34. In 1898, the UK banned gambling in libraries
Public libraries in the UK are sadly an increasingly rare thing today. Public libraries began appearing in the mid-19th century as a government initiative to improve education. Alas, this noble intention was lost on some people. Many people decided to use public libraries as free places to hang out and behave raucously. Things got so bad Parliament passed the Libraries Offences Act in 1898. This made swearing, abusive language and, incredibly, gambling in a library illegal. The gambling aspect remained in force until 2005. Persistently staying after closing hours is still a no-no, to the irritation of British bookworms.
