Stupid Rules Of Older Days

[BrightStar]

This thread is for interesting stuff that is completely stupid yet true, back from the older days.

In some places, Children used to be punished if they made contact with children who had different eye colors. I.E- Brown Eyed people were not allowed to talk to Blue Eyed people.

If you had curly hair back in the colonial period, you were considered to either be a Witch, or to deal with Witches.

If you studied science, you could be hanged or arrested for WitchCraft.

In the colonies Tomatoes were considered poisonous and evil, because they were red.

People in the carolinas were not allowed to have pockets in the backs of their pants.

People in New York were not allowed to put a donkey or mule into a bathtub.

People in the Dakota's were not allowed to eat Chocolate Ice Cream on sunday if they were on a side walk, and StrawBerry Ice Cream on Tuesday.

There are lots of other stupid rules or stuff like that that exist , or have existed.

Feel free to contribute to them.

[gonesavage]

In some places, Children used to be punished if they made contact with children who had different eye colors. I.E- Brown Eyed people were not allowed to talk to Blue Eyed people.

I've never heard of this in any actual society, but it does remind me of a "power corrupts/racism" type experiemnt done by Jane Elliott.

If you had curly hair back in the colonial period, you were considered to either be a Witch, or to deal with Witches.

Here's a link to what happened in the Salem Witch trials. http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/proj...alem/salem.htm.
Have you read The Crucible?

[BrightStar]

I've never heard of this in any actual society, but it does remind me of a "power corrupts/racism" type experiemnt done by Jane Elliott.



Here's a link to what happened in the Salem Witch trials. http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/proj...alem/salem.htm.
Have you read The Crucible?

Yep, the people like those kinds back then aggravate me to no end! I hate when somebody tries to impose or oppress other people for doing what they want to, if they are not bothering people or hurting others,etc.

[Tequila Zaire]

Some of those are out there...any actual proof of them though? Like a link or something?

The oddest one I remember is the one behind the Sundae. You can find it on the net pretty easy "History of the Sundae" and what not. There are various tellings of it but this one is the most interesting.
Although Evanston is only one of a few cities that claim to be the city where the ice cream sundae originated, the history as it is known is an interesting one. Mr. Richard Lloyd Jones, former editor and publisher of the Tulsa Tribune, wrote the following version of the story:

"I grew up as a Chicago kid who did the things that most city boys do. I chased the fire engines all over Chicago and early was as much a patron of the soda foundations as my purse would permit. I remember when the sundae first appeared over the marble fountain counter and I remember the soda jerkers of that time relating the story of the origin which was something like this:
Evanston, Chicago's Godly neighbor, "Heavenston" as the good Frances E. Willard used to call it, was in those days at least rather Methodist minded. The piety of the town resented the dissipating influences of the soda fountain on Sunday and the good town fathers, yielding to this churchly influence, passed an ordinance prohibiting the retailing of ice cream sodas on Sunday.

Some ingenious confectioners and drug store operators, in "Heavenston," obeying the law, served ice cream with the syrup of your choice without the soda. Thereby complying with the law. They did not serve ice cream sodas. They served sodas without soda on Sunday. This sodaless soda was the Sunday soda. It proved palatable and popular and orders for Sundays began to cross the counters on Mondays.

Objections then was made to christening a dish after the Sabbath. So the spelling of "sunday" was changed. It became an established dish and an established word and finally the Heavenston "sundae" appeared even in Congregational Connecticut.

I do not vouch for this as being totally accurate history, but it is the history of the word which was common gossip in my boyhood at the time the "sunday" appeared at the soda counters which I patronised."

There are at least half a dozen communities in America that claim the Sundae as their own; another famous etymology traces the ice cream sundae to Ithaca, New York. But Evanstonians would like to believe the word belongs to them. The Evanston Review once wrote: "While Ithaca may have had the sundae as early as 1897, as the chamber[of commerce] there claims, it obviously got there by two means. Either some Northwestern student brought it home with him or a Cornell student from Evanston took it there."

[BrightStar]

Some of those are out there...any actual proof of them though? Like a link or something?

The oddest one I remember is the one behind the Sundae. You can find it on the net pretty easy "History of the Sundae" and what not. There are various tellings of it but this one is the most interesting.
Although Evanston is only one of a few cities that claim to be the city where the ice cream sundae originated, the history as it is known is an interesting one. Mr. Richard Lloyd Jones, former editor and publisher of the Tulsa Tribune, wrote the following version of the story:

"I grew up as a Chicago kid who did the things that most city boys do. I chased the fire engines all over Chicago and early was as much a patron of the soda foundations as my purse would permit. I remember when the sundae first appeared over the marble fountain counter and I remember the soda jerkers of that time relating the story of the origin which was something like this:
Evanston, Chicago's Godly neighbor, "Heavenston" as the good Frances E. Willard used to call it, was in those days at least rather Methodist minded. The piety of the town resented the dissipating influences of the soda fountain on Sunday and the good town fathers, yielding to this churchly influence, passed an ordinance prohibiting the retailing of ice cream sodas on Sunday.

Some ingenious confectioners and drug store operators, in "Heavenston," obeying the law, served ice cream with the syrup of your choice without the soda. Thereby complying with the law. They did not serve ice cream sodas. They served sodas without soda on Sunday. This sodaless soda was the Sunday soda. It proved palatable and popular and orders for Sundays began to cross the counters on Mondays.

Objections then was made to christening a dish after the Sabbath. So the spelling of "sunday" was changed. It became an established dish and an established word and finally the Heavenston "sundae" appeared even in Congregational Connecticut.

I do not vouch for this as being totally accurate history, but it is the history of the word which was common gossip in my boyhood at the time the "sunday" appeared at the soda counters which I patronised."

There are at least half a dozen communities in America that claim the Sundae as their own; another famous etymology traces the ice cream sundae to Ithaca, New York. But Evanstonians would like to believe the word belongs to them. The Evanston Review once wrote: "While Ithaca may have had the sundae as early as 1897, as the chamber[of commerce] there claims, it obviously got there by two means. Either some Northwestern student brought it home with him or a Cornell student from Evanston took it there."

I dont know if they are still there, but you will find those laws, and tons of other hilariously stupid laws in the records, if you check each state's law stuff.

The Mule in a bathtub law for example, was mainly applied to Brooklyn for some reason.

[CeruleanFire]

sounds like New England, ancient archaic laws, that when you find out about them are so ludicrous you laugh, but you still could be charged with them considering they are still on the books. Very Funny. Check out an old law library and have some good laughs.

[BrightStar]

sounds like New England, ancient archaic laws, that when you find out about them are so ludicrous you laugh, but you still could be charged with them considering they are still on the books. Very Funny. Check out an old law library and have some good laughs.

That is true, all those laws are still in effect in different places around the U.S.!

[vixta]

uk - until about 5 years ago, xmas pudding and mince pies were illegal

football is (as far as i know) still illegal

and as part of a brass eye show, an mp attempted to get Cake illegalised - despite being told it was 'a made up drug'. har har har

i think that is what you get for not having a constitution

[BrightStar]

Back in the middle ages, in several places,like Scotland due to the occupying forces, They had a law where the King or Lord of the area , as well as all of his men,soldiers, etc, were allowed to:

Force a Woman of the area they occupied to sleep with all of them, before she was allowed to sleep with her husband.

[Belladonna]

in az it's still illegal for 4 or more unrealted women to live in the same house. it's a bordello. so on campus you can have mens houses but not womens.

[BrightStar]

Back in the Colonial period, If you were a woman who went without a bonnet, in some towns, you could be arrested.