1

Elvis Presley

Image: Clem Onojeghuo

Yes, the King of Rock 'n' Roll, who revolutionized music with hits like "Hound Dog," was drafted into the U.S. Army. Presley was offered to serve in the Special Services entertaining troops but chose to serve as a regular soldier.

The most well-known name in entertainment at the time, he was stationed in Germany and earned the rank of Sergeant. There, he met his future wife , Priscilla Beaulieu.

2

Morgan Freeman

Image: Harald Müller

Morgan Freeman, the legendary actor revered for his deep, resonant voice and commanding presence, served as a radar technician in the U.S. Air Force before his acting career took off.

There, he harbored dreams of becoming a fighter pilot. Eventually, though, his time in the cockpit revealed that flying was not his true passion.

3

Humphrey Bogart

Image: Tomas Martinez

The iconic star of Casablanca served in the U.S. Navy during World War I. He worked as a coxswain aboard the USS Leviathan , transporting troops to Europe.

Some versions attribute his signature lip scar —and, by extension, his unique speech—to an injury during his service, though some claim it was from a brawl or childhood incident.

4

Jimi Hendrix

Image: Aditya Wardhana

Jimi Hendrix is widely regarded as one of the greatest guitarists in history. What’s less known about him is that he served as a paratrooper with the 101st Airborne Division back in the 60s.

Even less known is that he enlisted in the Army at age 19 as part of a deal to avoid jail time after being caught joyriding stolen cars. He completed 26 parachute jumps before being honorably discharged a year later due to injuries.

5

Bea Arthur

Image: Ajeet Mestry

Yes, Bea Arthur, one of the beloved Golden Girls , was also a trailblazer as one of the first women to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps during WWII.

Her sharp wit and memorable roles like Dorothy Zbornak earned her multiple awards and the hearts of many Americans. But before acting, she had worked as a typist and truck driver for the Marine Corps, eventually reaching the rank of Staff Sergeant.

6

Bob Ross

Image: https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1662796246357-36ffa59acbca?

Can you believe that the cherished, gentle-voiced host of The Joy of Painting served in the U.S. Air Force for 20 years?

Bob Ross, the soothing icon of creativity and positivity who taught millions how to paint in the famous PBS series, was once a Master Sergeant. He worked as a medical records technician stationed in Alaska. It is said that he once vowed never to yell again after retiring.

7

Mr. T

Image: Skitterphoto

Mr. T, born Laurence Tureaud, is recognized for his role in Rocky III and the hit television series The A-Team. Before his rise to fame, though, he was a military police officer in the 1970s.

There, he stood out in basic training, so much so that he was named the top trainee out of 6,000 recruits. An anecdote retells that he was ordered by his sergeant to chop trees down as a punishment. After one hour, he had chopped down 70 trees and was told to stop.

8

Adam Driver

Image: Venti Views

Actor Adam Driver is known for his roles in films like Marriage Story and the Star Wars trilogy . Few know that he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps after 2001 and served for nearly three years before being discharged for a mountain biking injury.

Driver served as a mortar in the 1st Battalion, 1st Marines. After being discharged, he co-founded Arts in the Armed Forces , a nonprofit that brought art programs to military personnel and families.

9

Chuck Norris

Image: Andrea De Santis

Chuck Norris, the action star legend, was once an Air Policeman in the U.S. Air Force. It was there, in fact, where he first began his training in martial arts.

A pop culture icon for his tough-guy image and humorously exaggerated abilities, he was deployed to an air base in South Korea in the late 50s. There, he earned black belts for multiple disciplines in martial arts , including Tang Soo Do and Taekwondo.

10

Johnny Cash

Image: Markus Spiske

Here's another musician who had a career in the military. Johnny Cash, the legendary country singer, was a radio operator in the U.S. Air Force.

The "Man in Black" was a Morse Code listener intercepting Soviet transmissions in West Germany during the Korean War. Allegedly, it was during this time that he bought his first guitar and began writing songs.

11

Paul Newman

Image: Keanu K

The blue-eyed actor from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid also served as a radioman and gunner during World War II. He trained as a pilot but was reassigned as an operator and rear gunner due to colorblindness.

In fact, he avoided flying in the Okinawa campaign due to an ear infection his pilot had. This saved both their lives, and Newman lived on to become a Hollywood legend and philanthropist.

12

Clint Eastwood

Image: Brice Cooper

Clint Eastwood, the iconic actor and filmmaker, was drafted into the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He worked as a swimming instructor for the 35th Infantry Regiment.

He even survived the crash landing of a Navy torpedo bomber with engine problems. He and his pilot had to swim two miles to shore near Point Reyes, California.

13

James Earl Jones

Image: Piotr Makowski

Before lending his iconic voice to Darth Vader and Mufasa, James Earl Jones trained as an Army Ranger and served as a second lieutenant in the Korean War.

