1

Sliced bread

Image: Laura Ockel

Not even the best of inventions are safe from odd bans. In 1943, the U.S. government temporarily banned pre-sliced bread as part of wartime resource conservation .

Thankfully, the ban only lasted a few months. Housewives, bakeries, and even newspapers complained, arguing that sliced bread was a necessity. The ban was lifted quickly due to public backlash.

2

Pinball machines

Image: Louie Castro-Garcia

Believe it or not, from the 1940s until the mid-1970s, pinball machines were outlawed in several major cities, including New York and Chicago. Officials claimed the machines promoted gambling and corruption .

Machines were confiscated and destroyed. The ban finally ended when it was proven that pinball was more skill-based than luck, leading to its revival as a popular arcade game.

3

Yo-Yos

Image: Eric Prouzet

During the 1930s, some U.S. towns banned yo-yos, believing they caused bad luck and distracted children from schoolwork . The fad was seen as both frivolous and superstitious.

Though short-lived, the bans show how something as harmless as a toy could spark moral panic and strange local laws.

4

Christmas

Image: Erwan Hesry

In the 1600s, the Puritans of Massachusetts Bay Colony banned Christmas , claiming it was rooted in pagan traditions and encouraged rowdy behavior .

Anyone caught celebrating risked punishment or fines. It wasn’t until the mid-1800s that Christmas gained widespread acceptance in the U.S.

5

Dancing after midnight

Image: Scott Broome

At different occasions during the 20th century, some cities enforced laws that restricted or outright banned late-night dancing . New York City’s "Cabaret Law" limited dancing to licensed venues only.

Authorities argued it was about maintaining order, but many saw it as cultural repression. By the 1990s, these laws faced strong opposition, and most have since been repealed, allowing nightlife to thrive.

6

Comic books

Image: Waldemar

Comic books have been a scapegoat for different things in different periods. For example, in the 1950s, they came under fire, accused of corrupting America’s youth . Parents, educators, and politicians believed violent and horror-themed comics encouraged delinquency.

Entire towns banned sales, and even public book burnings took place in different corners of the country.

7

Yellow margarine

Image: Marine Le Gac

Being a substitute for butter, margarine was heavily lobbied against by dairy farmers in the late 1800s. Several states passed laws banning margarine dyed yellow to resemble butter .

As a result, margarine was sold plain white, or consumers had to mix in dye packets themselves. These odd restrictions lasted well into the mid-1900s before finally being repealed.

8

Men’s long hair

Image: Siri louis

During the 1960s and 70s, schools across the U.S. cracked down on boys with long hair . Beatles-inspired styles were viewed as rebellious, unclean, and disruptive.

Some students were suspended or expelled over hair length. These policies reflected the cultural clashes of the era.

9

Left-handed writing

Image: Anna Savina

For much of the 19th and early 20th centuries, left-handed students were forced to switch hands . Teachers tied their left arms or punished them until they wrote with their right hand.

This practice was based on superstition and prejudice, with left-handedness considered "wrong" or even sinister.

10

Bathing suits above the knee

Image: Brett Jordan

In the early 1900s, strict laws dictated swimwear modesty at public beaches . Bathing suits that rose above the knee could result in fines or even arrest by "beach police."

Photographs from the time show officers measuring swimsuit lengths with rulers. The bans slowly disappeared as fashion and social norms shifted.

11

Coffee

Image: Jakub Dziubak

In the late 1600s, in Boston, coffee was briefly banned for being considered dangerous and unproductive . Authorities feared it encouraged idleness and vagrancy.

Coffeehouses were seen as gathering places for gossip and dissent. The ban didn’t last long, and coffee soon became a staple of American culture, eventually surpassing tea in popularity.

12

Velvet Elvis paintings

Image: Susan Mohr

In the 1970s and 80s, velvet Elvis paintings became a kitschy art craze. Some towns, embarrassed by the trend, tried banning their sale, calling them indecent or tacky .

Though the bans were rarely enforced, they reflected how taste and morality sometimes crossed into law.

1

He was of French descent

While we think of Paul Revere as an early American icon, his roots lay across the Atlantic. His father, Apollos Rivoire, was a French Huguenot (a member of the French Reformed Church) who fled religious persecution and immigrated to Boston as a teenager.

To fit in his new home, Apollos Americanized the family name to "Revere". Paul was born in late 1734 or early 1735, the son of Apollos and a Boston local called Deborah Hichborn. Apollos was so interested in blending in that he never taught his children to speak and read French. In fact, a young Paul Revere even fought against the French as part of the colonial forces during the French and Indian War.

2

He was an accomplished artisan

Before he was a revolutionary, Revere was a master craftsman. He learned the art of silversmithing from his father and quickly gained a reputation as an accomplished artisan. He designed seals, coats of arms, plate engravings, and silver teapots.

Revere also used his engraving skills to create sharp political cartoons that mocked the British. His most famous artistic work was a sensationalized engraving of the 1770 Boston Massacre. It wasn’t entirely historically accurate, but it spread through the colonies, stirring up the anti-British sentiment that laid the groundwork for the Revolution.

