About the Institute
4-H Study of Positive Youth Development
4-H Study Around America
Official Website of State of Alabama
| Alabama for Kids
| Famous People in Alabama
- Alabama was the 22nd state admitted to the Union
- Alabama became a state on December 14, 1819.
- Alabama is the 30th largest state in the United States.
- Among Native American people once living in present Alabama were Alabama (Alibamu),
Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, Koasati, and Mobile.
Official Website of State of
Visit Arizona |
Famous People in Arizona |
Arizona for Kids
- Phoenix, AZ ranks 6th in top 100 biggest cities in United States (pop
- In 1930, at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, AZ, the planet Pluto
was discovered and named
- The most telescopes in the world are in Tucson
- Arizona is the largest producer of copper in the nation, which is why
the AZ state flag features a copper-colored 5-point star in its center
- Arizona, the 48th state admitted into the U.S. and the last of the
contiguous states, became a U.S. state on February 14, 1912.
- According to 2003 U.S. Census estimates, Arizona has the second highest
number (and the 6th highest percentage) of Native Americans of any state in
- The state capital of Arizona is in Phoenix.
- Arizona is considered a "hotspot" for unidentified flying object (UFO)
sightings, there have been 1324 reported sightings between 1946 and 2006.
Official Website of State of Colorado |
Visit Colorado |
Famous People in Colorado
- In Fruita, the town folk celebrate 'Mike the Headless Chicken Day'.
Seems that a farmer named L.A. Olsen cut off Mike's head on September 10,
1945 in anticipation of a chicken dinner - and Mike lived for another 4
years without a head.
- Denver, lays claim to the invention of the cheeseburger. The trademark
for the name Cheeseburger was awarded in 1935 to Louis Ballast.
- Leadville is the highest incorporated city in the United States at
10,430 feet elevation. Because there was lots of "silver" named towns at the
time, the founding fathers suggested Leadville.
- Denver - one city, seven professional sports teams and two back-to-back
- In 1861, Colorado became a U.S. Territory and the 38th state in 1876.
Official Website of State of Delaware |
Famous People in Delaware
| Delaware for Kids
- Delaware was the first state to ratify the United States
constitution. It did so on December 7, 1787.
- Delaware shares a semi-circular border with Pennsylvania.
The border was drawn at the time of the original land grants to
William Penn from King Charles II and the Duke of York.
- The nation's first scheduled steam railroad began in New
Castle in 1831.
- Delaware is the only state without any National Park System
units such as national parks, seashores, historic sites,
battlefields, memorials, and monuments.
- Delmar is popularized as the little town too big for one
state. The community has the distinction of being located partly
in Delaware and partly in Maryland.
- Today about 500 descendants of the original Nanticoke
Indians reside in Delaware. They celebrate their heritage each
September with the Nanticoke Indian Pow Wow.
- The log cabin originated in Finland. Finnish settlers
arrived in Delaware in the mid-1600s and brought with them plans
for the log cabin, one of the enduring symbols of the American
pioneer. One of the cabins has been preserved and is on display
at the Delaware Agricultural Museum in Dover.
- Tradition holds the first time Betsy Ross's famous flag was
flown was at the Battle of Cooch's Bridge. This historic site is
located on route 4 in Newark.
- The Blue Hen chicken is the official state bird. The hens
were noted for their fighting ability. Delaware is sometimes
referred to as the Blue Hen State.
- The Lady Bug is Delaware's official state bug.
- Eleven years after the landing of the English pilgrims the
first white settlement was made on Delaware soil.
- In 1785 Oliver Evans of Newport invented the automatic
flour-milling machinery that revolutionized the industry.
- In total area Delaware ranks 49th in the nation. It contains
1,982 square miles. It is 96 miles long and varies from 9 to 35
miles in width.
- Thomas Garret lost his entire fortune in his battle against
slavery. He was sued by a Maryland slave owner and fined for
aiding a black family in flight. Over his lifetime, Garrett
reportedly helped more than 2,000 fugitive slaves move through
Delaware, an important stop on the Underground Railroad.
- The 87-foot Fenwick Island Lighthouse was painted in 1880
for a total cost of about $5.00.
- Twelve concrete observation towers along the coast were
constructed during World War II to protect the state's coastal
towns from German u-boat attacks.
