World’s Strangest Laws

An article in Times UK lists some of the world’s strangest laws. “Did you know it’s illegal in France to name a pig Napoleon?” I’m a little skeptical about some of these (for instance, No. 5 below misstates the law: it’s “pet guardians” not “pet minders” — yes, my book has a important subchapter on pet nannyism) but the list is fun nonetheless.

Incidentally, I believe No. 4 is wholly reasonable.

Here’s a rundown of the American weirdness:

20. In Alabama, it is illegal for a driver to be blindfolded while driving a vehicle.

19. In Ohio, it is against state law to get a fish drunk.

18. Royal Navy ships that enter the Port of London must provide a barrel of rum to the Constable of the Tower of London.

15. In Miami, Florida, it is illegal to skateboard in a police station.

9. In Florida, unmarried women who parachute on Sundays can be jailed.

8. In Kentucky, it is illegal to carry a concealed weapon more than six-feet long.

5. In Boulder, Colorado, it is illegal to kill a bird within the city limits and also to “own” a pet – the town’s citizens, legally speaking, are merely “pet minders”.

4. In Vermont, women must obtain written permission from their husbands to wear false teeth.