3

He worked as an amateur dentist

When silversmithing work ran slow, Revere picked up a side hustle: dentistry. He started cleaning teeth and crafting dental prosthetics out of animal teeth and walrus ivory for the people of Boston.

This amateur dental career actually led to a major moment in American history. In 1775, Revere’s close friend, Dr. Joseph Warren, was killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill and buried in an unmarked mass grave by British soldiers. A year later, when the bodies were exhumed, the remains were unrecognizable. Yet, Revere was able to identify Warren’s body by recognizing the specific ivory tooth and custom wire bridge he had personally crafted for his friend. It’s widely considered one of the earliest documented cases of forensic dentistry in the United States.

4

He played a key role in early intelligence efforts

Long before the CIA existed, Paul Revere was working as a pioneer of organized American espionage. As a member of the Sons of Liberty, Revere wanted to track British movements closely. In 1774, he helped form a spy group known as "the mechanics" or the "Liberty Boys".

These men were Bostonian blacksmiths, artisans, and laborers who used their ordinary routines to watch British troops, listening for rumors of upcoming military actions. The spies would gather at the city’s historic Green Dragon Tavern to trade secrets and map out British movements.

5

Longfellow's inaccurate poem

If your knowledge of Revere comes from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s famous 1861 poem, "Paul Revere's Ride," you’ve been given a romanticized version of history. Longfellow wrote the poem nearly a century later, on the brink of the American Civil War, to stir up national pride.

In reality, Revere wasn’t a lone rider. The night of April 18, 1775, Revere set out with two other main horsemen: William Dawes and Dr. Samuel Prescott. As they triggered local alarms, dozens of other riders joined the effort. By midnight, more than 40 people were racing across the country, spreading the word. Furthermore, Revere never actually made it to his final destination of Concord. He was captured and briefly detained by a British patrol.

6

He didn’t even own a horse for his midnight ride

It’s hard to imagine the midnight ride without Revere’s faithful steed, but the truth is, Revere didn’t even own a horse when the fateful night arrived. Because he had to be quietly rowed across the Charles River, bringing a horse from Boston was out of the question.

Once he reached Charlestown, he had to find a ride. He ended up borrowing a horse from a sympathetic local merchant called John Larkin. Legend has it that this borrowed mare was named "Brown Beauty". Sadly, after Revere was captured later that night, the soldiers confiscated the horse, and she was never seen again.

7

He didn’t actually say THAT

"The British are coming!" is one of the most famous quotes in American history, but Revere never said it. The countryside was crawling with British soldiers, so his mission had to be very quiet. Yelling at the top of his lungs would have landed him in military prison before he even left town. Instead, he went door to door delivering the warning quietly to specific patriots.

Also, the phrase wouldn’t have made sense to the colonists. At the moment in 1775, the colonists still considered themselves British citizens. Instead, historical accounts indicate that Revere used the phrase, "The Regulars are coming out!" "Regulars" was the standard colonial term for the standing British army troops.

8

His military record wasn't outstanding

Although Revere was a phenomenal community organizer and courier, his transition into traditional military leadership didn’t go smoothly. During the war, he served as a major and later a lieutenant colonel in the Massachusetts State Artillery. His military career hit a disastrous low point in the summer of 1779 during the Penobscot Expedition in modern-day Maine.

The mission was a total failure for the Americans. In the aftermath, Revere was accused of cowardice, laziness, and disobedience. He faced a court-martial and spent several years fighting to clear his name. He was ultimately acquitted of all charges in 1782, but the incident permanently tarnished his dreams of military glory.

9

Fatherhood came early… and often

If you think managing a household today is stressful, consider Paul Revere’s domestic life: he fathered an astonishing 16 children.

He had his first eight children with his first wife, Sarah Orne. Following her death in 1773, he remarried a woman called Rachel Walker, with whom he had another eight children. They crammed this huge family into a small townhouse at 19 North Square in downtown Boston. Amazingly for the 18th century, 11 of his 16 children survived to adulthood.

10

Revere Copper Products, Inc. is still in operation

After the Revolution ended, Revere left politics and went back to industry with some success. He opened a hardware store, a foundry, and the first rolling copper mill in the United States.

In fact, his business supplied the copper used to protect the hull of the USS Constitution. He also cast nearly 1,000 church bells, many of which still ring across New England today. Amazingly, the company he founded, Revere Copper Products, Inc., is still in business. Paul Revere passed away in 1818 at the age of 83, leaving behind a legacy more industrious than a single night’s ride.

1

Havasu Falls, Arizona

Image: Yacov B

Yes, technically, people know about Havasu Falls, but getting there requires permits, careful planning, and a ten-mile hike into the Grand Canyon that'll have your knees filing for divorce. The turquoise water looks Photoshopped, but it isn't—it's caused by calcium carbonate and magnesium that create that otherworldly blue-green glow. Most tourists snap their Grand Canyon photos from the rim and call it a day, completely unaware that this paradise exists below.