After graduating from college in the 50s, he was assigned to the Army's 2nd Infantry Division in Korea. He received an honorable discharge as a first lieutenant in 1955 and went on to pursue the same career his father had: acting.

1

Beware of the banana peel!

Image: SHVETS production

It might sound like a scene straight out of The Three Stooges , but we assure you, this was once a legitimate concern. It’s no myth that residents of Waco, Texas are forbidden from eating bananas and tossing the peels into the street. Lawmakers feared horses could slip on the peels and injure themselves.

This is also true for Elmira, New York. A city ordinance from 1899 stated that no person could throw any banana peels—or any other fruit skins—onto the sidewalk. As it happens, back when bananas were introduced to the northern states, they were very cheap and people usually bought them in bulk. The surplus was huge and the waste was becoming a problem. In fact, in 1893 a woman sued the city after slipping on a banana peel, falling on the sidewalk, and breaking her leg.

2

Dueling candidates

Image: various illustrators, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

It may sound old-fashioned, but this law is still in effect in West Virginia. To be eligible as governor, a candidate must not only be at least 30 years old and have resided in the state for at least five years preceding the election, but they must also never have participated in a duel.

According to §6-5-7 of the West Virginia Code, any citizen who sends or accepts a challenge or participates in a duel with deadly weapons "shall ever thereafter be incapable of holding any office of honor, trust or profit in this state." By the end of the American Civil War dueling had become almost obsolete, but for some reason, The Mountain State is one of the few states that still hasn’t repealed its dueling laws.

3

Extraterrestrial exposure

Image: Bradley Dunn

Despite popular opinion, Title 14, Section 1211 of the Code of Federal Regulations did not make it illegal for Americans to have contact with extraterrestrials or their vehicles. Instead, the law was enacted just before the Apollo 11 mission to give the government authority to quarantine astronauts in case they became contaminated with an alien virus during their moonwalk.

This regulation, best known as the Extra-Terrestrial Exposure Law was adopted by NASA in 1969. It stipulated that astronauts be kept in isolation for 21 days after their liftoff from the Moon in case there was a remote possibility that they were harboring "unknown lunar organisms that might endanger life on Earth." The rule was revoked in 1977 and formally repealed in 1991.

4

Women vote

Image: See page for author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Did you know that although American women were not universally granted the right to vote until 1920, state laws in New Jersey allowed them to vote as early as 1776 ? In 1790, when the New Jersey State Constitution was reformed, it formalized what the previous constitution had only implied: that propertied women could vote.

A few years later, a law expanded the previous election reforms and allowed women without "clear estate" to vote too. So, after the adoption of this 1797 law, the number of women voters at the polls significantly increased. New Jersey women enthusiastically exercised their rights until 1807, when the state finally restricted voting to white men.

5

Keep it classy

Image: Clay Banks

If you want to live in North California, you have to follow some rules of good taste. In 1998, the city of Wilson outlawed the keeping of upholstered furniture on front porches, on the basis that the practice was unsightly and tacky.

A year later, the town of Morganton followed suit, outlawing couches, recliners, and similar indoor furniture from verandas and yards. Mel Cohen, the city mayor at the time, said that outdoor furniture was drawing many complaints, so the city embarked on a quest to "beautify" the neighborhoods. Violators of the ordinance could be fined up to $300 for their offense.

6

Three-second hugging

Image: Mary Taylor

By the beginning of the 21st century, the rules of public displays of affection seemed to be changing and left previous generations in a state of confusion. In 2009, after noticing an increasing number of students embracing in the hallways, school officials in Hillsdale, New Jersey, implemented a "three-second hugging" rule. Apparently, adults were concerned that the constant displays of affection could disrupt the flow of hallway traffic.

Teenagers argued that the gesture was entirely unromantic and merely a way of saying "hello." However, schools preferred to go back to the old handshake in order to maintain an atmosphere of academic seriousness and to prevent any instances of unwanted physical contact.

7

Blue sundaes

Image: Markus Spiske

Ever heard of "blue laws"? Blue laws are rules that once banned certain activities on Sundays, adopted originally for religious reasons. Blue laws often restricted business and recreational activities to encourage observance of the Christian day of worship.

For example, buying ice cream on Sundays was once illegal in Ohio because it was thought to be frivolous and luxurious. To circumvent this law, ice cream vendors began adding fruit toppings to disguise the frozen treat below and make it appear more "nutritious." This clever workaround ultimately led to the creation of the ice cream sundae.

8

Poking turkeys

Image: RDNE Stock project

Finding the perfect Thanksgiving turkey can be an artistry or a real challenge. How can you ensure that the well-rounded breast you pick up in the supermarket’s poultry section will turn into a delicious, juicy treat?

