Hammurabi.

In the code of laws of Hammurabi (1792–1750 B.C.), which is one of the first law codes in history and among the greatest ancient codes, the penalty for medical malpractice was for the doctor's hands to be cut off. (source)

In ancient Babylonia, if a poorly-built home collapsed on the owner, killing him, the architect was executed. If the owner's son was killed in the house collapse, the architect's son was put to death. If the homeowner's wife or daughter was killed, the architect was merely fined. (source)

Since 1624, Members of Parliament in the United Kingdom are only allowed to vacate their seats for reason of death, disqualification or expulsion; they are not allowed to resign. A member who wants to resign has to be appointed to a paid office of the Crown, which disqualifies the member from being a Member of Parliament under a resolution from 1680. So, when a Member of Parliament wants to give up his seat, he is appointed to be either the "Crown Steward and Bailiff of the three Chiltern Hundreds of Stoke, Desborough and Burnham" or the "Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead."

Under Massachusetts' Stubborn Child Act of 1654, parents could put their "stubborn" children to death. (source)

In Fairfax, Virginia, it is illegal to use a pogo stick on the city bus. (source)

In the city of Milwaukee, residents must keep pet elephants on a leash while walking them. (source)

In Kern County, California, it is illegal to play bingo while drunk. (source)

In the United Kingdom, it is an act of treason to place a postage stamp bearing the reigning monarch's image upside-down. (source)

It is illegal to die in the United Kingdom's Houses of Parliament, and it is also illegal to enter them wearing a suit of armour. (source)

It is illegal to drive while blindfolded in the U.S. state of Alabama. (source)

The United States Refuse Act of 1899 is a long-ignored federal statute. It prohibits all industrial discharge into bodies of water. (source)

The City Council of Chico, California, once issued an edict banning nuclear weapons from the city. Anyone caught detonating a nuclear device within the city limits could face a fine of up to $500. (source)

In Belton, Missouri, it is illegal to throw snowballs. (source)

The principle of habeas corpus (Latin for "having the body"), a fundamental guarantee of personal liberty that ensures that no-one can be imprisoned without a specific charge and a proper trial, was passed into law due to a prank. When England's House of Lords met to vote on the principle in 1679, chances of passage were slim until one mischievous vote-tallier counted the "yea" of a very fat peer as ten votes. No-one noticed the joke or called for a recount, and the Act of Habeas Corpus passed into law.

In Milan, it is against the law not to smile, except during a funeral or hospital visit. (source)

"Time immemorial" is defined as beyond the memory of any living person, or a time indefinitely long ago. However, for the purposes of English law, a statute in 1275 decreed that time immemorial was any point in time prior to 1189, the year when Richard I began his reign. (source)

It isn't true that many of the strange, outdated laws that are still on the books in various jurisdictions are never enforced. In 1999, after falling out of his canoe on the Rifle River in Michigan, a 25-year-old man was convicted for violating an 1897 law prohibiting cursing in front of women and children, and sentenced to four days work in a child-care program plus a $75 fine. However, the law was struck down by the Michigan Court of Appeals in 2002 and the conviction thrown out. (source)

In Palm Harbor, Florida, it is illegal to have an artificial lawn. (source)

From all levels of government, Americans get 150,000 new laws and 2 million new regulations every year. (source)