If I were sitting at a café like this in Istanbul four hundred years ago, they'd probably have my head on a platter.

Back then, Ottoman Empire ruler Murad IV banned drinking coffee in public places under penalty of death. Legend has it he'd even disguise himself as a regular person and go around catching violators with an executioner in tow.

The Janissaries and their constant coups were to blame for all this (Murad ended up in power as a kid because of one of them). The sultan was terrified of being overthrown out of nowhere. And where did the military love to hang out and plot? Coffee houses! Made sense to ban it.

That said, nobody actually banned selling coffee or even drinking it publicly outside Istanbul. Heck, the sultan himself enjoyed a cup or two.

But the ban stuck around under the next rulers anyway. Eventually they softened the punishment to a beating for the first offense, and if you got caught again, they'd sew you into a sack and throw you in the Bosphorus. Plus, enforcement got lazier and lazier. By the end of the 18th century it was basically just spies hanging out in coffee houses.

So, want your head chopped off, or can you skip coffee today? 😅

If you've watched even one American crime movie, you've definitely heard about the U.S. Constitution and its amendments (for example, movies often reference the Fifth Amendment, which allows you not to testify against yourself).

It's the most important law in the country and one of the oldest constitutions still in effect in the world. Since 1789, they've adopted 27 amendments to it. Though they've considered almost 12,000 of them (yes, 12 thousand).

Among the rejected ones was the Ludlow Amendment. It proposed putting decisions about the necessity to start military operations outside your territory to a general referendum (except in cases where the country was already attacked). Everyone voting FOR would be obligated to sign up as a volunteer and go to the front. I don't understand why every country doesn't adopt such a rule for itself.

But sadly, the proposal was first introduced in 1914, and the most intense phase of discussion and voting fell during World War II. This heavily influenced public opinion, and in the end, it didn't reach the necessary threshold.

PS. If you're interested, here is a small collection of curious rejected amendments. It's amusing to see how in one year they proposed banning religious leaders from holding public office, and in another year they wanted to write God into the Constitution.

Platform 9¾, you say?

What about Avenue 6½? :)

The other day I happened to notice something strange in the New York City subway: while waiting for my train and letting a couple of others pass, I caught sight of something peculiar—each time, a window opens in the middle of the train car and the conductor points his finger at something. I looked closer and there it was: a black-and-white wooden sign bolted to the ceiling.

I looked it up and found out there's actually a rule: the conductor has to clearly point to this sign before opening the doors. It's kind of an indicator to make sure nobody steps out into the tunnel. They started doing this after 1996, when doors would open a few times while one or two train cars were still in the tunnel. I wonder if they actually check whether employees bother to follow the procedure?

The black-and-white sign is at every station (sometimes more than one, since trains can vary in length).

According to Wikipedia, this practice is widespread in Japan (though I didn't see anything like it when I was there; guess I'll have to go back).

The area is quite forested, with houses located at a considerable distance from each other. During the day, neighbors' houses are practically not visible from the property. At night, their lit windows might give them away, but you can literally count them on the fingers of one hand.