Everyone has their own strategy, but depending on which state you are in, your method might actually be illegal without you even knowing it. For example, did you know that in Los Angeles, California, it is prohibited to poke a turkey for sale in a meat market to check its tenderness? Don’t say we didn’t warn you!

9

Permanent marks

Image: Linda Xu

Carrying a marker in your pocket, purse, or backpack while walking the streets of California could land you in trouble. In the Golden State, it’s illegal to possess "broad-tipped indelible markers" —a.k.a. permanent markers—in a public space. Any person carrying a chisel, an awl, an aerosol paint container, or a harmless felt tip marker can be accused of committing vandalism.

The law is in place to curb graffiti and other forms of unauthorized street art. It is considered a misdemeanor and can be punished with up to 90 hours of community service, typically scheduled outside of school or work hours.

10

Go nuts!

Image: Vladislav Nikonov

Nuts can be a real problem for many people with food allergies. But even so, these laws prohibiting the consumption of nuts in public places may surprise you. For instance, in Boston, Massachusetts, it’s illegal to eat peanuts in church . Meanwhile, in Charleston, South Carolina, eating nuts on a public bus can result in a fine of up to $500 and as much as 60 days in jail.

If you thought it couldn't get any more specific than that, hold your horses! In Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, people are not allowed to eat peanuts while walking backward in front of the Barnstormers Theater during a performance. Probably the craziest law on this list, don’t you think?

1

Triceratops

Image: K. Mitch Hodge

One of the most popular dinosaurs of the Late Cretaceous was found in what is now Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and South Dakota. We're talking about the Triceratops , known for its large bony ridge on the back of its head and its three horns . Despite being a herbivore, the Triceratops was huge, weighing between 6 and 12 tons and growing up to 30 feet in length and 10 feet in height!

2

Allosaurus

Image: The frolicsome Fairy

The Allosaurus lived approximately 150 million years ago, and its fossils were found in the areas occupied today by the states of Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah. With a size that could reach 39 feet in length and weighing about 2.5 tons, Allosaurus was a massive bipedal carnivore, which means it walked on two large, strong hind legs!

3

Ankylosaurus

Image: Blond Fox

If there was one creature that looked truly prehistoric, it was the Ankylosaurus , which lived around 66 million years ago and roamed the areas now known as Montana and Wyoming. It could grow up to 30 feet long and weigh about 8,000 pounds! It was herbivorous, but its body was like a tank, covered with thick bony plates and protective spikes.

4

Ornithomimus

Image: Tina Hartung

Now it's the turn of a very special specimen: the Ornithomimus . This peculiar dinosaur, whose fossils were found in the western United States, was light and fast. It weighed up to 300 pounds, not much compared to its colleagues. It looked more or less like an ostrich, and scientists believe it even had feathers on its forelimbs .

5

Coelophysis

Image: Kvnga

Coelophysis was another bipedal dinosaur that lived about 210 million years ago . Fossils of this species have been found in what is now New Mexico, Arizona, and other parts of the American Southwest. Unlike Allosaurus , Coelophysis was small, light, and fast, measuring between 6 and 10 feet in length and weighing roughly 60 pounds.

6

Maiasaura

Image: Yena Kwon

The incredible Maiasaura lived about 75 million years ago and was discovered in North America, specifically in Montana. It was a duck-billed herbivore, and according to research, it devoted a lot of time and dedication to the care of its eggs. In fact, its name means "Good Mother Lizard." Cute, isn't it?

7

Deinonychus

Image: Jossuha Théophile

Deinonychus is the name of this dinosaur that lived around 110 million years ago , with fossils discovered mainly in Montana, Wyoming, and Oklahoma. This carnivore is believed to have hunted in packs —a behavior that, if true, would have made it even more terrifying!

8

Stegosaurus

Image: Lucas George Wendt

We return to the "-saurus" with Stegosaurus , whose image is one of the most iconic, thanks in part to movies. Yes, it’s the big dinosaur with a long tail and bony plates running along its back . This 7-ton animal’s fossils have been found in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. Despite its massive size and weight, Stegosaurus had a very small brain .

9

Diplodocus

Image: Arthur Shuraev

Diplodocus was one of the largest dinosaurs ever to walk the Earth , and its footsteps left their mark in the lands of Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, and Utah. It could reach up to 100 feet in length, thanks in part to its incredibly long neck, and weighed between 15 and 30 tons. Yes, it’s the dinosaur that reminds many people of the Loch Ness Monster !

10

Tyrannosaurus Rex

Image: Tofan Teodor

We saved the best for last. The star of the dinosaurs is undoubtedly the popular Tyrannosaurus rex , or T. rex for friends. Its fossils have been discovered mainly in the western United States. This huge dinosaur lived between 70 and 66 million years ago and had an imposing body: it could reach 40 feet in length, stand 12 feet tall at the hips, and weigh an incredible 8 tons —as much as a bus!