Silliness in Lawmaking: Pantaloon Prohibitions and an Abundance of Anthems

Some laws have not aged well, and others seem an almost bizarre waste of government resources. But, quaint as they are, they illustrate the flow of time, and the weight of history.
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Script by THG
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[@linettemiller878]

"Insufficiently anthemed!" Possibly my new favorite phrase

[@Svensk7119]

Agreed! I was gonna say....

[@jphilb]

Those “yo-yo’s” you mentioned as I’m sure you know are not the ones used as toys. They are automatic reels that allow you to run multiple lines at the same time. Similar to market fishing or hunting.

[@dimesonhiseyes9134]

I'm pretty sure he didn't know

[@stevehall383]

Well. I didn't know, thanks for the info.

[@davelowinger7056]

Thanks I was going to Google how do you catch fish with a yo-yo:-)

[@codewalloper]

As a boy, I fished local ponds and lakes with 3 or 4 yo-yo's, tied to the bank. I would set them out and then also fish the "normal" way. The yo-yo's were pricey (for a boy) because they had a spring inside (made of spring steel), which was expensive. However, by the end of summer they would be corroded and icky and and I gave up using them after 3 or 4 years. The ones I used were somewhat analagous to a "mousetrap for fish" and, when triggered, the spring would yank the bait line and "set the hook" in the fish's mouth. I had forgotten all about this until seeing this video. Happy youth, worth remembering.

[@dimesonhiseyes9134]

@@codewalloper I used them some myself. Most were not all that good for bigger fish as they were not strong enough to reel them in. And smaller fish would get yanked out of the water.

[@kencarp57]

The New Hampshire part reminded me of Lake Wobegon - "the little town where all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average”.

[@R.J._Lewis]

My grandmother used to run my home town's annual parade. She banned the throwing of candy from floats after she saw a child nearly run over by the very same float's wheels.

[@BA-gn3qb]

It is still illegal to leave your horse without tying it to a hitching post in Steubenville, Ohio. And there isn't any hitching post left.

[@johntabler349]

Ultimately all laws must be enforced at the point of a sword, make sure you make them wisely and sparingly.

[@fatboyrowing]

I love the Baskin Robins analogy. I worked at one while in high school. And that scenario played out more times than you’d think.

[@mar4kl]

Loved this! It brought back memories of a newspaper article in the Rochester, NY Democrat & Chronicle about silly laws still on the books in Rochester. One that caught the eye of one of my brothers and a friend of ours was that it was legal to drive a herd of cows on city streets as long as one also provided a means to clean up after them. Precocious teenage boys that we were, we immediately set out to find a way to test that law and maybe see if we could get it repealed by actually following it. We gave up after finding no expedient, inexpensive way to get even a handful of cows to the city limits. We weren't spoiled rich kids (or even unspoiled ones), and we couldn't afford to rent trucks to transport a borrowed bunch of cows to the city; walking them 10+ miles from the nearest dairy farm would take too long. Even if we'd managed to figure that one out, none of us had ever been within 10 feet of even one cow, much less tried to get her to go anywhere, so it was unlikely that we'd have been able to convince any farmer to let us borrow his cows. And, finally, the whole point of the adventure was to see if we would, in fact, be allowed to drive cows on city streets as long as we followed the law about cleaning up after them, and it occurred to us that the three of us wielding shovels would leave no one to drive the cows. So, in the end, it came down to a lot of laughing and not much action. But hey, a boy can dream, right?

[@51WCDodge]

Freemen of London can still drive a flock of sheep over London Bridge. Though given how much CO2 sheep , vent, they would probably get fined for emmisssions. 😁

[@OmniGuy]

This sounds like the kinds of plans we made while growing up in the late 60s and early 70s while riding around in our cars until they got so full of smoke that we couldn't think "straight".

[@L.J.Kommer]

New Hampshire and Tennessee don't have a State Songs, they have a State Albums.

[@tpobrienjr]

My town has a leash law ordinance that requires a dog owner to carry a bag for poop pickup, but does not require the owner to USE the bag.!

