⏱️ 6 min read

Top 10 Things That Used to Be Illegal

Throughout history, societies have enacted laws that reflect the values, fears, and misconceptions of their times. What seems perfectly normal today might have once been strictly prohibited, sometimes with severe penalties. As cultures evolve and scientific understanding advances, many of these prohibitions have been lifted, revealing just how much our legal systems can change. This article explores ten activities, substances, and practices that were once illegal but are now widely accepted or at least legally permitted in many places around the world.

1. Interracial Marriage

One of the most shocking examples of outdated legislation involves interracial marriage, which was illegal in many parts of the United States until surprisingly recently. Anti-miscegenation laws existed in numerous states, prohibiting marriages between people of different races, particularly between white people and people of color. These laws weren’t fully struck down nationwide until 1967, when the Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia declared them unconstitutional. Similar prohibitions existed in other countries, including South Africa during apartheid and Nazi Germany, demonstrating how legal systems once codified racial prejudice into law.

2. Women Voting

For most of recorded history, women were legally barred from participating in democratic processes. The suffrage movement fought for decades to overturn these restrictions, with different countries granting women the right to vote at various times throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. New Zealand became the first self-governing country to grant women the right to vote in 1893, while the United States didn’t follow until 1920 with the 19th Amendment. Some countries didn’t extend voting rights to women until much later, with Switzerland waiting until 1971 and Saudi Arabia until 2015.

3. Same-Sex Relationships

Homosexuality was criminalized in most of the world for centuries, often carrying severe penalties including imprisonment and even death. In many Western countries, these laws remained on the books well into the late 20th century. The United Kingdom partially decriminalized homosexuality in 1967, while many U.S. states maintained sodomy laws until the Supreme Court struck them down in 2003 with Lawrence v. Texas. Today, while same-sex marriage and relationships are legal in numerous countries, approximately 70 nations still criminalize homosexuality, showing that this legal evolution remains incomplete globally.

4. Alcohol (Prohibition Era)

The United States famously banned the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages from 1920 to 1933 during the Prohibition era. The 18th Amendment and the Volstead Act were intended to reduce crime and social problems, but instead led to the rise of organized crime, illegal speakeasies, and widespread disregard for the law. The failed experiment was ended by the 21st Amendment, making it the only constitutional amendment to be completely repealed. Other countries, including Finland, Norway, and Iceland, also experimented with alcohol prohibition during similar periods.

5. Contraception

Birth control methods were illegal in many jurisdictions throughout the early 20th century. The Comstock Laws in the United States, enacted in 1873, made it illegal to send contraceptives or information about them through the mail. Many states had additional laws prohibiting the sale and use of contraceptives, even for married couples. These restrictions weren’t fully lifted until the 1960s and 1970s, with the Supreme Court case Griswold v. Connecticut (1965) establishing the right of married couples to use contraception, and Eisenstadt v. Baird (1972) extending that right to unmarried individuals.

6. Playing Pinball

Surprisingly, pinball machines were banned in many American cities from the early 1940s until the 1970s. Authorities considered pinball a form of gambling and believed it promoted delinquency among young people. New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago all prohibited pinball machines, with police conducting raids to confiscate the illegal devices. The ban in New York City wasn’t lifted until 1976, following a dramatic demonstration before the city council where a pinball wizard proved the game required skill rather than just luck.

7. Teaching Evolution

In the early 20th century, several U.S. states passed laws prohibiting the teaching of evolution in public schools. Tennessee’s Butler Act, enacted in 1925, led to the famous Scopes “Monkey Trial,” where teacher John Scopes was convicted for teaching evolution. While that conviction was later overturned on a technicality, similar laws remained in effect in some states until 1968, when the Supreme Court ruled in Epperson v. Arkansas that such bans were unconstitutional because they violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

8. Unmarried Cohabitation

Living together without being married was illegal in many places and considered immoral “fornication” or “lewd cohabitation.” These laws persisted in various U.S. states well into the 21st century, though they were rarely enforced in later decades. Florida didn’t repeal its cohabitation law until 2016, and Mississippi’s law remained on the books even longer. Such legislation reflected societal attitudes about marriage and morality that have significantly shifted over time, with cohabitation now widely accepted and practiced.

9. Left-Handedness in Education

While not always technically illegal, left-handedness was actively suppressed in schools throughout much of the 19th and 20th centuries, with some jurisdictions implementing formal prohibitions. Left-handed children were forced to write with their right hands, sometimes through physical punishment or having their left hands tied down. This practice was based on superstitions and misconceptions about left-handedness being associated with evil or developmental problems. The systematic discrimination against left-handed individuals in educational settings has largely disappeared, though it persisted in some places until the 1970s.

10. Cannabis for Medical Use

Medical marijuana was effectively illegal throughout the United States following the Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 and later the Controlled Substances Act of 1970, which classified cannabis as a Schedule I drug with no accepted medical use. This remained federal law even as evidence mounted for its therapeutic benefits. California became the first state to legalize medical cannabis in 1996, and many states have since followed. Today, medical cannabis is legal in numerous U.S. states and various countries worldwide, though it remains federally illegal in the United States and prohibited in many nations, representing an ongoing legal evolution.

Conclusion

These ten examples demonstrate how dramatically legal systems can change over time, reflecting shifts in social attitudes, scientific understanding, and cultural values. What was once prohibited and punished is now accepted or even protected as a right. From fundamental human rights like interracial marriage and women’s suffrage to seemingly trivial matters like pinball machines, these former prohibitions remind us that laws are not immutable but rather reflect the evolving nature of society. They also serve as a cautionary tale about the dangers of legislating based on prejudice, fear, or incomplete information. As we look at current laws, it’s worth considering which of today’s prohibitions might seem equally archaic to future generations, and whether our legal systems adequately balance individual freedom with legitimate social concerns.