The Russian Tax on Facial Hair

Peter the Great once forced Russian men to pay for the right to wear a beard. If you refused to shave, you had to carry a physical metal coin as proof that you had paid the government for your facial hair.

During the 18th century, the Tsar wanted to modernize Russia by forcing his people to adopt Western European grooming styles. He famously grabbed shears and personally cut the beards off his court officials to make a point. Citizens who insisted on keeping their beards were taxed heavily to discourage the practice. It was a strange moment where fashion became a matter of state law and national identity.