8 harmless things and activities that were banned in the past

1. Bikini

The bikini was designed by French fashion designer Louis Reard. He named it after the atoll of the same name, where the United States conducted an atomic bomb test. And immediately after the appearance of the swimsuit in 1946, in many countries it was considered so provocative and obscene that it was banned by law.

Since 1949 it has become it is forbidden be in a bikini beaches in France. And Germany banned the wearing of such swimwear in public pools until the 1970s. Similar restrictions were introduced in Spain, Italy, Portugal and Australia, as well as in a number of US states.

The Vatican, of course, declared wearing a bikini a sin.

IN USSR the ladies did not even dare to think of getting hold of such a swimsuit, and the party elite condemned the bikini as “capitalist decadence”.

But in the 1950s, the spread of glamor shots of popular actresses and models on both sides of the Atlantic led to popularize the bikini. Swimwear began to be worn despite the prohibitions, and the laws were a thing of the past.

2. Popcorn

Now popcorn and watching a movie are actually inseparable things, but this was not always the case. In the days of silent films, movie theater owners refused to sell this product in their theaters.

The fact is that at the beginning of the 20th century cinema perceived as a form of entertainment for intellectuals. The sessions were attended by gentlemen in tailcoats and ladies in evening dresses.

Can you imagine someone coming to a Shakespeare production or a Verdi opera crunching popcorn and slurping Coke?

So in the cinema halls of those times it was impossible. Their owners sought to create an atmosphere similar to that which prevailed in prestigious theaters. They decorated the rooms with paintings and curtains, covered them with beautiful carpets and were afraid that popcorn could stain and spoil these coverings.

But later, when the films ceased to be dumb, cinema has become a mass entertainment, accessible not only to gentlemen in tailcoats. And food was allowed to be carried into the halls.

Initially, popcorn was offered by street vendors in front of movie theaters. And their owners received extra income for being allowed to sell it in the lobbies of their buildings. But later they realized that they could sell snacks themselves right inside the cinemas.

3. Chess

Attempts to ban them have been made at all times. In medieval Europe, chess was repeatedly attributed to gambling, which was condemned by both secular authorities and the clergy. So, the abbot Bernard of Clairvaux included a ban on them in the charter of the Knights Templar in 1128. And the Bishop of Paris, Odon de Sully, said that the people of the church should not “touch chess and have them at home.

Along with other amusements, this game was once condemned by King Henry III of England and King Louis IX of France. The latter even called chess useless and boring.

True, some gentlemen had nothing against chess. For example, the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, Werner von Orseln, considered them an appropriate occupation for a knight.

Even in our time, chess is no, no, yes, and will fall under some restrictions. The Taliban in Afghanistan have been persecuting players since 2001. They believed that this was a game of chance that distracted the faithful from prayer. And in 2016, chess was banned in Saudi Arabia as a waste of time.

Historian David Shenk claims: the fact is that this game pushed people on thoughtthat their winnings do not depend on passion and luck, but on skill and skill. This means that fate is determined not by the gods and rulers, but by themselves. And this is dangerous free-thinking, by the way.

4. Women's pants

November 17, 1800 in Paris was introduced a law requiring women to obtain permission from the police in order to be allowed to wear trousers.

In 1892, it was amended: it was possible to put on trousers, provided that the lady was holding the reins. horses. Yes exactly! If a woman rides a horse herself, then trousers can be worn, and if with a gentleman or a riding instructor, then let her change into a skirt.

In 1909 the law was changed again. Now trousers were also allowed to be worn if the lady was riding a bicycle. And if she got off him, then you had to keep your hands on the steering wheel.

It was a necessary condition - otherwise, how would the law enforcement officers understand that she did not need to be fined?

In 1969, the city council turned to the then police chief of Paris with a proposal to abolish the law, because no one followed it anyway. But the gendarme refused, saying that the need for it might arise again due to the unpredictable nature of fashion.

Another attempt to repeal the law failed in 2003 when the minister in charge of gender equality, stated that there was no need to change the regulation, which was already not respected.

In general, officially the Parisians allowed wear pants only January 31, 2013. Imagine how much unpaid fines they have accumulated so far?

5. Coffee

Anyone can drink coffee these days. But there were times when it was equated with drugs.

For example, in Mecca of the 16th century, coffee, or, as the Arabs called it, qahwa, was forbidden ruler of the city Khair-bek. He learned that Sufi Muslims in their coffee houses not only drank stimulant drinks, but also talked at night about his policies.

The ruler considered this dangerous free-thinking, arguing his conclusions with the fact that coffee interferes Muslims focus on prayers, and the Koran forbids intoxicating substances. As a result, in 1511, the mayor declared the use of qahwa a violation and ordered all coffee bushes to be burned.

