Did you know there is a traffic light in Syracuse, New York that doesn’t follow the rules. Green is on top, red is on the bottom….and it’s definitely not a mistake. It’s a strong statement.

At the intersection of Tompkins Street and Milton Avenue, in a borough called Tipperary Hill. In the 1920s, this was a working-class Irish area, and when the city installed a standard red-over-green traffic signal, it didn’t go down well.

To the locals, red above green looked too much like the British flag lording over Ireland. So they started throwing rocks to smash the red lens. Over and over again. (they jokingly called them “Irish confetti.”)

Eventually, the city gave in. The light was flipped….green on top, red on the bottom…and in 1928, the state signed off on the arrangement.

It’s still there today. A small but defiant Irish gesture….