[@kencarp57]

When we moved to Texas in 1971, I remember my older sister being sent home from high school for the heinous offense of... wait for it... wearing JEANS and not a dress or skirt! The next year, that ban went into the bin, and many girls started wearing jeans by the 1972 Fall semester. So, my sister was a latter-day Suffragette of sorts!

[@leejoyner262]

In Brewton, Alabama there is a law making it illegal to operate a motor boat on main street. While this seems a silly law, when one understands the frequency of flooding in that south Alabama town, the law makes perfect sense.

[@jarvisfamily3837]

I certainly hope that on the list of Tennessee state songs they've included "All My Ex's Live In Texas", which includes the lines: All my ex's live in Texas That's why I reside in Tennessee 🙂

[@jimschnurr3512]

It was not the yo-yo you pictured but rather a winding device that you hung on a limb. When the fish bit the line was pulled out but the device pulled back and the line yo-yo 'ed in and out keeping the line to the fish tight.

[@chrisnemec5644]

IIRC there was an incident in 1991 with Esther Williams when she was turned away from a country club to which she belonged for wearing pants. She was supposed to be the guest of honor for a charity fund-raising event. It got a lot of publicity at the time, but has since been forgotten.

[@goosenotmaverick1156]

I'd watch a history guy video on that

[@orbyfan]

That reminds me of the anecdote from the '70s about Rod Stewart wearing jeans to a club in New York, only to be told that jeans weren't allowed in the club. So he took them off and walked in.

[@MonkeyJedi99]

Country clubs (and night clubs / music clubs) have long been problematic with their membership "standards" excluding the people they want to bring in as guests and/or entertainment. Many of those issues have been gender and/or race-related.

[@ericsikma4764]

You'll probably get a kick out of this one: Once Dolly Parton anonymously was a contestant in a Dolly Parton look-alike contest. She lost. 😆

[@chrisnemec5644]

@@ericsikma4764 IIRC this also happened to Charlie Chaplin.

[@stevenschwartzhoff1703]

One wonders if the horse reins had to be attached to a horse in order to avoid the trouser ban.

[@Traumamonkey]

The yo-yo for fishing is actually a device used for fishing. Not the toy. It resembles a yo-yo. You hang it in a tree and set the line. When a fish is hooked and pulls on it. It automatically retracts and pulls the fish in.

[@OpenCarryUSMC]

Yep. I have two in my go bag as they can be used for snares as well as fishing. Amazon has them for sale. They’re also known as “mechanical fishers” and are illegal in many states as are “trot lines” which are more well know and well accepted in a number of states.

[@justinpoirier5285]

As a NH resident, our elementary school music teacher tried to teach us at least three of the songs, but it was a losing battle with sixth graders who were far more interested in Bon Jovi.

[@clifforddunning5117]

I lived in New Hampshire in the 1980s and early '90s. I moon lighted as a sound man in those days and worked with the Shaw Brothers a few times. I almost had learned "New Hampshire Naturally" by heart. But I have long since forgotten it.

[@peteengard9966]

The dysfunction of government is history that should be forgotten.

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

if it is forgotten, it is more likely to be repeated.

[@joeyhardin1288]

Thank you. My little town's first ordnance was "You can't walk down the streets and have an ice cream cone in your back pocket." Evidently, there was a guy luring horses down the street and then taking off with them. God Bless and stay safe.

[@CaptainJerry-]

I noticed the Penguin in a few episodes. I always look for the US Merchant Marine cover badge, since I am a retired officer. Now I am a proud Clark College Penguin attending here in Vancouver, Washington (State), the older of the two Vancouver's on the west coast. If your penguin has no name, may I suggest Oswald. The name of our school mascot.

[@TheHistoryGuyChannel]

I named him Brigadier Sir Nils Olav III. But his nickname can be Oswald.

[@BlackheartCharlie]

In Hartford, the capitol of my home state Connecticut, it is illegal to cross the street while walking on your hands. I would LOVE to hear the back-story behind this law!!

