Does That Pickle Bounce?: Bizarre Laws and Where to Find Them
At the turn of the new year, a new law was passed in the state of Oregon allowing motorists in rural counties to pump their own gas. A few outraged social media posts regarding the law went viral and a new meme was born.
However, Oregon is not the only state that has passed strange laws. These are a few of the more bizarre laws still in place today.
Did you know that in Nevada, it is illegal to use x-rays to determine someone’s shoe size? This one has a logical explanation behind it, though. From approximately 1920 to 1970, a device known as a shoe-fitting fluoroscope was used to determine shoe size. However, the device also exposed many people, including children, to dangerous levels of radiation. Personally, we prefer the small metal foot molds used nowadays.
In Bensalem, Pennsylvania, a convicted felon may not vote, join the military, or… operate a bingo game? That’s right. In 1989, the city council decided that felons from any state would earn a first degree misdemeanor by hosting a bingo game.
Vermont feels very passionately about their clotheslines! The state legislator banned laws banning clotheslines. This came about due to a movement known as “Right to Dry.” “Right to Dry” fights homeowners’ associations (HOA) to protect the rights of homeowners. Missouri does not have the right to dry, though, so check with the HOA before you decide to hang a clothesline in your backyard!
Virginia wants to ruin the fun of Halloween for teenagers. Across the state in many different cities, trick-or-treating is banned for teens over the age of 12, or 14 in some cases. In other cities, trick-or-treating ends at only 8:00 p.m. for the safety of the children under the age of 12. There may be safety reasons for both of these restrictions, but teenagers want to trick-or-treat too!
Connecticut holds the title for strangest law by a landslide, though. Since 1948, a pickle cannot legally be considered a pickle unless it bounces! This obscure set of ordinances, statutes, articles, and regulations governing pickles comes from a 1948 case in which Sidney Sparer and Moses Dexley were arrested for selling pickles “unfit for human consumption.” Laboratory tests were undertaken, as well as the pickle-bounce test, and the pickles did not bounce. The two were fined $500 and the pickles were destroyed.
With all of the humorous laws passed through countless state legislators, this final law is one that often falls by the wayside, even during driving tests. In Missouri, it is illegal for all drivers under the age of 21 to text while driving. For your safety, and the safety of all those on the road, please wait to answer that text message.