- Fisher's popcorn is a famous coastal caramel corn. It has
been ordered from as far away as Vietnam and Indonesia.
- Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library, six miles northwest
of Wilmington features one of the world's finest naturalistic
- Hagley Museum was originally the du Pont black powder
manufactory, estate, and gardens.
- Odessa possesses one of the finest collections of late 18th-
and early 19th-century architecture in the middle Atlantic
region. The center of town is on the National Register of
Historic Places and the entire town has been zoned as historic.
- Barratt's Chapel is known as the Cradle of Methodism. It was
built in 1780 and is the oldest surviving church built by and
for Methodists in the United States.
- The Maryland/Delaware boundary and the Mason-Dixon Line
divide Delmar. A double crown stone marker was erected in 1768
as the southern end of the only North-South portion of the
- Horseshoe crabs may be viewed in large numbers up and down
the Delaware shore in May. The crabs endure extremes of
temperature and salinity. They can also go for a year without
eating and have remained basically the same since the days of
- The Du Pont Laboratories first produced nylon at its plant
in Seaford. This earned the town the distinction of being the
Nylon Capital of the World.
- Delaware was named for Lord de la Warr. He was the first
governor of Virginia.
- The Delaware Indians were one of the most advanced tribes of
the eastern United States.
- Wilmington's Delaware History Center is housed in a
renovated, art deco former Woolworth five-and-ten-cent store.
- Quaker merchant Thomas Garret is thought to be the model for
a Quaker farmer in the novel, "Uncle Tom's Cabin." Garret and
famed abolitionist Harriett Tubman worked closely with
Delaware's anti-slavery forces.
- The frying pan built in 1950 for use at the Delmarva Chicken
Festival is 10 feet in diameter and holds 180 gallons of oil and
800 chicken quarters.
- The Delaware Breakwater at Cape Henlopen State Park was the
first structure of its kind in the western hemisphere.
- The town of Milton was named after the English poet John
Milton in 1807.
- Milk was made the official State beverage on June 3, 1983
- On June 30, 2000, the Delaware Diamond, located in the
constellation of Ursa Major was designated as Delaware's State
star. It can be seen with binoculars or a telescope.
Twelve-year-old Amy Nerlinger of Wilmington named the star
through a contest sponsored by the Delaware Museum of Natural
History in the summer of 1999.
- Delaware was the first state to ratify the United States
constitution. It did so on December 7, 1787.
- Although a southern state, Delaware began desegregation of
schools before the Supreme Court ruled segregation in public
schools unconstitutional in 1954
Official Website of State of Florida
| Visit Florida |
Famous People in Florida
- Florida was named by Ponce de Leon, who landed on the coast of Florida,
April 2, 1513.
- St. Augustine was the first permanent European settlement. It was settled
by Spain in 1565.
- Florida was admitted as the 27th state on March 3, 1845.
- The United States city with the highest rate of lightning strikes per
capita is Clearwater
- Gatorade was named for the University of Florida Gators where the drink
was first developed.
- Key West has the highest average temperature in the United States
- Lake Okeechobee is the largest lake in Florida
- Fort Lauderdale is known as the Venice of America because the city has 185
miles of local waterways
- All American space flights are launched from Cape Canaveral
- Florida has 663 miles of beaches
- Walt Disney World!!
- Florida is home to many sports teams:
Official Website of State of Illinois
| Famous People in
- The first Aquarium opened in Chicago, 1893.
- The world's first Skyscraper was built in Chicago, 1885.
- The first Mormon Temple in Illinois was constructed in
- Illinois was the first state to ratify the 13th Amendment to
the Constitution abolishing slavery.
- Des Plaines is home to the first McDonald's.
- Chicago's first African American mayor, Harold Washington,
took office in 1983.
- Home to the Chicago Bears Football Team, Chicago Blackhawk
hockey team, Chicago Bulls basketball team, Chicago Cubs and
Chicago Whitesox baseball teams, Chicago Fire soccer team.
- Peoria is the oldest community in Illinois.
- The Sears Tower, Chicago is the tallest building on the
North American continent.
- Metropolis the home of Superman really exists in Southern
- The NFL's Chicago Bears were first known as the "Staley
Bears". They were organized in 1920, in Decatur.