[@thomasrennirt5458]

The yo-yo fishing law refers to a spring loaded automatic reel usually hung from a tree when a fish tugs at the baited hook it releases a pawl and sets the hook

[@-jeff-]

There should be a law... Easy to say, but very hard to undo afterward.

[@josephmastroianni1560]

Media. It started a revolution. One man cant really escape. Lies. Page 1 on a desk. US HISTORY CLASS.

[@beargillium2369]

Laws define crimes, really there shouldn't need to be a law 😢

[@SoloPilot6]

New Hampshire's next license plates may say "Write A New State Song Or Die" . . .a lot of "stupid laws" are actually judicial decision precedents, where a case is decided on some point which fits that particular case. For instance, let's say that some enthusiastic member of the Society for Creative Anachronism is wearing a suit of armor on a Los Angeles sidewalk, and is dragged into court for injuring someone by bumping them with a steel-plated elbow. While the case would be negligence causing injury, a finding against the defendant would set the precedent (and prompt the headlines) that "wearing a suit of armor has been outlawed in Los Angeles."

[@mattgeorge90]

Good way to start a Monday morning!

[@jeffreyb.2817]

@7:36. Actually, a yo-yo is also a fishing device. It's basically a spring-loaded trap for fish. You attach it to a tree and when the fish bites the bait it pulls them out of the water and they hang there until you collect the fish. Several states have made it illegal to fish with a yo-yo and it's actually not a dumb law, from an environmental point of view. These devices tend to get tangled in trees and left behind. They also tend to attract birds that then get caught when they eat the fish. If people would use them as design, they wouldn't be a problem, because you would be nearby to immediately collect the fish and you wouldn't leave trash behind, but people like to leave them out all night, then come back to get them in the morning.

[@leifnelson6244]

Many communities ban throwing candy from floats in parades due to safety issues. Too many kids get run over for candy.

[@annfrost3323]

I bought a 69 Ford Maverick, the first year they were manufactured. It was similar to the Pinto but bigger. Still, when trucks passed you on the road, the car shook and it seemed to rise. The Pinto came out in 1971. My sister had a yellow Pinto and had a terrible accident where she rear ended the car in front. The Pinto ended upside down and she flew inside the car to the hatch back area. No seat belts then. She wasn't hurt other than bruises but, the passengers in the other car ended up in the hospital. At that time we didn't know there was a problem with the gas tank in those cars. After totaling her car, my sister got another Pinto, a powder blue, and had it for years. Never any mechanical problem with either car. THIS COMMENT ABOUT FORD'S PINTO CARS, WAS MEANT FOR ANOTHER HISTORY GUY VIDEO "HISTORY OF THE FORD PINTO". SOMEHOW IT ENDED IN THE HISTORY OF THE PANTALOONS.

[@MrScott1171]

I was born and lived in NH. I never knew a state song for NH. Again it is history that needs to be remembered.

[@Chris_at_Home]

I’ve lived in Connecticut, Maine and Alaska and I don’t know any of the state songs. Some of my earliest memories of camping were at the Ct Lakes in the the late 1950s. Then we had a cabin in the NE Kingdom of Vt in the 60s. I was stationed in Maine in the service.

[@DarkpawTheWolf]

I lived in NH for a long time, and never heard about a single state song. I didn't realize this was actually a thing. State flower, state slogan......but never a state song.

[@bretagne23]

Here is an interesting law. I am in Wisconsin & my aunt told us that margarine was illegal here until around the 80’s (from my teachers I heard the 70’s). At one point there was a margarine smuggling ring in my hometown since we sit on the border with Illinois. When it was decriminalized it had to be pink so you could tell the difference from butter. 🤷🏾‍♀️. Only in Dairyland. Oh I am glad we only have 1 state song which is 1 of our School songs and our state rally cry “ON WISCONSIN”!

