1

No opening umbrellas on the street

Image: Edu Lauton

In Montgomery, Alabama, it is considered an offense to open an umbrella on a street for fear of spooking horses .

This raises questions about whether one should open an umbrella since the main use of it happens in the street.

2

No driving over 2000 sheep down Hollywood Boulevard

Image: Andrea Lightfoot

In Hollywood, California, it is illegal to drive more than two thousand sheep down Hollywood Boulevard at one time .

Apparently, you can drive one thousand and nineteen hundred and ninety-nine sheep, no problem. But not two thousand at one time.

3

No loose cats without tail lights

Image: Pacto Visual

In Sterling, Colorado, cats may not run loose without having been fitted with a taillight . Maybe this originated in some road accident involving a feline but one has to wonder if this is the best method of action. Especially since attaching a taillight to a cat does not seem like an easy thing to do.

4

No educating dogs

Image: Caleb Fisher

For whatever reason, you may not educate dogs in Connecticut . Something must have happened at some point in history serious enough for the local legislators to forbid the Connecticuters from educating their dogs.

5

No leaving the ship, if you are a rat

Image: Joshua J. Cotten

In Tampa Bay, Florida, rats are forbidden by law to leave the ships docked at port. The spirit of the law probably requires ship owners to prevent rats from leaving the ship but, for some reason, the phrasing of the text makes it seem as if it is directed to the rats themselves.

6

No road crossing, if you are a chicken.

Image: Vidi Drone

In Quitman, Georgia, it is illegal for a chicken to cross the road . Quite probably, this law is directed to chicken owners so that they prevent their feathered friends from roaming on the roads and causing accidents. But, still, it should be more clearly stated.

7

No fishing from a giraffe’s back

Image: MARIOLA GROBELSKA

Who in their right mind would attempt to fish from a giraffe’s back , right? Apparently, this exact thing happened in Boise, Idaho, prompting the passing of a law to forbid this outrageous behavior from happening ever again.

8

No flying over the village, if you are a bee

Image: Dmitry Grigoriev

In Kirkland, Illinois, bees are not allowed to fly over the village or through any of its streets . How exactly did the legislators who passed that law expect to enforce it, we honestly do not know.

9

No lions at the movies

Image: Andrew Liu

In Baltimore, Maryland, it is illegal to take a lion to the movies . As it should be. No one should be taking live lions into a movie theater filled with people, ever, anywhere in the world. Not even if the showcased movie is The Lion King.

10

No pant-less horses

Image: Silje Midtgård

As with most of the other examples in this list, this is a law that -hopefully- no one is paying any attention to. Horses are required to wear pants at all times in Fountain Inn, South Carolina. Seriously, how do you put pants on a horse?

11

No laying eggs at night

Image: Anita Austvika

It is unlawful for chickens to lay eggs before 8 AM and after 4 PM in West Virginia. Thankfully for chickens, they sleep at night and are active during the day, which prevents them from breaking the law.

12

No pictures of rabbits in June

Image: Gary Bendig

The State of Wyoming doesn’t allow you to take a picture of a rabbit during the month of June . The reason for this curious law is, perhaps, more understandable than most of the previous ones, and it has to do with avoiding harassment of the local wildlife.

1

Bill Clinton

Have you heard of Bill Blythe? Probably not, but you definitely know who he is: Bill Clinton, the 42nd president of the United States.

Born William Jefferson Blythe III on August 19, 1946, in Hope, Arkansas, Clinton never knew his biological father, who passed away in a car accident three months before he was born. His mother, Virginia Cassidy Blythe, later married Roger Clinton Sr. At 15 years old, Bill chose to take the surname Clinton, adopting the name of the man who had raised him .

2

Lyndon B. Johnson

Have you ever heard of a baby who went three months without a name ? As unusual as it sounds, one US president began life exactly that way.

The future Lyndon B. Johnson was born on August 27, 1908, near Stonewall, Texas. But instead of naming their newborn son, his parents found themselves in a standoff. According to historical records from the Miller Center at the University of Virginia, his mother, Rebekah Baines Johnson, wanted to name him Clarence, while his father, Sam Ealy Johnson, wanted the baby named after himself. Unable to agree, they left him officially unnamed, and for the first three months of his life, he was simply "Baby Boy Johnson." The deadlock finally ended when his mother gave in, and the future president was named Lyndon Baines Johnson , honoring Lyndon Baines, a family friend admired by his father.