True, the ban did not last even a year. The fact is that the Sultan of Cairo Al-Ashraf Qansuh al-Ghawri himself was a coffee lover. Upon learning that his governor was doing things in the holy city, the ruler ordered an investigation into the misappropriation of funds, found Khair-bek guilty of embezzlement and executed him. And coffee graciously allowed.

Another drink was forbidden in Sweden in 1777 by King Gustav III. This was due to two reasons: the sovereign wanted to reduce the consumption of imported goods and force his subjects to develop the economy.

Under the conditions of the coffee ban, the Swedes would have to import foreign drinks with something of their own, folk. For example, a traditional rosehip broth.

In addition, Gustav hated coffee and was convinced that he unhealthy. He even argued with Carl Linnaeus, a Swedish botanist and taxonomist, trying to convince him of the dangers of the drink.

The king took two twin criminals sentenced to life imprisonment and forced one to drink coffee and the other to tea. True, experiment failed, because the brothers survived the ruler and the one who drank tea died earlier. And the ban on coffee was eventually lifted because its popularity only grew.

6. Football

Nowadays football has become a popular part of popular culture: crowds of people cheer for their teams and watch the match from the stands of the stadiums. But in the Middle Ages, this sport was banned in some countries - for example, in England and Scotland.

The first ban recorded by historians was issued by Edward II of England on April 13, 1314. To him didn't likethat the players are too noisy in the streets. His son Edward III, having ascended the throne, supported his father's law and ordered the fans to do a more useful thing that could really help the country - archery.

Logically, the shooter will be useful on the battlefield. What about a football player? Will the enemy knights kick the ball?

Other kings such as Richard II, Henry IV, Henry V and Henry VIII also forbade this kind of sport during his reign. It is especially funny that the latter was a passionate football player in his youth. But then he changed his mind.

The fact is that then the players did not play in stadiums, but simply on the streets. And when Heinrich calculated how much damage they cause to the treasury, then named this occupation is a "plebeian game" and in 1548 banned it under pain of death. The restriction was lifted only by 1603.

7. Body-building

Nowadays, people who are actively involved in fitness and have impressive muscles cause admiration and envy. But it was not always so.

In the 1960s to the Soviet Union brought film "Hercules" Spanish-Italian production, in which the main role was played by the athlete Steve Reeves.

On today's bodybuilders, raised on a rich protein diet, protein and other achievements modern pharmacology, its form would not have made much of an impression. But for Soviet viewers, Reeves became an idol and inspired many men to start rocking with his appearance alone.

Another icon of Soviet athletes was the Yugoslav actor and gymnast Goiko Mitic, who starred in films produced by the GDR in the 70s.

However, the Soviet government reacted to bodybuilding with distrust. This is a dangerous Western trend. Get choked with their protein in the gym and…

At a meeting of the USSR State Sports Committee in the spring of 1973, bodybuilding banned for ideological reasons. It was believed that developing muscles and posing in front of a mirror without any practical benefit was an anti-Soviet activity. Circus performers were left as the only "legal" strongmen. And all the other jocks were strictly recommended to engage in "functional" sports, and not to build up mass for beauty.

Moreover, bodybuilding was viewed as a "bourgeois" and "capitalist" phenomenon associated with the West. Propaganda powerful muscles and sculpted abs could develop "individualism" and "egoism" in Soviet citizens and undermine the idea of ​​​​communist solidarity.

As a result, bodybuilders forced were to train in the basements of residential buildings, use homemade dumbbells and barbells made from rails and rebar, and smuggle sports nutrition. Well, or buy indecently large quantities of infant formula "Baby" and "Baby" in department stores, causing suspicious looks from sellers.

The bodybuilding ban was withdrawn during the years of perestroika, and then the Soviet bodybuilders, impressed by Schwarzenegger, Stallone and Van Damme were finally able to practice openly, without fear of police raids or Komsomol activists.

8. Bowling

Bowling has been around for thousands of years and has a rich history. And the fans of this game were also persecuted.

For example, in England, King Edward III, who, as we remember, did not get along with football players, in 1366 banned bowling, because he believed that this game distracts people from archery. And therefore, reduces the effectiveness of the training of the village militia. This game was also banned by King Edward IV in 1477. And the already mentioned Henry VIII introduced restrictions on it in 1511.

No, he did not completely ban bowling - he just passed a law according to which allow only the aristocracy could do it. For example, the owners of special yards with lawns had to pay a serious amount of £100 annually for those times, and playing on no-man's lawns and in bars became illegal. The commoners were left to do this only in enclosed spaces and only on an individual basis.

And another English law, accepted in 1541, allowed workers to bowl only at Christmas and only in his master's house and in his presence. This ban was canceled in 1845 - still no one observed it.