[@ElicBehexan]

At the end of 1970, during a rather brutal (for Austin, Texas) winter, girls were being sent home because by the time school started, it was above 32º. The rule was that girls couldn't wear pants in school if it were above freezing. But when these girls left home to go to school it was below, sometimes even still in the 20s. Now, remember, we are talking about Central Texas and, more than a few times, even just a few days before, it had been in the 60s during the day. The rule was finally changed to allow girls to wear 'pant suits' in school. I'm happy to say that I got to wear pants, and be more covered than in a dress, the last semester of high school. My sister, on the other hand, 5 grades behind me, wore shorts and jeans all through high school.

[@lelandframe1029]

At about the same time, (1970) in rural Saline county Kansas, there was a big fight between students, parents and school rules about girls wearing culottes (a cross between skirts and shorts) outside of gym class! (Being an 11-year-old boy at the time, I paid little attention to the controversy at the time, mainly because I had no idea what culottes were!) Anyway, if I remember correctly, the girl students triumphed! They got to wear their culottes, as long as they resembled skirts more than shorts! The times they were a-changeing!

[@ElicBehexan]

@@lelandframe1029 I remember the culottes. Really, it was more than just the girls in this fight. Working parents were beyond angry, even though my school was in an affluent part of town, when the school is calling dozens of parents because it was above 32 when school started, it has become an major issue.

[@lorrem2539]

I remember when growing up in a small Nebraska town girls could only wear pants to school IF the top could be worn as a dress. My mom had bought me a cute pantsuit where the top was a longer vest with chain closure and I had to wear a shirt, of course. I was in grade school but this was a ‘stylish’ outfit for such a young girl. I don’t recall if I was sent home or not because obviously you can’t wear a vest as a dress. Now am am amazed at what girls wear to school! Scandalous clothing sometimes.

[@ElicBehexan]

@@lorrem2539 even just the few years between my graduation and my sister's, I was amazed.

[@markcoleman9892]

In junior high in Arlington, TX, in the mid-'60s, one our teachers got sent home to change her clothes in the middle of the day - because the Vice Principal asked her to kneel on the floor and her skirt hem missed touching the floor by a small amount, thus violating the dress code. In his zeal, he applied this "test" during the pandemonium of between bells class change, in full view of the students. I can only imagine the humiliation, but even then the students recognized a stupid rule when they saw it. Forever after I thought of him as the "Principal in charge of Vice."

[@MightyMezzo]

As for the ban on bear wrestling, the response might be “If it had NEVER happened, we wouldn’t need the ordinance.”

[@steveharry9045]

Nice comment Hope you don’t mind me saying Hello 👋

[@HikerBiker]

All the time and money spent on these anthems is an excellent reason why so many Americans are totally fed up with government spending and the rest of the way elected officials spend their time.

[@ZiliMidori]

Yeah, I was also thinking it sounded like a waste of time and money. If people want to write songs about their states go ahead but I don’t see why lawmakers need to spend their taxpayer funded work time on choosing which one is official.

[@forkleftism9692]

The uselessness of government is on full display here.

[@one-eyedsam2186]

And without the government you wouldn't have the internet to post your comment on.

[@goodun2974]

@@one-eyedsam2186 , nor would "Fork Leftism" have any reason to get out of bed in the morning if he didn't have something to complain about ---- assuming he actually gets of bed in the morning, and ventures out of his mama's basement.

[@user-wi9hv2pb2q]

when government provides us with the greatest military in the world it suddenly isn't so useless.

[@grantofat6438]

There are more important matters than what clothes people walk around in. Like running a city.

[@stopthecrazyguy9948]

Only bullies and thugs are anti-government.

[@markcoleman9892]

One more story for the list of things that need to be remembered is WHAT DID SHE DO that earned her a Medal of Honor?

[@sagesheahan6732]

At one point, it was allegedly illegal to have a red automobile in Minneapolis, MN.

[@michaelfultz3982]

The town I grew up in, had a law that a woman on her period wasn't allowed to walk on main Street because the sent would scare the horses.

[@charlayned]

The Amarillo Public School system didn't allow girls to wear pants until 1970. When it was passed, it was defined as "full pant suits, cut differently from the boy's trousers. And no jeans until 1975, my senior year. It was so hard to go to recess in elementary school because you had to wear a dress and you needed to wear shorts under them.

