Topic

Law, Crime & Justice

A collection of 31 issues

The Love Letter That Brought the Digital World to its Knees

In May 2000, an email with the subject 'ILOVEYOU' unleashed one of history's most destructive computer worms, causing up to $15 billion in damages. The culprit was quickly identified but never punished, revealing a shocking global blind spot where technology had outpaced the law.

Technology & Innovation History Law, Crime & Justice

How a 17-Syllable Poem Became a Spammer's Worst Nightmare

In the early 2000s, a company named Habeas armed tech giants with a strange weapon against spam: copyrighted poetry. By embedding haikus in email headers, they turned a technical problem into a legal one, allowing them to sue spammers for copyright infringement.

Technology & Innovation Law, Crime & Justice Oddities & Curiosities

A Fowl Felony: Why Chickens Are Banned from Crossing the Road in Quitman, Georgia

The classic joke gets a legal answer in Quitman, Georgia, where an ordinance forbids chickens from crossing the road. More than just a punchline, this peculiar law reveals its practical origins in public safety and animal control from a bygone era.

Law, Crime & Justice History Oddities & Curiosities

One Match, No Rights: The Fire That Forged the Third Reich

A fire ravaged Germany's parliament in 1933. Within hours, the Nazi party used the blaze as a pretext to suspend civil liberties, arresting political opponents and laying the legal groundwork for a dictatorship. The question of who lit the match became terrifyingly irrelevant.

History Politics & Power Law, Crime & Justice

The Solicitors of Liberty: How Jehovah's Witnesses Forged the First Amendment

A surprising number of crucial First Amendment precedents weren't set by politicians, but by Jehovah's Witnesses. Their legal challenges in the 1930s and 40s established foundational rights for all, from the freedom to distribute literature to the right to refuse compelled speech.

History Law, Crime & Justice Religion & Philosophy

Neither Swamp Nor River: The Story of Brazil's Buffalo Police

On Brazil's vast, swampy island of Marajó, where police cars fail, the Búfalo Batalhão patrols on water buffalo. Since the 1990s, this unique unit has used the powerful animals to navigate flooded streets and pursue criminals through difficult terrain.

Law, Crime & Justice Geography & Places Oddities & Curiosities

Loading more posts...