25. In 1939, French Lick Springs, Indiana, made it illegal for black cats not to wear bells on Friday 13th
In 1939, French Lick Springs, Indiana, passed a law requiring all black cats to bells on Friday 13th. A piece of forward-thinking wildlife conservation to help the local birds, you ask? Oh, no – this law is intended to protect people! According to a 1942 New York Times article, it was ‘a war measure to alleviate mental strain upon the populace’. Presumably, hearing a cat’s bell, residents could avoid one crossing their path and bringing bad luck. The article also mentions that when the law wasn’t enforced in 1941, ‘a number of minor mishaps occurred‘. Spooky.
