Law
Drunk Driving Defense
Back in 1971, Melvin Baker offered a novel defense for why he shouldn't have been charged with drunk driving. He was, he said, too drunk to have made an intelligent decision about whether to submit to the breathalyzer test — the results of which led to him being charged. He apparently argued this case all the way up to the New York Supreme Court.
Santa Rosa Press Democrat - July 7, 1971
Details about this case are hard to come by, but this other brief article offers an explanation for why Baker persisted with his seemingly hopeless argument. Because if he had refused to take the test, he would only have had his license suspended. But having taken the test, and failed it, he also faced criminal prosecution. So it was all an elaborate, legalistic ploy to get the lighter penalty.
Long Beach Independent - Sep 7, 1971
Posted By: Alex - Thu May 14, 2020 -
Comments (2)
Category: Inebriation and Intoxicants, Law, 1970s, Cars
Sneezing Protected
This is good to know in the pandemic era. I hope coughing is covered as well.
Source.
Posted By: Paul - Fri May 08, 2020 -
Comments (2)
Category: Accidents, Law, 1950s, Cars
The Hero Thrill Show Queens
"Hero Scholarship Thrill Show Queen competitors [1969] Carolyn McNish and JoAnne Bream are crowned by Police Captain Philip Baumgardner, Fairmount Park Lt. Joseph Salamone and Deputy Fire Chief Frank Bowen."
"Northeast Regional finalists for Thrill Show queen [1974] are Denise Needham, nominated by the police department, and Sandra Hartman nominated by the fire department. Standing are John Craig, chief police inspector, and Martin Preite, deputy fire chief."
What is the "Hero Thrill Show?" Their Wikipedia page has the answer.
Posted By: Paul - Sun Mar 31, 2019 -
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Category: Beauty, Ugliness and Other Aesthetic Issues, Contests, Races and Other Competitions, Law, Regionalism, 1960s, 1970s
Change in Sex Blocks Draft
Source.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Feb 27, 2019 -
Comments (1)
Category: Law, War, 1940s, Gender-bending, Differently Abled, Handicapped, Challenged, and Otherwise Atypical
The Tree That Owns Itself
Recall those recent legal battles about granting new rights to animals? How about this for a precedent?From the Wikipedia page:
The Tree That Owns Itself is a white oak tree that has, according to legend, legal ownership of itself and of all land within eight feet (2.4 m) of its base. The tree, also called the Jackson Oak, is located at the corner of South Finley and Dearing Streets in Athens, Georgia, United States. The original tree, thought to have started life between the mid-16th and late 18th century, fell in 1942, but a new tree was grown from one of its acorns, and planted in the same location. The current tree is sometimes referred to as the Son of The Tree That Owns Itself. Both trees have appeared in numerous national publications, and the site is a local landmark.
Posted By: Paul - Thu Jan 31, 2019 -
Comments (0)
Category: Law, Nature, Nineteenth Century
The man who hated double parking
Robert Allan Miller hated double parkers so much that he left money in his will to the city of Bethlehem, PA for a fund that would reward police officers who ticketed double-parked cars.However, the city had to turn down the bequest due to their policy of not giving officers incentives for ticket-writing. (Which surprises me, since I figured municipal police depts used all kinds of ways to encourage officers to write tickets.)
Latrobe Bulletin - Aug 24, 1998
Posted By: Alex - Mon Dec 31, 2018 -
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Category: Law, Police and Other Law Enforcement, 1990s
Sentenced to watch Bambi
The case was so egregious that Lawrence County Judge Robert George ordered a special addition to the jail time one of the poachers received.
Court records show the defendant "is to view the Walt Disney movie Bambi, with the first viewing being on or before December 23, 2018, and at least one such viewing each month thereafter, during Defendants incarceration in the Lawrence County Jail."
Source: Springfield News-Leader
Hasn't the judge seen A Clockwork Orange? For behavioral change, the guy should have been sentenced to watch Bambi constantly with his eyelids held open.
Posted By: Alex - Wed Dec 19, 2018 -
Comments (6)
Category: Law, Judges, Movies
The Tractor Fender Will of Cecil George Harris
June 8, 1948: Cecil George Harris got pinned under his tractor. Fearing he wouldn't survive, he scratched the following message onto the fender of the tractor: "In case I die in this mess I leave all to the wife. Cecil Geo Harris."He did end up dying, but his scratched message was accepted as a valid will by the courts, and has served as a precedent ever since for cases of holographic or handwritten wills. The fender is preserved to this day at the University of Saskatchewan College of Law.
More info: Global News
Posted By: Alex - Mon Dec 03, 2018 -
Comments (0)
Category: Death, Inheritance and Wills, Law
Burt Reynolds in HAWK
Portraying a "full-blooded Iroquois." Lasted 17 episodes.
Posted By: Paul - Wed Aug 29, 2018 -
Comments (0)
Category: Ineptness, Crudity, Talentlessness, Kitsch, and Bad Art, Law, Television, 1960s
Norma Jean Almodovar: Cop to Call Girl
Her Wikipedia page.
Posted By: Paul - Sat Mar 10, 2018 -
Comments (0)
Category: Law, Sexuality, Books, 1990s
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| Alex Boese Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes. Paul Di Filippo Paul has been paid to put weird ideas into fictional form for over thirty years, in his career as a noted science fiction writer. He has recently begun blogging on many curious topics with three fellow writers at The Inferior 4+1. Contact Us |