs OR missiles. What do people
do for fun there?
14. Texan officials aren't allowed to be "excluded from holding office on account of his religious
sentiments, provided he acknowledge the existence of a Supreme Being." So I guess women can
be atheists...just kidding, they can't vote.
15. Picking up seaweed off the beach at night is illegal in New Hampshire. But only at night...
Oh New Hampshire, that's not what people do on the beach at night.
16. Bingo games can't last more than five hours in North Carolina. Which is great news
if, like me, you get bored of Bingo after about 4 minutes.
17. Here in my home state of Indiana, you're not allowed to sniff glue "with intent to
cause a condition of intoxication, euphoria, excitement, exhilaration, stupefaction, or
dulling of the senses." So if you're doing it for other reasons, that's fine.
18. Adultery is still a crime in New York. Spitzer. Giuliani. Weiner. Paterson. FDR.
Can we just pause, by the way, to acknowledge that one of FDR's mistresses was named Missy
LeHand? Thank you.
19. Rhode Island has a law against biting off the limbs of another person. It's a shame
you have to regulate such things but I guess it will be good for when the zombies come...
20. Floridians are prohibited from salting railroad tracks "for the purpose of attracting
cattle thereto."
21. The Gateway Sexual Behavior Law in Tennessee prevents teachers from even talking about
handholding to students.
22. You can't sell your eye in Texas. And they say they're all about freedom.
23. In South Carolina, dance halls are not allowed to be within a quarter of a mile of
a rural church or cemetery.
24. South Carolina also requires their dance halls to be closed on Sundays. It's almost
like they don't like dancing.
25. In 1974, Florida passed a law allowing the state to ban alcohol sales during hurricanes.
26. Similarly, Utah doesn't allow the sale of alcohol during emergencies, which is tragic,
because that's when you need it most.
I mean the only way I know how to start a fire is to open up my copy of Eugenia Price's
(not Porter) Beauty from Ashes, pull out the Jack Daniels, and get that fire started. I
just want to point out that my copy of Beauty from Ashes features a quote from Isaiah, "to
give unto them beauty from ashes, the oil of joy for mourning"...and then the booze.
27. You're not allowed to "mutilate, deface, disfigure or injure" rocks in Colorado state
parks. That's pretty granola, I mean, the next thing you know they'll legalize weed
or something...what? Really?
28. In Washington, you are not allowed to use x-ray equipment for shoe fittings. Don't
worry Dorothy, they fit.
29. Connecticut just repealed a law that prevented people from keeping town records where liquor
was sold.
30. In Wyoming, fishing may not involve "a firearm of any kind or nature." You literally
cannot shoot fish in a barrel.
31. Playing an R-rated movie at a drive in theater is illegal in Delaware....even a really
great one like Sex and the City 2. Meredith, did you write that joke? I can tell.
32. Attempting to "corrupt the public morals" makes you guilty of a misdemeanor in Florida.
So I assume Ke$ha is banned for life. By the way, is it Keesha or Kesha? I never know how
to pronounce the dollar sign.
33. You can't live on a boat for more than 30 days during a calendar year in the State
of Georgia. Thanks to Carnival Cruises, I'm not interested.
34. Southington, CT banned silly string in 1996.
35. If someone is under 21 in Illinois, but participating in a culinary arts program,
they are permitted to drink alcohol.
36. Damaging a vending machine is illegal in Derby, Kansas. Even if you're really
frustrated because you paid for those Cool Ranch Doritos, and you desperately need those
Cool Ranch Doritos and...GIMME MY DORITOS!
37. In Wisconsin, "no person may require an individual to undergo the implanting of a
microchip." ONLY IN WISCONSIN?
38. Billboards are illegal in Hawaii. Which explains why my favorite Mary-Kate and Ashley
Olsen movie, Billboard Dad, does NOT take place in Hawaii.
39. Street photographers aren't allowed to stay at one place for more than five minutes
to take pictures in Washington DC. Why don't we make that the law everywhere, paparazzi?
40. Hypnotizing people is illegal in Everett, Washington.
41. Enfield, New Hampshire prohibits hunting in cemeteries. How else are you going to fight
off the zombie apocalypse?
42. People with STDs are not allowed to get married in Nebraska.
43. Tanning facilities in Iowa must come with a warning sign. Are they exempt if they post
a picture of Snooki? No? That law could use some amending.
44. Doors to public buildings in Florida must open outward, and yet having grown up there
I still never knew whether to push or pull.
45. Reno, Nevada doesn't allow people to lie down on sidewalks. To which I say, what is
the point of my coming to your town, staying up all night while gambling away my life savings
and marrying a hooker, if I cannot then rest for a while on your sun-baked sidewalks?
46. It is illegal to "cause a CATastrophe" in Utah.
47. Enticing or persuading teenagers to buy alcohol in Tennessee is illegal. Because they
need so much persuasion...
48. You can be fined in Oregon for leaving your car door open for too long.
49. Oregon also has a law preventing improper disposal of human waste while you're on the
road. So I'm glad I didn't set my novel Paper Towns there.
50. And lastly, it is illegal to be drunk on a train in Michigan but once that train
enters Ohio, shots for everybody.
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