2

Linville Falls, North Carolina

Image: Jeff Miller

Tucked in the Blue Ridge Mountains, this waterfall drops in multiple tiers through Linville Gorge , nicknamed the "Grand Canyon of the East." The upper falls plunge 12 feet, followed by the lower section, which drops another 90 feet into the gorge below.

Multiple trail options mean you can customize your effort level, from an easy quarter-mile stroll to more challenging overlooks. The best view? Probably Chimney View, which gives you the full dramatic drop and a sweeping view of the gorge beyond.

3

Potato River Falls, Wisconsin

Image: Paul Pastourmatzis

Potato River Falls sits near the Michigan border in the Northwoods, where many visitors are too distracted by fishing and Friday fish fries to notice the waterfall itself. The falls drop about 90 feet in cascading sections, with observation platforms that make viewing easy —no mountain-goat skills required. The surrounding forest feels wonderfully remote, even though you're only a short walk from the parking area.

4

Natural Falls, Oklahoma

Image: Tien Vu Ngoc

Yes, Oklahoma has waterfalls, and Natural Falls State Park proves it, dropping 77 feet into a surprisingly lush canyon . The trail to the viewing platform takes about ten minutes, making this possibly one of the best effort-to-reward ratios on this list.

The falls flow year-round thanks to a spring-fed creek, though spring brings the most dramatic water volume. A large amphitheater-like alcove behind the falls provided the backdrop for parts of the 1974 movie Where the Red Fern Grows , if you're into vintage cinema trivia. Visit early in the morning to have the place to yourself and contemplate the geographical surprises America still holds.

5

Fall Creek Falls, Tennessee

Image: Joshua Woods

At 256 feet, Fall Creek Falls is one of the tallest waterfalls east of the Mississippi , yet somehow remains less famous than Graceland. Located in a state park of the same name, it's the crown jewel among several waterfalls in the area, meaning you can actually hit multiple cascades in one day if you're feeling ambitious. The main overlook requires minimal effort, but trails wind down to the base if you want the full experience and don't mind plenty of stairs.

6

Alamere Falls, California

Image: Matt Bennett

California has no shortage of waterfalls, but Alamere Falls does something truly special: it drops directly onto the beach . This rare "tidefall" spills over cliffs at Point Reyes National Seashore, creating a scene that looks like a screensaver come to life. Getting there requires an 8-mile round-trip hike that's moderately strenuous but manageable for anyone in reasonable shape. The trail winds through coastal forest before emerging onto wind-swept beaches.

The falls flow strongest in winter and spring when California actually gets rain, becoming a mere trickle by late summer. Time your visit right, and you can stand on the beach while 40-foot waterfalls crash onto sand beside tide pools and sea stacks.

7

Kaaterskill Falls, New York

Image: Joshua Earle

The Catskill Mountains hide New York's tallest waterfall, a two-tiered, 260-foot cascade that inspired Hudson River School painters back when America was young, and landscape painting was the closest thing to Instagram. Kaaterskill Falls sits just off Route 23A, and the short trail to the base viewpoint feels properly wild. Adventurous types sometimes scramble between the tiers, though this requires caution and a complete disregard for your mother's warnings about safety.

Winter transforms the falls into a frozen sculpture, attracting ice climbers who've made interesting life choices. The surrounding forest looks like something from a fairy tale, all moss and ferns and filtered light.

8

Bridal Veil Falls, Colorado

Image: Chad Madden

Bridal Veil Falls near Telluride claims the title of the state's tallest free-falling waterfall at 365 feet . The waterfall cascades like a lace curtain—hence the name—from a hanging valley, and at the top sits a power plant that's somehow still photogenic. The hike up is steep and challenging, gaining about 1,800 feet over roughly two miles, which sounds reasonable until you remember you're doing this at high altitude.

9

Cloudland Canyon Falls, Georgia

Image: Alla Kemelmakher

Georgia surprises people with its waterfalls, and Cloudland Canyon State Park delivers two beauties: Cherokee Falls and Hemlock Falls , accessible via a moderately strenuous trail system. The park sits on the western edge of Lookout Mountain, where the canyon cuts deep into the plateau. Cherokee Falls drops about 60 feet, while Hemlock Falls offers a 95-foot cascade. Both require descending (and later climbing back up) hundreds of stairs, so consider this your ultimate leg-day workout.

10

Fairy Falls, Wyoming

Image: Veenvorm

Yellowstone gets all the geothermal glory, but Fairy Falls offers a quieter experience just a few miles from the madness of Old Faithful. At 200 feet, this ribbon of water drops from the Madison Plateau into a peaceful forest clearing . The trail is about five miles round-trip along old fire roads, flat and easy enough for most fitness levels.

Most Yellowstone visitors stick to the main loop, which means Fairy Falls sees only a fraction of the park's three million annual tourists. The falls flow strongest during spring snowmelt, becoming more modest by late summer.