3

Ulysses S. Grant

The 18th president of the United States wasn't born with the name we all know. He was born on April 27, 1822, in Point Pleasant, Ohio, as Hiram Ulysses Grant. So where did the famous "S." come from?

The answer is a paperwork mistake. In 1839, Ohio Congressman Thomas Hamer nominated the 17-year-old Grant to the US Military Academy at West Point. Knowing the young man went by Ulysses and that his mother's maiden name was Simpson, Hamer accidentally wrote "Ulysses S. Grant" on the nomination. Grant considered correcting the error, but eventually gave up, for two main reasons. He disliked the initials of his birth name, "H.U.G.", so the mistake didn't bother him much. In addition, fixing it would have meant a mountain of paperwork that could have jeopardized his appointment to West Point. So he simply let the new name stand, and the accidental middle initial stayed with him for the rest of his life.

4

Harry S. Truman

Harry S. Truman may have one of the strangest stories on this list.

His first name, Harry, honored his maternal uncle, Harrison "Harry" Young. His middle initial, however, didn't actually stand for anything. Truman's parents chose the "S" to honor both of his grandfathers, Anderson Shipp Truman and Solomon Young, without choosing one name over the other. In other words, the "S" wasn't short for Shipp or Solomon; it was simply "S". Truman himself usually wrote it without a period, since it wasn't an abbreviation. But after he became president, his staff encouraged him to add the period in official correspondence because it looked more conventional. That's why today he's almost always remembered as Harry S. Truman.

5

Dwight D. Eisenhower

President Dwight D. Eisenhower is remembered for leading the nation through the Cold War and signing the Civil Rights Act of 1957. But there's one surprising detail about him that most people never hear.

The man we know as Dwight Eisenhower was actually born David Dwight Eisenhower on October 14, 1890, in Denison, Texas. Named after his father, David Jacob Eisenhower, he quickly ended up with a problem: there were now two Davids in the same household. To avoid the confusion, his mother, Ida, simply began calling her son Dwight instead. He went by his middle name as if it were his first for years, but the change didn't become official until he applied to West Point at age 20. Wanting his official records to match the name everyone already knew him by, he registered as Dwight David Eisenhower and made the switch permanent.

6

Gerald R. Ford

On July 14, 1913, a baby boy named Leslie Lynch King Jr. was born in Omaha, Nebraska, and 61 years later, he became the 38th president of the United States. If the name doesn't sound familiar, there's a good reason: he entered the White House under a completely different name.

Leslie Lynch King Jr. was named after his father. However, just 16 days after his birth, his mother, Dorothy, fled the marriage with her infant son to escape her abusive husband. Three years later, she divorced King and married Gerald Rudolph Ford, a paint salesman who raised the boy as his own. From then on, everyone knew him as Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. , even though he didn't legally change his name until December 3, 1935, when he was 22 years old.

7

Ronald Reagan

Have you ever heard of "Dutch" Reagan? Perhaps not, but that was in fact the childhood nickname of Ronald Reagan, the 40th president of the United States.

Born as Ronald Wilson Reagan on February 6, 1911, in Tampico, Illinois, Reagan got his nickname from his father, who thought his newborn son looked like a "fat little Dutchman." The moniker stuck almost immediately. As a boy, Reagan embraced it so completely that, according to his autobiographies and records at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, he disliked being called Ronald and insisted everyone call him Dutch instead. That changed only after he arrived in Hollywood in the late 1930s, when studio executives convinced him that "Dutch Reagan" wasn't exactly leading-man material.

8

Jimmy Carter

Born James Earl Carter Jr. on October 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia, and named after his father, the future president had been called "Jimmy" almost from the day he was born.

Over the years, the nickname became the name he truly identified with. So when he took the presidential oath in 1977, Carter broke with tradition. Instead of using his formal first name like all the presidents, he was sworn in as Jimmy Carter, becoming the first (and still the only) US president to take the oath of office using a nickname rather than his legal name.