[@steveharry9045]

Nice comment Hope you don’t mind me saying Hello 👋

[@Dislike_and_Unsubscribe]

Well, no one ever said government officials were particularly bright.

[@Mnogojazyk]

More silly laws, please. I mean more presentations on silly laws, not to make fun of them, rather because they deserve to be remembered - and perhaps learned from. Many thanks for these two.

[@davidtaylor5204]

Absinthe that contains thujone in any measurable amounts is illegal in the United States. Since Thujone is what wormwood imparts to absinthe, there are many aficionados of the beverage that contend anything marked 'Absinthe' in the U.S. sold legally really isn't absinthe at all.

[@bLackmarketRadio]

Same thing with Moonshine. Any store bought "Moon shine" is a complete farce and utter disgrace.

[@melkiorwiseman5234]

Real Absinthe is borderline poisonous. You might survive drinking it, but you could live to regret surviving.

[@timothyhays1817]

My understanding fishing yoyo's are not the toy's people play with. They are a type of spring loaded reel you hang from a tree. A fish snare with a hook. Similar to limb line fishing.

[@nolimendoza4588]

For some reason, in 2015, my state if Michigan officially got rid of the law that stated it was illegal to tie the leash of an alligator to public structures; fire hydramts, telephone poles, etc...

[@howarddavis289]

I hope the History Guy knows that a fishing Yoyo is not the same as the toy.

[@Ed_Stuckey]

Fishing yo-yos are a thing. They're outlawed in some places because they're frequently unattended which has the potential for waste of aquatic life and predators who may attempt to feed on the caught fish.

[@seatedliberty]

I propose an official New Hampshire poem: The Old Man in the Mountain, a wonderment to all Tis a shame no one visits after it did fall

[@earlewhitcher970]

You might be surprised at how many folks visit and gaze upon the "former" site of New Hampshire's well known "Old Man".

[@JonesNate]

When I was growing up, there was a joke about Dubuque, Iowa. Supposedly they had an old law still in effect, which said that when driving a horseless carriage downtown, you were supposed to fire a shotgun round into the air at every stop sign.

[@blackcountryme]

But isn't that just America anyway?

[@elfpimp1]

@@blackcountryme apparently not when you're driving a 2007 Toyota Tacoma with more than 214,345 miles.. Don't worry, I talked my way out of that ticket.. 😏👍

[@georgewnewman3201]

Boy, I bet when that law was passed, it would drive the horses into a full-blown panic regularly. (It's a Stampede!!!)🤔🤣

[@georgewnewman3201]

@@blackcountryme Rifles, yes; shotguns, eh!

[@shifty1927]

@@georgewnewman3201 na them horses back then were pretty used to hearing gun shots.

[@michaelnewton5873]

My town has a law on the books that chewing gum in public after 10pm results in a 1.25 fine.

[@grandetaco4416]

New Hampshire must be a hell of a place for so many songs to be written about it.

[@earlewhitcher970]

It is.

[@ajg617]

Priceless and the best HG yet. As a NH resident, this is not surprising given there are only 400 NH State House members each with their own obscure idea of what laws NH should have.

[@davincisghost9228]

In New Zealand it was once legal to urinate on the outside wheel of a wagon but not the one closest to the curb...apparently.

[@mauricedavis2160]

The greatest pleasure, other than THG enthusiasm for history and pirates, is the constant information added to my simple brain daily, thank you THG & CREW!!!🙏👍👻

[@wendychavez5348]

I've only watched one minute of this, but am reminded of when my dad's old friend, who was my neighbor while getting his Masters at UNM Law School, pointed out that there's a law on the books (I don't recall the location) that it's illegal to walk your alligator on a Sunday.

[@steveharry9045]

Nice comment Hope you don’t mind me saying Hello 👋

[@pattialmason1655]

Can't tie your alligator to a fire hydrant in....Florida or ?

