13 Quirky Historical Facts That Are Hard for Kansans to Believe

America’s history has had its serious moments, wars, speeches, and revolutions. But tucked between those chapters are stories that sound more like tall tales than textbook facts.

We’re talking about outlawed ice cream cones, marathon runners fueled by rat poison, and a president who may have gotten pulled over for speeding… in a horse-drawn carriage.

Some of these moments are hilarious. Others are surprisingly well documented. All of them prove that Americans have always found creative (and occasionally absurd) ways to make history.

Ready to peek into the country’s oddball past? Here are 15 quirky historical USA facts that are hard for Kansans to believe actually happened.

The Government Once Sent Children Through the Mail

When the U.S. Postal Service launched Parcel Post in 1913, some rural families realized it was cheaper to “mail” their children to relatives than buy train tickets.

So they did.

Postal workers became unexpected babysitters, escorting children to their destinations.

The children weren’t stuffed in boxes, postal carriers escorted them. But technically, they were mailed, complete with stamps on their clothes.

The practice was short-lived. The Postal Service quickly clarified the rules to ban mailing humans.

Rabbit Hash Elects Dogs as Mayors

In the small Kentucky town of Rabbit Hash, the mayor’s office is literally a dog’s domain. The first canine mayor, Goofy Borneman-Calhoun, took office in 1998.

The Cincinnati Enquirer traces the tradition in “Rabbit Hash mayors through the years.”

Each “election” is also a fundraiser, votes cost a dollar, and the proceeds go toward preserving the town’s historic structures.

Subsequent mayors have included Junior and Lucy Lou, all canine, all beloved.

The town embraces the whimsy, no laws passed, just tail wags and tourist selfies.

A Town Banned Dancing for Over 80 Years

For decades, the town of Elmore City, Oklahoma prohibited public dancing after a 19th-century law labeled it “satanic behavior.”

The ban lasted until 1980, when high school students successfully lobbied to hold their first prom.

The fight wasn’t just about a dance, it turned into a generational showdown between tradition and teenagers armed with disco dreams.

Church leaders argued it would lead to “drunkenness and sin,” while students simply wanted a night of music and celebration.

The town’s battle directly inspired the hit film Footloose, cementing Elmore City’s quirky ordinance into pop culture history.

It’s a perfect example of how small-town quirks sometimes ripple across pop culture.

A Town Accidentally Elected a Dead Man as Mayor

In 2018, the small town of Tracy City, Tennessee accidentally elected a deceased man, Carl Robin Geary, as mayor.

Geary passed away weeks before the election, but his name remained on the ballot, and he still won by a landslide.

The news spread fast, and locals embraced the irony. Yard signs stayed up, and some residents joked that at least “he wouldn’t raise taxes.” It became the kind of story that small towns tell for years.

Residents said they voted for Geary because they preferred him over the incumbent, not out of confusion.

The town eventually appointed someone else, but the story stands as one of America’s strangest local elections.

America’s Weirdest Olympic Marathon Involved Rat Poison

The 1904 St. Louis Olympics produced a marathon so chaotic it felt like a prank. Roads weren’t closed, cars kicked up dust, and one runner took rat poison as “stimulant.”

One competitor stopped for snacks—like actual snacks—while another nearly collapsed from dust inhalation.

Officials even considered shortening the course because of the heat.

And yet, medals were awarded, history was made, and the marathon became a cautionary tale in how not to run a race.

Sometimes “progress” is just learning not to give runners strychnine.

Some Oregon Counties Want to Join Idaho

A movement called Greater Idaho seeks to shift Oregon’s eastern counties into Idaho. Ballotpedia reports that 13 counties have approved ballot measures in favor of joining Idaho.

The idea isn’t entirely new, similar boundary-shifting proposals have popped up throughout U.S. history whenever rural and urban politics clash.

Proponents say their values align more with Idaho’s politics and hope for better representation. Critics call it impractical and legally complicated.

Achieving this would require both Oregon and Idaho legislatures, and Congress, to approve, making it a long shot.

Nevertheless, it persists as a symbol of ideological divides in rural America.

Ulysses Grant: Arrested (Possibly) for Speeding

Some accounts claim that President Ulysses S. Grant was arrested in 1872 for speeding in a horse-drawn carriage.

According to later interviews with Officer William West, Grant even returned the next day to apologize for his fast driving, a moment that added to the story’s legendary status.

But official records are murky.

The National Park Service notes that one documented speeding stop was in 1866, before he became president, though later newspaper accounts attribute a 1872 arrest.

Still, the story endures and casts a snapshot of a president pulled over like an ordinary driver.

Christmas Was Once Banned in Massachusetts

Between 1659 and 1681, the Massachusetts Bay Colony made it illegal to celebrate Christmas, fining anyone caught feasting or gathering in its honor.

Massachusetts’s official site details the “Penalty for Keeping Christmas” statute.

For many Puritans, the holiday was associated with drunken revelry and pagan customs. a far cry from today’s twinkling lights and cocoa.

The Puritans viewed the holiday as a corrupt, superstitious import.

For years, December 25 was just another working day, no public feasts, no decorations. Only after the Restoration did Christmas regain favor in New England.

George Washington Ran One of the Biggest Whiskey Distilleries

America’s first president wasn’t just about politics and powdered wigs. In his later years, George Washington operated a whiskey distillery, which became one of the largest in the country by 1799.

His operation used five stills and a massive workforce, making it a surprisingly advanced enterprise for the time.

He produced thousands of gallons of rye whiskey annually, using enslaved laborers to run the operation.

It was both highly profitable and surprisingly modern for the time.

Today, the distillery has been reconstructed at Mount Vernon, and yes, you can buy a bottle of Washington’s whiskey.

A U.S. Congressman Literally Beat a Senator With a Cane

In 1856, Representative Preston Brooks attacked Senator Charles Sumner on the Senate floor with a cane, beating him nearly to death after a heated speech about slavery.

The attack took place in broad daylight in the Senate chamber, shocking spectators who witnessed it unfold in real time.

The incident shocked the nation and widened the rift between North and South.

Brooks became a hero in some Southern states, receiving hundreds of replacement canes engraved with messages like “Hit him again!”

It’s one of the most violent episodes in congressional history.

Lobsters Used to Be Food for Prisoners

In colonial New England, lobsters were so plentiful that they washed up on beaches in piles. As a result, they were considered “poor people’s food”.

One account even describes servants demanding in their contracts not to be fed lobster more than a few times per week.

Prisoners were fed lobster regularly, sometimes to the point of complaining.

One Massachusetts law even forbade feeding prisoners lobster more than three times a week, it was considered cruel.

Fast forward to today, and lobster is a luxury item on fancy menus.

A Tiny Wyoming Town Was Sold at Auction

In 2012, the one-person town of Buford, Wyoming was sold at auction for $900,000. The sale included buildings, land, and a gas station.

The auction drew worldwide attention, with bidders calling in from multiple countries for a shot at owning their own town.

The buyer was a businessman from Vietnam, who renamed it “PhinDeli Town Buford” after a coffee brand.

It wasn’t the only quirky real estate sale.

In 2014, the town of Swett, South Dakota was listed for $399,000, complete with a tavern and a “haunted” reputation.

A U.S. Navy Ship Was Once Mysteriously “Teleported” (or So People Believed)

The Philadelphia Experiment became one of the strangest military legends of the 20th century. The story claims the Navy teleported a destroyer escort ship in 1943 during a top-secret experiment.

The tale likely grew from misunderstood naval radar tests, sailors’ gossip, and postwar conspiracy writers eager to add mystery to military tech.