- Dixon is the boyhood home of President Ronald Reagan.
- Ronald Wilson Regan from Tampico became the 40th president
of the United States in 1980.
- Springfield is the state capital and the home of the
National Historic Site of the home of President and Mrs. Abraham
- Before Abraham Lincoln was elected president he served in
the Illinois legislature and practiced law in Springfield.
Abraham Lincoln is buried just outside Springfield at Lincoln
Tomb State Historic Site
- Chicago is home to the Chicago Water Tower and Pumping
Station, the only buildings to survive the Great Chicago Fire.
- The round Silo for farm storage of silage was first
constructed on a farm in Spring Grove.
- In 1905, president of the Chicago Cubs filed charges against
a fan in the bleachers for catching a fly ball and keeping it.
- The abbreviation "ORD" for Chicago's O'Hare airport comes
from the original name Orchard Field. O'Hare Airport was named
in honor of Lieutenant Commander Edward H. "Butch" O'Hare.
- Comedy showcase "Second City" was founded on North Wells
Street in a former Chinese laundry in 1959
- The Chicago Public Library is the world's largest public
library with a collection of more than 2 million books.
- The Chicago Post Office at 433 West Van Buren is the only
postal facility in the world you can drive a car through.
- The Chicago River is dyed green on Saint Patrick's Day.
- The world's largest cookie and cracker factory, where
Nabisco made 16 billion Oreo cookies in 1995, is located in
Official Website of State of Kansas |
Famous People in Kansas
- Became the 34th state on January 29, 1861.
- The Long Branch Saloon, one of the most historic saloons of the Old West,
stills serves up a brewsky or two and a sarsaparilla at the Boot Hill Museum
in Dodge City, Kansas.
- Established in 1827, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas is the oldest military post
in continuous operation west of the Mississippi.
- Kansas State Game rules prohibits the use of mules to hunt ducks.
- It is illegal to shoot rabbits from a motorboat in the State of Kansas.
- Though most people say that Kansas is "flatter" than a pancake, it
actually slopes from an elevation of more than 4,000 feet long the Colorado
border to 700 feet on the Missouri line.
- At one time it was against the law to serve ice cream on cherry pie in
- William Purvis and Charles Wilson of Goodland, Kansas invented the
helicopter in 1909
- The First United Methodist Church in Hutchinson was built in 1874 during
the time of the grasshopper plagues.
- Helium was discovered in 1905 at the University of Kansas.
- Almon Stowger of El Dorado invented the dial telephone in 1889
- In 1990 Kansas wheat farmers produced enough wheat to make 33 billion
loaves of bread, or enough to provide each person on earth with 6 loaves.
- Kansas produced a record 492.2 million bushels of wheat in 1997, enough to
make 35.9 billion loaves of bread.
- Second only to Texas , there have been more meteorites found in Kansas
than in any other state west of the Mississippi.
- The world famous fast-food chain of Pizza Hut restaurants opened its first
store in Wichita.
Official Website of State of Kentucky
| Famous People in Kentucky
- The world's largest baseball bat, 120 ft. tall & 68,000lbs, stands at the
Louisville Slugger Museum
- More than 500 roses are in the garland presented to the Kentucky Derby
winner each year.
- The Jif plant in Lexington is the largest peanut butter producing facility
in the world.
- Post-It Notes are manufactured exclusively in Cynthiana.
- The first observance of Mother's Day was in Henderson by teacher Mary S.
Wilson in 1887. It was made a national holiday in 1916.
- The great Man o' War won all of his races except one, which he lost to a
horse named Upset.
- Cheeseburgers were first served in 1934 at Kaelin's in Louisville.
- All Chevrolet Corvettes are manufactured in Bowling Green.
- The world's longest cave, Mammoth Cave, was first promoted in 1816, making
it the second oldest tourist attraction in the U.S., preceded only by
- Mammoth Cave is the longest recorded cave system in the world, with over 360
miles explored & mapped
- More than $6 billion worth of gold is held in the underground vaults of Fort
Knox. This is the largest amount of gold stored anywhere in the world.
- The public saw an electric light for the first time in Louisville. Thomas
Edison introduced his incandescent light bulb to crowds at the Southern
Exposition in 1883.