[@chocolatechip12]

I never expected to hear my old elementary school and music teacher mentioned in an episode of THG!

[@jonathantrexel4299]

Well done, sir, we laughed out loud many times. The bus tour breaking down in Connecticut was a nice touch! We have to laugh at ourselves, and wonder what future generations will be laughing about us one day.

[@goodun2974]

Nobody does a better job at lampooning this sort of thing than Monty Python, with their Minister of Silly Walks, the Department of Arguments, and so on.

[@dianayount2122]

Can clearly remember the fall day in 4th grade (1972?) when the mimeographed form was passed out in class announcing girls could start wearing pantsuits (or pants under your dresses/skirts). Was one of the happiest days of my school days. My mother so agreed. She thought it was asinine on the snowiest days in the Midwest, her daughter could not wear pants to school.

[@g7u930]

Very entertaining! Thank you. Also the way you pronounce "p" is unique and it was entertaining that there were so many "p" words in the first segment. Keep them coming.

[@toyfan2812]

Love this channel. Greetings from Belleville

[@karlakirkpatrick2214]

That is how coach Paul Bryant got his nickname Bear because that is how he got his nickname by wrestling a bear at a sideshow attraction back in the day. In Alabama this was before the law was passed by making it illegal

[@goodun2974]

Well, I'm guessing the bear had been declawed and probably defanged and/or muzzled, so it wasn't exactly like fighting off a bear attack in the woods.

[@karlakirkpatrick2214]

@@goodun2974 I really don't know, it's what I heard, but it was horrible to say the least. For the bear 😢 I agree with you about being mauled by a bear I seen on the news those who survived are lucky.

[@goodun2974]

@@karlakirkpatrick2214 We have black bears in my New England area and they've been seen a few miles away but I've never seen one in the wild. We have large dogs and there's so much dog scent around my house I question whether a bear would really take the chance on getting that close considering that considering that one of my dogs is well over 100 pounds. I also don't put trash where wild animals can get to it and I don't put out the bird feeders until we've had a couple good hard frosts and the bears are already in hibernation for the Winter. Numerous other people in the state have had their homes or cars broken into by bears, but if they were more careful with their food waste the bears would be far less likely to come around. I take reasonable precautions and so I'm not too worried about the bears, and I do have a can of bear spray if we ever need it. Now if we lived in the upper Midwest where you have Brown bears and grizzlies, that might be another story! They are way bigger than a black bear and much more dangerous and aggressive.

[@cynkingking]

In the 60s in schools in Oklahoma City girls were not allowed to wear pants and they enforced it. I had culottes that had buttons that I had to keep closed during school

[@michaelmanning5379]

Ironically, there are towns on the Riviera that prohibit women from wearing "burkinis" (modesty-protecting swim wear). Plus ca change. The Canadian Broadcasting Corp used to air "This Is The Law" which highlighted short vignettes of "the lawbreaker" (a.k.a., Paul Soles, the voice of Spiderman and Rocket Robin Hood). Each ended the same way, with Soles being hauled away by a cop. A panel of lawyers then had to guess what unlikely law had been broken.

[@markstevens9249]

I don't know if this is still true, but Florida at one time had a law that made it illegal to shave while driving! They were worried about distracted driving decades before the cell phone was invented!

[@billleach7120]

The “silly” law in South Dakota making it illegal to throw candy from a parade float is not as silly as it seems. The intent was to prevent children from being run over by floats when they would run out into the street to retrieve mis-thrown candy.

[@alias9025]

For the NH state song, I would go with "The Old Man of the Mountain" with such lyrics as, "His feet are bare, He wears long hair, They say he's as mad as an old March Hare, But his cares are none, And he owes no one". And there is a good Betty Boop Cartoon that uses the song.

[@JackalX111]

The South Carolina law against fishing with Yoyos does have real viability as a yoyo could be utilized as an automatic fishing rod, especially if the coil spring is replaced with a stronger one.

[@wadeadams4263]

In Las Vegas its illegal to interfere with the flight of a pidgeon and to deface a hamburger in public.

