When we talk about 10 outdated practices, we often picture scenes from centuries ago, yet many of these relics crept well into the modern era. From laws that still criminalize love to execution methods that survived past the age of enlightenment, the following list uncovers the surprising longevity of some truly archaic customs.
10 Arrests For Homosexuality
It may feel like a relic of the past, but arrests on the basis of homosexuality are still happening. Despite the repeal of sodomy statutes across most of the United States by 2003, a handful of men have continued to be detained for “attempted crimes against nature” since 2011, showing that the legal shadow lingers.
Back in 1998, Harris County officers responded to a disturbance and discovered two men violating Texas’ sodomy law. Their arrest set the stage for Lawrence v. Texas, which the Supreme Court finally ruled in favor of the defendants in 2003, striking down the statute nationwide.
Even after that landmark decision, 13 states have stubbornly refused to repeal their anti‑sodomy provisions, meaning consensual same‑sex activity can still be deemed illegal in pockets of the country.
9 Execution By Guillotine
The guillotine, once hailed as a humane way to deliver capital punishment, remained in use far later than most assume. First introduced under Louis XVI as a supposedly merciful method, it paradoxically claimed his own life in 1793.
Fast forward to 1977, when Hamida Djandoubi, a Tunisian immigrant, was executed for murder in France. Doctors reported his head remained conscious for about thirty seconds after the blade fell. Growing opposition to capital punishment and the gruesome nature of the guillotine led France to abolish the practice entirely in 1981.
8 Denying Women The Right To Vote
Switzerland, often seen as progressive, lagged behind on women’s suffrage. Swiss women finally earned the ballot in 1971, and it took another thirteen years before a woman occupied a ministerial post. The canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden clung to male‑only voting until a 1991 Federal Supreme Court ruling forced change.
Earlier attempts, such as a 1959 referendum that rejected women’s voting rights by a 2‑to‑1 margin, illustrate the slow shift. By 1971, the male electorate finally recognized the century‑long overdue need for gender‑equal voting.
7 Use Of Cavalry In War
Horse‑backed cavalry once dominated battlefields, yet tanks and artillery rendered it obsolete much earlier than many think. The final major cavalry charge occurred during World II, in 1942.
The Italian Savoia Cavalry Regiment, equipped with sabres and even grenades, launched a daring assault on Soviet infantry on August 23, 1942. Six hundred horsemen surged forward against machine‑gun fire, suffering heavy casualties but managing to bridge the gap between Axis forces.
6 The Barter System
Before standardized currency, traders relied on direct exchange—a practice that faded once money arrived. Yet in India’s Assam region, the ancient barter tradition thrives every year.
The Jonbeel Fair, organized by the Tiwas tribe near Guwahati, gathers mountain and plains communities to swap spices, dried fish, medicinal herbs, and more. Though the fair boasts a 600‑year legacy, participants now often travel there in modern hired cars, highlighting the blend of old and new.
5 Death By Firing Squad
Firing squads were a common execution method up to World II, and although their use has waned, they haven’t vanished. The most recent case was Utah’s Ronnie Lee Gardner, put to death in 2010—the first firing‑squad execution in fourteen years and the third since 1977. Utah remains one of only two U.S. states (alongside Oklahoma) that still list the method as an option.
Gardner’s execution was observed through a glass window inside a specially built chamber. He even bore a white circular mark on his heart to guide the shooters, underscoring the stark, almost cinematic, nature of the procedure.
4 Ugly Laws
Mid‑western and western U.S. cities once enforced “Unsightly Beggar Ordinances,” which barred individuals with visible disabilities from appearing in public. Though they sound antiquated, many remained on the books until the 1970s, with Chicago not repealing its version until 1974.
The first such ordinance appeared in San Francisco in 1867, aimed at keeping beggars out of sight as urban populations swelled. These laws targeted the poor, reflecting a preference for hiding poverty rather than confronting it.
3 Execution By Garrote
Spain’s garrote—a method where a condemned person sat while a tightened noose strangled them—was among the most agonizing ways to die. This slow, painful execution persisted until 1974.
Salvador Puig Antich, an anarchist convicted of killing a police officer during Franco’s dictatorship, was executed by garrote on March 2, 1974. The execution sparked widespread protest; after Spain’s transition to democracy, the garrote was abolished and never used again.
2 American Indian Wars
Many assume the American Indian wars ended in the 19th century, yet conflict continued well into the 20th. The Wounded Knee Incident of February 1973 saw about 200 Native American activists seize the town, demanding the U.S. honor its historical promises.
Federal agencies—including the U.S. Marshals, FBI, and National Guard—laid siege to Wounded Knee for 71 days before retaking it. Though the standoff didn’t immediately shift government policy, it thrust Indigenous grievances into the national spotlight.
1 Slavery
Tibet’s history includes a long‑standing system of serfdom, essentially a form of slavery practiced by the elite before China’s 1950s invasion. The upper class owned and sold people as chattel, a grim reality often overlooked.
Remarkably, as late as 1959—just over half a century ago—approximately 98 percent of Tibet’s population lived under serfdom. Even the Dalai Lama was known to have endorsed the practice, which involved brutal tactics such as child rape and severe violence to maintain control.
Himanshu Sharma, the author of this piece, has contributed to outlets like Cracked, Screen Rant, The Gamer, and Forbes. You can follow his work on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or reach out via email.