“Ever Heard of Tar and Feathering? Yeah, It’s as Wild as It Sounds…”

Okay, so I fell down a weird little history rabbit hole the other day—and I have to share this with you. Have you ever heard of something called tar and feathering?

No? Buckle up, because it’s one of the most bizarre (and honestly, kind of terrifying) punishments people used to do back in the day.

So, What Is Tar and Feathering?

Imagine this: you infuriate someone—like, seriously infuriate them—perhaps by collecting taxes or backing the wrong side of a political dispute. Instead of resolving it with words or through legal channels, a mob seizes you, douses your body in scalding hot tar, and covers you in feathers, transforming you into a nightmarish version of a chicken costume.

And then? They march you through the streets for everyone to laugh at.

Yeah. That was a real thing.

Wait, They Actually Did This?

Oh yeah. Especially in colonial America during the 1700s and around the time of the American Revolution. If a community thought someone was being shady—say, a tax collector who worked for the British—they’d sometimes skip the legal process altogether and do this instead. It was basically a form of public shaming, meant to embarrass the person so badly that they’d either fall in line or get out of town.

That Sounds… Really Painful?

It was. The tar wasn’t just some warm syrup—it was boiling hot. People got burned, seriously. Some were permanently injured. And don’t even get me started on how hard it must’ve been to get feathers off your skin once that stuff cooled. Not exactly a spa treatment.

The goal wasn’t to kill, but to humiliate. Still, it could go horribly wrong. And remember, this was done by regular folks—angry mobs—not doctors or anyone who knew how to treat wounds afterward.

Why Did They Do That Instead of Going to Court?

Back then, especially in the colonies, people didn’t always trust the government—or they were the government. A lot of times, it felt like nobody was really in charge, so people took justice into their own hands. Sometimes that meant standing up for what they believed in… other times, it meant pouring tar on someone and tossing feathers like confetti.

Wild times.

Honestly? It just shows how different things were—not always in a good way. Today, we have (thankfully) better systems for justice, even if they’re not perfect. Tar and feathering reminds us how mob mentality can spiral out of control when there’s no accountability.

Plus, it’s just one of those bizarre stories that makes you go, “Wait, what?!”

So yeah… next time you think you’ve had a rough day at work, just remember: at least no one covered you in tar and feathers.

History, man. It never gets boring.