Status: still on the books
Why Is This a Law?
Plastic bags were severely polluting the landscape and harming wildlife, with cows frequently found with bags in their stomachs. The government enacted the world's strictest ban to solve this environmental crisis.
Status: still on the books
Why Is This a Law?
After a father in another province named his son after soccer legend Lionel Messi, officials feared a massive wave of identical names. They proactively banned it to prevent total administrative chaos in the hometown.
Status: still on the books
Why Is This a Law?
When automated self-service pumps spread globally in the 1990s, they threatened the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of Brazilian gas station workers. The government banned the machines to protect these jobs.
Status: still on the books
Why Is This a Law?
In 1943, the government recognized that working in the middle of the night is physically harder than daytime work. By shortening the legal hour, night workers reach their overtime pay much faster.
Status: technically enforceable
Why Is This a Law?
Vast rural spaces mean traditional livestock herding constantly intersects with modern asphalt highways. This law protects agricultural livelihoods from speeding drivers who might otherwise run animals off the road.
Status: still on the books
Why Is This a Law?
This law combats internet trends where people attempt to dye puppies or ducklings bright neon colors for fashion. It prevents chemical toxicity and severe harm to the animal's skin.
Status: still on the books
Why Is This a Law?
Desert dust storms are frequent, but neglected cars tarnish the city's pristine, ultra-modern aesthetic. The government considers a heavily dirt-caked vehicle to be unacceptable visual pollution.
Status: repealed 2022
Why Is This a Law?
Implemented to combat drive-by crimes committed by riders whose faces were hidden by visors. Authorities needed a way to identify fleeing bikes on security cameras, effectively turning heads into license plates.
Myth or Law? — The Africa, the Middle East & South America Challenge
You have seen some unbelievably bizarre rules across Africa, the Middle East, and South America, but can you spot a fake? Two of the laws below are completely real, while one is just a famous internet rumor. Can you guess which one is the myth?
Two of these are real, citable laws. One is a famous fake — can you spot it?
Witches are legally prohibited from flying their broomsticks higher than 150 meters in the air.
It is a strict legal offense to dye an animal's fur or feathers bright colors for decorative fashion.
Leaving an excessively dusty and unwashed car parked in any public space is a punishable offense.
The verdicts:
[myth] Witches are legally prohibited from flying their broomsticks higher than 150 meters in the air. — This is a famous fake from Eswatini, formerly Swaziland. A civil aviation official made a sarcastic joke about drone airspace limits applying to absolutely everything in the sky, and international reporters mistakenly published his joke as a literal law.
[real] It is a strict legal offense to dye an animal's fur or feathers bright colors for decorative fashion. — This is entirely true in South Africa to prevent chemical cruelty to pets. It is heavily enforced under the Animals Protection Act No. 71 of 1962.
[real] Leaving an excessively dusty and unwashed car parked in any public space is a punishable offense. — This is a real law in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, designed to prevent visual pollution in the luxury city. It is enforced under the Dubai Municipality Waste Management Regulations.