In summer 1950, polio hit tiny Wytheville, Virginia with brutal force. The first case struck 20-month-old Johnny Seccafico in late June. Soon after, the town of just 5,500 people had 184 cases—one in ...

Wolf Island Road stands out among these haunted thoroughfares. Travelers have reported sightings of ghostly figures and eerie sounds, such as those of a phantom procession. The road itself seems to ...

Oklahoma: where the wind comes sweeping down the plain—and so do some absolutely bizarre laws. Known for its cowboy culture, tornado drills, and more roadside pecan stands than you can count, the ...

California may be known for sunshine, beaches, and Hollywood glam, but the everyday habits of its residents can look completely unhinged to outsiders. To locals, though, these quirks are part of what ...

Arkansas might be known as the Natural State, but it’s also home to a natural language that outsiders just don’t quite get. Whether you’re from the Delta, the Ozarks, or somewhere in between, there’s ...

New York: where the pizza’s legendary, the people are bold, and the laws… well, some of them seem like they were drafted during a 3 a.m. subway ride. From no- masking rules in bowling alleys to ...

The Cane River flows through northwest Louisiana where Caddo Indians once farmed corn and hunted deer. French explorer Louis Juchereau de St. Denis first met the Caddo in 1701, beginning trade between ...

Confederate Lieutenant Henry S. Farley pulled the trigger of a large cannon at Fort Sumter at 4:30 a.m. on April 12, 1861. The shell flew upward through the dark sky over Charleston Harbor and burst ...

A single limestone slab holds the evidence of countless meals prepared by Miwok hands over many centuries. Each of the 1,185 mortar holes represents hours of grinding acorns with stone pestles, ...

1. It’s Illegal to Tap Your Foot to Music in a Tavern Yes, really. A long-standing law bans patrons from keeping time to music in restaurants and bars—so don’t even think about bobbing your head to ...

Built back in 1892 to show off the area’s farming success, this unusual building has been rebuilt several times, with today’s version dating to 1921. What makes it special is its outside walls—covered ...

Ohio: the Buckeye State, where college football is a religion, the weather can’t make up its mind, and the legal code is just as unpredictable. From outlawed fish intoxication to a genuine fear of ...