- Middlesboro, Kentucky is one of only a few cities in the U.S. built within a
- Kentucky has more miles of running water than any other state except Alaska.
- In 1792 when Kentucky became the 15th state - the first on the western
- Frankfort was chosen as the capital in 1792 by a commission who was
instructed to choose the town that pledged the largest contribution toward
the construction of a statehouse.
- During the Civil War, Frankfort was the only Union capital occupied by
- Kentucky is one of four states to call itself a "commonwealth."
Official Website of State of Maryland |
Visit Maryland |
Famous People in Maryland
- Maryland is also called the "Old Line State" and "Free State. "The Old
Line" nickname was given during the Revolutionary War, when 400 soldiers in
the First Maryland Regiment fought a British force of 10,000 and helped
General George Washington's army to escape. Washington depended on the
Maryland Line throughout the war, and the soldiers' discipline and bravery
earned Maryland its nickname.
- The Maryland State Dog is the Chesapeake Bay Retriever, a breed that
originated in the state in the early 1800s. It is characterized as an
excellent hunter, good family pet and "worthy friend." It was designated the
official State Dog in 1964
- In 2004, Lacrosse was officially named the Team Sport of Maryland.
Lacrosse is the oldest sport in North America dating back to the 17th
century. Indians played lacrosse to heal the sick and to prepare for war.
- Maryland has been called "America in Miniature" because so much is
packed into its 10,460 square miles of land and water. You can find just
about any kind of natural feature here, except a desert. That's because
water is almost everywhere in Maryland. The "America In Miniature" title
also applies to the role Maryland has played in our nation's history, from
the founding of the United States to the present. And like our country,
Maryland is home to ethnic groups of every origin. Famous Marylanders
include politicians, lawyers, painters, craftspeople, writers, health
professionals and religious leaders. Maryland was home to the first
railroad, the first dental school and the first umbrella factory. And
Maryland inventors gave us the gas light, the linotype machine and the
Official Website of State of Massachusetts |
Famous People in
- 552 original documents pertaining to the Salem witch trials
of 1692 have been preserved and are still stored by the Peabody
- Boston built the first subway system in the United States in
- Although over 30 communities in the colonies eventually
renamed themselves to honor Benjamin Franklin. The Massachusetts
Town of Franklin was the first and changed its name in 1778.
- Norfolk County is the birthplace of four United States
presidents: John Adams, John Quincy Adams, John Fitzgerald
Kennedy and George Herbert Walker Bush.
- In Holyoke, William G. Morgan, created a new game called "Mintonette"
in 1895. After a demonstration given at the YMCA in nearby
Springfield, the name "Mintonette" was replaced with the now
familiar name "Volleyball."
- There is a house in Rockport built entirely of newspaper.
- Hingham's Derby Academy founded in 1784 is the oldest
co-educational school in the United States. Hingham's First
Parish Old Ship Church is the oldest church structure in the
United States in continuous use as a place of worship.
- The Fig Newton was named after Newton, Massachusetts.
- The visible portion of Plymouth Rock is a lumpy fragment of
glacial moraine about the size of a coffee table, with the date
1620 cut into its surface. After being broken, dragged about the
town of Plymouth by ox teams used to inspire Revolutionaries,
and reverently gouged and scraped by 19th-century souvenir
hunters, it is now at rest near the head of Plymouth Harbor.
- The Basketball Hall Of Fame is located in Springfield.
- 1891: The first basketball game was played in Springfield.
- James Michael Curley was the first mayor of Boston to have
an automobile. The plate number was "576" - the number of
letters in "James Michael Curley." The mayor of Boston's
official car still uses the same number on its plate.
- The American industrial revolution began in Lowell. Lowell
was America's first planned industrial city.
- On October 1, 1998, "Say Hello To Someone From
Massachusetts" by Lenny Gomulka, was approved as the official
polka of the Commonwealth.
- 1634: Boston Common became the first public park in America.
- Massachusetts holds the two largest cites in New England,
Boston, the largest, and Worcester.
- The creation of the Cape Cod National Seashore, which was
formerly private town and state owned land, marked the first
time the federal government purchased land for a park.
