The Book of the Bizarre: Freaky Facts and Strange Stories (54 page)

It is against the law to bury an intact body in Japan. Ashes with body parts or bits of bone in them are fine.

THE DEVIL IN THE COURTROOM

Pennsylvanian law books record a 1971 case of a man suing Satan—for his own bad luck and downfall. The case was thrown out of court on the grounds that Satan did not live in the state of Pennsylvania.

HIGH SEAS INLAND

The U.S. Supreme Court classifies the Great Lakes for shipping as it does other large bodies of water: as high seas.

CIVIL TAXATION

United States income tax was originally enacted to raise money during the Civil War. Although the U.S. Supreme Court voted to remove the income tax after the war, Congress reinstated it in 1913.

IS THAT A BOTTLE IN YOUR POCKET . . . ?

In South Carolina hip pockets are illegal, as they provide convenient places to hide a pint bottle or flask.

KENTUCKY COMMANDMENTS

In Kentucky, several unusual laws still prevail:

• A state law mandates people bathe at least once a year.
  
• Anyone who throws eggs or tomatoes at a public speaker will be sentenced to a year in prison.
  
• Females in bathing suits are not allowed on any highway, unless they are escorted by two officers armed with a club. This law does not apply to females weighing less than ninety pounds or those exceeding two hundred pounds; nor does it apply to female horses.
  
• It is against the law to dye chicks, ducklings, or baby rabbits, unless offering six or more of them for sale and at the same time.
  

WHISTLE WHILE YOU WADE

In Vermont it is illegal to whistle underwater.

LYING IN LAKE