LAW

Harvey Washington Wiley (back row, second from left) and the young volunteers of the Poison Squad.

The Men Who Volunteered to Be Poisoned by the Government

In 1902, 12 men agreed to take low doses of poison in order to test their efficacy as food preservatives. No one died. Basically.

If you didn't know they had them before, now you do.

Why Does Bottled Water Have an Expiration Date?

Bottled water might seem like it lasts forever, but containers have expiration dates attached. Discover why and whether it’s safe to drink after it’s expired.

Bottles are easy to recycle, but things get a little more confusing beyond that.

You Probably Aren’t Recycling These 3 Things Correctly—Here’s What To Do Instead

Recycling gets confusing sometimes, especially when it comes to certain items. Discover which recycling rules you may (or may not) be breaking here, plus the best practices to follow instead.

8 Gripping Facts About the Vietnam War Draft

Dive into the history of the draft during the Vietnam War, including its origins, how long it lasted, and how some young Boomers successfully managed to dodge it.

Tomatoes can be either fruit or vegetable, depending on who you talk to.

Is a Tomato a Fruit?

One vendor’s dispute against a 19th-century import tariff led the U.S. Supreme Court to classify the tomato as a vegetable. But botanists disagree.

Abbie Hoffman was a controversial and influential figure.

10 Revolutionary Facts About Abbie Hoffman

Abbot “Abbie” Howard Hoffman was a bombastic and theatrical figure who often used absurd media stunts to get his points across.

Why Are There 9 Supreme Court Justices?

The U.S. Constitution doesn't specify how many Supreme Court justices are necessary—and there weren’t always nine on the bench.

The ACLU regularly argues cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.

9 Fundamental Facts About the ACLU

The group was founded during World War I to defend Americans’ First Amendment freedoms. Over the years, that mission has taken some unexpected turns.

The typo in question concerned property rights.

Error in Judgment: The 100-Year-Old Supreme Court Typo That May Have Altered Judicial Decisions

The typo in a 1928 opinion may have inadvertently influenced an unknown number of decisions to follow.

8 Things Women Used to Be Banned From Doing

Women were once exempt from serving on juries for fear they might take it too easy on defendants.

The spelling is a bit peculiar at times, too.

21 Things You May Not Know About the U.S. Constitution

How well do you really know the U.S. Constitution? Discover things you might not have realized about this influential document, like its dictator-friendly loophole.

The gray wolf is an endangered species in most of the U.S.

The 10 Best States for Wildlife Protection

Where does your state rank when it comes to wildlife conservation?

The District of Columbia comes out on top.

The Best and Worst States for Workplace Culture, Mapped

Midwestern and northeastern states were most likely to have positive workplace cultures.

Nelson Mandela, Jerry Springer, and John Cleese have at least one thing in common.

30 Famous People With Law Degrees

You might be surprised at what Fidel Castro, Francis Scott Key, and Henri Matisse have in common.

Tibetan Mastiffs are majestic and expensive.

The 10 Most Expensive Dog Breeds to Own

The upfront costs aren’t the only factors to consider when purchasing a pet.

10 Hoax Definitions, Paper Towns, and Other Things That Don’t Exist

Facts become very easy to copyright when they aren’t true. Here are people, places, and things that exist only on paper, solely to thwart would-be info burglars.

The Equal Rights Amendment is the best-known Constitutional amendment that is not yet part of the Constitution.

6 Constitutional Amendments That Just Missed the Cut

Since 1789, Congress has sent 33 constitutional amendments to the states for ratification. Here’s the scoop on the six amendments that didn't make the grade.

The Dame of Sark, Sibyl Hathaway, in March 1953.

How the World’s Only Feudal Lord Outclassed the Nazis to Save Her People

Dame Sibyl Hathaway protected her people with the unlikeliest of weapons: Feudal etiquette, old-world manners, and a dollop of classic snobbery.

Birkenstocks aren’t legally-protected art.

Birkenstocks Are Officially Not Art, German Court Rules

The beloved sandal is a practical design, but it's not art. Not in Germany, anyway.

A portrait of the Hatfield family, sworn enemies of the McCoys.

4 Bloody Family Feuds in American History

If you have a disagreement with your neighbor today, you might head to small-claims court. In 19th-century rural America, such disputes were often solved with the business end of a gun.

It was not the first time someone has sued a deity.

The Politician Who Sued God

In the world of politics, nobody is safe from a well-executed smear campaign.

It was about modernization—and also politics.

Why the Letters Q, W, and X Were Once Illegal in Türkiye

Sometimes the letter of the law has tough things to say about, well, letters.

From this moment on, multiple entities have argued over ownership of the ‘Titanic’

Who Owns the ‘Titanic’?

The complicated legal case involving salvage rights to the RMS ‘Titanic’ continues, 40 years after the famous shipwreck was rediscovered.

Scotland Has “No Intention” of Banning Cats, First Minister Confirms

The Scottish government won’t be rounding up people’s pets any time soon.