[@HM2SGT]

Rick and Ron Shaw were great guys. They were friends of the family and stopped by for dinner from time to time, they were mighty kind about letting me sing with them. “New Hampshire, naturally” is a terrific song, I still sing a lot of their stuff and love it. There’s song about the Concord coach, which helped team the west, and is a staple in most every film and television show, and they wrote a great song about the day the tall ships game for the bicentennial! They had great sense of humor, and were really nice fellows who deserve to be remembered.

[@CaptHollister]

"Insufficiently anthemed" should be the official New Hampshire motto. Failing that, someone should write a song on this theme and submit as a new honorary state song.

[@johnopalko5223]

Let's get Weird Al on it.

[@lelandfranklin3487]

Indiana had "Rat Day" on the books...setting aside a day each year to kill rats. Did a story on it as a reporter....and they removed it. Darn.

[@scottmantooth8785]

*the rats still celebrate the day that law was removed from the books with much squeaking and dancing and the consumption of much cheese*

[@goodun2974]

Every day should be a kill-a-rat day.

[@davidstock820]

Being a NH native, I’m not surprised we have so many state songs… we have so many people form “away” who want to make NH just like where they escaped from! (I’m sorry that my bias is showing so much!!!) A few pronunciation points: Concord… KAHN KURD with emphasis on the first syllable. Rivier… RIV EE AIR emphasis on the middle syllable. And yes, we / I have troubles when we go to other parts of the country! (Most noticeably arriving and San Fransisco and asking what the quickest way to Concord, VA [Pronounced as we do in NH] was!!! “What?!?” “Where?!?” “Never heard of it!”) Wonderful as always!!! Keep up the good work!!!

[@GraniteMoose]

As a granite stater I agree

[@HM2SGT]

Ayuh. Ya can’t get theah from heah. (603 born & raised)

[@charlesprevatte4164]

If I remember correctly, it was and may still be illegal to walk your pet alligator on a leash in Alabama.

[@terrygrossmann6125]

Oh dear Lord, women wearing pants? The country will never be the same again.

[@lancerevell5979]

I read once of a silly law here in Florida making it illegal to park an elephant in a metered parking space. I assume the Ringling Brothers Circus had something to do with this. 😄

[@guytansbariva2295]

Yep, I knew you were cool Lance. I see in the background the Stay Puft marshmallow man and the TARDIS. Sweet!

[@throne1797]

BEAUTIFUL OHIO is the official state song of Ohio. Decades ago I was a member of the All-Ohio Boys Band. We played that tune over and over and over for what seemed like hours during the Miss Ohio beauty pageant at the Ohio State Fair. Needless to say I still cringe when hearing it.

[@wmffmw1854]

DON'T SCARE THE HORSES: There was an 1890's NY traffic law that stated a motor vehicle entering a town shall be preceded by 1/4 mile by someone waving a red lamp and announcing the vehicle approach.

[@christopherlarue3003]

I heard that it's still illegal in Texas to have wire cutters on your person; a throwback to the rustling days. Wonder if that's still on the books.

[@battleangel5595]

Never knew New Hampshire had so many state songs. But I'm proud to live in the state where our state symbol is now "The Pile of Rocks in the Valley".

[@one-eyedsam2186]

I would assume that the law prohibiting sea urchins on lobster boats in Maine was enacted to prevent the illegal harvesting of sea urchins that get caught in lobster traps.

[@scottmantooth8785]

*how could you realistically hold a sea urchins inability to read the little signs on lobster traps that say no admittance to all Echinoidea and have it be upheld in a court of law?*

[@goodun2974]

@@scottmantooth8785 , it would require a prosecutor with lots of spine to try such a thorny case in a court of law.....🙂

[@one-eyedsam2186]

@@scottmantooth8785 You're supposed to throw them back into the water, along with any lobsters out of the size range, and anything else you accidentally haul up in a trap. You're also not allowed to fish urchins with traps. So having them on a fishing boat that has traps on it is a problem.

[@WhiteTrashMotorsports]

In Pennsylvania it is illegal to sleep on a refrigerator outside.

