In Italy, a saying goes, “The world is beautiful because it’s full of variety,” even when that variety is just… plain weird.
Specifically, laws can be downright crazy. They’re meant to be a set of rules we all agree on because they just make sense, but sometimes things clearly get out of control. And we’re not just talking about weird laws in the US, despite them making up the majority of our list.
You’ll soon realize that making random things illegal is a worldwide habit. Like, who came up with a law forbidding people to ride a cow while drunk in Scotland? Or who’s that party pooper who made playing dominoes in Sevilla illegal? And these are just the tip of the “funny laws” iceberg you’re gonna uncover today.
We’re about to take a look at some of the weirdest laws from around the world that were actually passed by lawmakers. A lot of them are just plain funny, but others are so strange that we can’t even imagine how they came about.
And while some of these laws may have been long forgotten over time, they still stand as a testament to the fact that weirdness is alive and well in the world’s legal system — and that sometimes, it’s not even close to being dead.
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Canadian radio stations must play Canadian artists' music as a certain percentage of the total playtime.
According to a law in Scotland, you must allow someone into your house if he knocks on your door and needs to use the bathroom.
It is illegal under the terms of the Prohibition and Inspections to cause a nuclear explosion, U.K.
It is illegal for a pub to serve alcohol to a person who is visibly intoxicated in Australia.
In Milan, Italy, it is illegal for citizens to frown in public—unless they’re at a funeral or visiting someone in the hospital.
In Mexico, it is illegal for bicyclists to lift their feet off the pedals while riding as this might cause them to lose control of the bike.
It is illegal to order or permit any servant to stand on the sill of any window to clean or paint it, U.K.
A person riding an elevator must talk to no one and must fold his hands while looking at the door in New York.
Canada: It's illegal to remove a band-aid in public. Canada has also banned elephant rides at all of its accredited facilities - this one is recent. Toronto bylaw that prohibits dragging a dead horse down Yonge Street on Sundays. Edit: Source: https://www.slice.ca/35-weird-canadian-laws-you-didnt-know-existed-2/
Germany: It's forbidden to cross brigdes while marching in step. (It can cause bridges to swing and collapse)
Canada: It's illegal to remove a band-aid in public. Canada has also banned elephant rides at all of its accredited facilities - this one is recent. Toronto bylaw that prohibits dragging a dead horse down Yonge Street on Sundays. Edit: Source: https://www.slice.ca/35-weird-canadian-laws-you-didnt-know-existed-2/
Germany: It's forbidden to cross brigdes while marching in step. (It can cause bridges to swing and collapse)
