law

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

The District of Columbia comes out on top.

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.

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

Tibetan Mastiffs are majestic and expensive.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.