9

John Quincy Adams

The second president of the United States, John Adams, is one of the best-known Founding Fathers. His name is instantly recognizable to most Americans, and that's exactly why his son made an important decision about what he would be called.

John Quincy Adams was born on July 11, 1767, in the North Precinct of Braintree, Massachusetts, an area that was officially renamed Quincy in 1792. The nation's sixth president and the first son of a president to become president himself carried a name with a story. He was named not only after his father, but also after his maternal great-grandfather, Colonel John Quincy, who was gravely ill when the baby was born. Although Quincy was originally a family surname, it became the baby’s middle name. As an adult, he embraced all three names, John Quincy Adams, helping distinguish himself from his famous father while honoring both sides of his family.

10

Grover Cleveland

Most people have never heard of Stephen Cleveland, but mention Grover Cleveland, and they'll know exactly who you're talking about. The thing is, they're the same person.

Born on March 18, 1837, in Caldwell, New Jersey, the future 22nd and 24th president of the United States was actually named Stephen Grover Cleveland. His father, a Presbyterian minister, chose the name to honor Reverend Stephen Grover, the first pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Caldwell, where he was serving at the time. As he grew older, however, Cleveland made an unusual choice: instead of going by his first name, Stephen, he adopted his middle name because he simply liked the sound of "Grover Cleveland" better.

1

Sloth

Two-toed sloths are the species most commonly allowed as pets in the U.S. However, they require special care, a suitable environment, and—since they can live up to 30 years—a committed owner. Alabama, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, New York, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, and Texas allow ownership of two-toed sloths without a permit. Other states may require a license.

2

Caiman

One would think that Caiman Central (commonly known as Florida) might allow its residents to own caimans as pets, but it’s actually the contrary: they are considered invasive and dangerous, so depending on the species, they are either illegal to own or require a permit. However, the state of Tennessee allows ownership of dwarf caimans without a permit.

3

Elk

The United States has a large elk population across many states, both wild and domesticated, and many states will allow you to own them as livestock with a proper license. If you’ve always dreamed of having a pet elk, there’s good news: in Alaska, you can legally own a domesticated elk, as long as it was not captured from the wild.

4

Bison

Bison can be found across all 50 states, either in the wild or raised as livestock on ranches. However, not all states permit private ownership of them. In most states, some sort of permit is required to raise bison as cattle, with varying degrees of difficulty. Once again, Alaska offers a solution for bison enthusiasts: like elk, bison can be kept as pets, provided they are domesticated and not captured from the wild.

5

Sugar Glider

These small possums make good pets because they are social, playful, cuddly, and form strong bonds with their owners. However, they are exotic pets and require specialized care, a specific diet, and proper maintenance. Most states allow sugar gliders to be owned without a permit, but Georgia, New Mexico, and parts of New York require a license. In Hawaii, California, and Alaska, owning a sugar glider is illegal.

6

Kangaroo

Surprisingly, many states allow kangaroos and wallabies as pets. Some states may require a license, but Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Oregon classify them as "uncontrolled" exotics, so no permit is needed. Kangaroos and wallabies are completely banned as pets in Connecticut, Georgia, Maine, and New Hampshire.

7

Fennec Fox

Native to North African deserts, fennec foxes are the smallest fox species, characterized by their large ears. You can legally own them without a permit in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and New York (though not in New York City). The rest of the states either require a permit or deem it illegal.

8

Kinkajou

These adorable mammals, also known as honey bears, are related to raccoons and coatis. There are no federal laws restricting kinkajou ownership, but several states either prohibit them or require a permit. States that allow ownership without a permit include Arizona, Kansas, Michigan, Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas, and Virginia.

9

Python

When it comes to permits, not all snakes are treated the same. Regulations depend on how dangerous a species might be and the potential impact on local ecosystems if released. Following this logic, not all pythons are equally restricted: species such as the Burmese or Indian python are illegal in many states, while others, like the Ball python, are legal without a permit in Arizona, Arkansas, Illinois, Massachusetts, Montana, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

10

Tarantula

Tarantulas are not banned in any state, but some species might be restricted and require a special permit, in particular those considered an endangered species or potentially invasive. So, if you dream of having a pet spider, check your state laws first to ensure your desired species will not cause you legal problems in the future.