In Mississippi, it is considered a federal offence to Dine-n-Dash on a check that is over $25. In California, it is only petty theft.
100 Mind-Blowing Federal Facts
In America, it is a federal crime to use your roommate or friend’s Netflix account.
A woman was elected to Congress before women’s suffrage. American women were given the right to vote in 1920, but Jeanette Rankin became the first woman in the U.S. federal office in 1916.
The U.S. treasury once printed $100,000 bills. Between December 18, 1934, and January 9, 1935, the notes with Woodrow Wilson’s face were issued to Federal Reserve Banks but never went out to the general public—which is probably for the best. Can you imagine losing that bill?
A seaman once set a ship on fire to get out of work early. One of the “don’t-try-this-at-home” fun facts: A civil employee once started a fire that ravaged the nuclear submarine USS Miami which was docked at a Naval Shipyard. Though the cause of the fire was unclear at first, civilian employee Casey J. Fury soon admitted to starting the fire for an early dismissal from work. Fury was sentenced to 17 years in federal prison and ordered to pay $400 million in damages.
The Pentagon has twice the number of bathrooms it needs. The US Department of Defence’s headquarters was constructed during the time of racial segregation, and as such, an extra set of facilities was created for African American employees. In 1941, before the Pentagon’s construction was complete, President Franklin D. Roosevelt prohibited racial segregation within federal organisations. Not only did the Pentagon end up with twice as many bathrooms as necessary, but twice as many cafeterias too!
While most laws surrounding graffiti are local, there is a federal law prohibiting railroad vandalism. The law is a strategy to prevent trespassing on railroad property and vandalism affecting railroad safety. Their main concern in creating this law was safety.
In 2022, the Federal Trade Commission received more than 1.1 million reports of identity theft (US News)
A Coin Can Last Around 30 Years: Coins stay in circulation for about 30 years, which is when they become too worn to use. At that time, the Federal Reserve takes them out of circulation and melts them down to use for other purposes.
The Highest Bill Denomination Issued by the US Was $100,000: Printed in 1934 and featuring President Woodrow Wilson, this $100,000 bill was a gold certificate currency that was never intended for public use. Instead, it was meant only for official transactions between Federal Reserve Banks. The last time this banknote was printed was in 1945, and it can’t be legally held by collectors.