[@tygrkhat4087]

The official state song of Oklahoma is "Oklahoma" by Rogers and Hammerstein. The official state song of Georgia is "Georgia on My Mind" by Ray Charles. New York's official state song is an effing advertising jingle. New Jersey is the only state without an offical state song.

[@Babydoll3133]

I've heard of a law in Arkansas that it is illegal for the Arkansas River to leave it's banks (flood). I kept imagining paper coffee cups, full of river water, handcuffed together in a jail cell.

[@almostfm]

Just a tiny name quibble. The state senator was Rose Anne Vuich (pronounced VOO ich). She was my state senator when I became old enough to vote, and as a Democrat in what is the most conservative part of the state, she never got less than 70% of the vote, because she was so damned good at her job. In fact, in her final election, the Republicans didn't even bother to field a candidate.

[@Tallness1000]

The Guy of History deserves a law requiring the almighty algorithm to provide more views, likes, and shares. Educated he Be

[@randalllove7908]

Loved the episode. We locally have a law that also prevents the throwing of candy from parade floats. It was enacted after a child slipped through a parade barrier and was injured by a parade float trying to retrieve candy that was lying in the street.

[@scottmantooth8785]

*all state songs should be easily identifiable even whilst played on a kazoo*

[@kevinhorne7881]

An episode entitled "silliness in lawmaking" could have gone on for days!

[@shawnr771]

In certain counties of Washington State, it is illegal to hunt Bigfoot.

[@GunFunZS]

Yo-yo is a brand name for a type of automatic fish catcher. It's basically a spring-loaded reel which will yank the fish in if something tugs on the line. So it's essentially a law against a fishtrap not against using the toy to catch fish.

[@varelman]

I live in Emporia KS and there is or was a law the stated that before a woman could drive in-to town her husband had to call the police and fire department to let them know then when driving the husband had to walk in front of the car waving flags.

[@brucelewis9440]

As a child in Tennessee, I saw Buford Pusser, former sheriff of Walking Tall fame, wrestle a bear that he traveled with for that purpose.

[@timmmahhhh]

Perhaps people can come up with songs about these laws and then weird Al can do a parody of McCartney: You'd think that people would have had enough of silly law songs. As for New Hampshire and Tennessee sounds like they could have a music festival simply around their state songs.

[@bradwartman3647]

What a great episode, reminds me of one my my hometown of SW Kansas where there was a law on the books that if you were driving a car into town you were required to first stop at the beginning of Main Street (because don't all little towns have a Main Street?) and walk the length of the street (about a mile) letting people know you were about to drive a car into town. Ostensibly this was because cars were still a relative rarity and the city fathers didn't want to spook the horses ;-). Sadly this law was taken off the books several years ago :-(.

[@kmlammto]

Actually, more cities and towns have Second Street than either First or Main Street.

[@bradwartman3647]

@@kmlammto Then I stand (or sit) corrected ;-).

[@tjroicub6079]

Another remarkably interesting and informative video. Thanks again for posting these unique videos.

[@phredphlintstone6455]

In Omaha Nebraska it is illegal to eat icecream on Sunday, while walking backwards.

[@stevecannon4780]

I grew up in Oklahoma. When I was a teen we found that it was illegal for a girl to take a bite of her boyfriend's hamburger, it was illegal for a girl to sit in her boyfriend's lap (that wouldn't stand up in court), and the bizarre "if one train meets another train on the same track, one can't leave until the other is gone". There were many more and I hope some legislature has gotten rid of them. In Texas, it's still illegal to sell non-food items on Sunday. You can't even buy toilet paper.

[@patrickdurham8393]

Fishing yoyos are a different animal from your Duncan classic. They're spring loaded automatic hook setters you hang from a limb and ignore while you set others or drink beer.

[@CwL-1984]

In my home state of Oklahoma it's illegal to hunt dolphin's.

[@briansullivan5908]

You have river dolphins on Oklahoma?😂

[@CwL-1984]

@@briansullivan5908 nope