- Robert Goddard, inventor of the first liquid fueled rocket,
was born and lived much of his life in Worcester and launched
the first rocket fueled with liquid fuel from the neighboring
town of Auburn.
- Quincy boasts the first Dunkin Donuts on Hancock Street and
the first Howard Johnson's on Newport Ave.
- Glaciers formed the islands of Nantucket and Martha's
Vineyard during the ice age.
- The first U.S.Postal zip code in Massachusetts is 01001 at
- Brewster has become the de facto "Wedding Capital of Cape
Cod" because of its many small and larger inns that cater to
- The signs along the Massachusetts Turnpike reading "x miles
to Boston" refer to the distance from that point to the gold
dome of the state house.
- Harvard was the first college established in North America.
Harvard was founded in 1636. Because of Harvard's size there is
no universal mailing address that will work for every office at
- In 1838 the Boston & West Worcester Railroad was the first
railroad to charge commuter fares.
- The Boston University Bridge on Commonwealth Avenue in
Boston is the only place in the world where a boat can sail
under a train driving under a car driving under an airplane.
- The Mather school was founded in Dorchester in 1639. It is
the first free American public school.
- On top of the commercial building on Centre Street in
Jamaica Plain sits a weather vane with a whale on it. The
building was once state headquarters of Greenpeace. - "Save the
- John Adams and John Quincy Adams are buried in the crypt at
the United First Parish Church in Quincy.
- The Children's Museum in Boston displays a giant milk bottle
on the museum's wharf. If it were real it would hold 50,000
gallons of milk and 8,620 gallons of cream.
- The Pilgrim National Wax Museum in Plymouth is the only wax
museum devoted entirely to the Pilgrim's story.
- In 1908, Miss Caroline O. Emmerton purchased The House of
the Seven Gables - built in 1668 - restored it to its present
state and, in 1910, opened the site to the touring public. The
seven-gabled house inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne to write his
famous novel of the same name.
- The Boston Tea Party reenactment takes place in Boston
Harbor every December 16th.
- Massachusetts first began issuing drivers licenses and
registration plates in June of 1903.
- The 3rd Monday in April is a legal holiday in Massachusetts
called Patriot's Day.
- The first Thanksgiving Day was celebrated in Plymouth in
- Charles Goodyear in Woburn first vulcanized rubber in 1839.
- Elias Howe of Boston invented the first sewing machine in
- The first nuclear-powered surface vessel, USS Long Beach CG
(N) 9, was launched at Quincy in 1961.
- The USS Constitution 'Old Ironsides', the oldest fully
commissioned vessel in the US Navy is permanently berthed at
Charlestown Navy Yard. Since 1897 the ship has been overhauled
several times in Dry Dock 1.
- Revere Beach was the first public beach in the United States
and is host to Suffolk Downs horse racing track, Wonderland dog
racing track and a 14-screen cinema complex.
- The official state dessert of Massachusetts is Boston cream
- Milford is known the world over for its unique pink granite,
discovered in the 1870's and quarried for many years to grace
the exteriors of museums, government buildings, monuments and
- Acushnet is the hometown of the Titleist golf ball company.
Official Website of State of Minnesota |
Visit Minnesota |
Famous People in Minnesota |
Minnesota for Kids
- Home to the "Twin Cities" - St. Paul and Minneapolis
- Mall of America in Bloomington, MN is size of 78 football fields and has
500 specialty stores, 50 restaurants, 7 nightclubs and 14 movie theaters!
- A skeleton ("Minnesota Man"), found in 1931 near Pelican Falls, is
believed to date from the late Pleistocene epoch, c.20,000 years ago.
- There are some experts who argue on the that the first Europeans to reach
Minnesota were the Vikings
- At the time the French arrived, the dominant groups of Native Americans
were the Ojibwa in the east and the Sioux in the west.
- Minnesota became a state in 1858.
- Many people come to Minnesota for treatment at the famous Mayo Clinic in
Rochester, and surgeons at the Univ. of Minnesota have won recognition for
their development of new heart-surgery techniques
- Sports teams:
Official Website of State of Mississippi
| Famous People in
- In 1963 the University of Mississippi Medical Center
accomplished the world's first human lung transplant and, on
January 23, 1964, Dr. James D. Hardy performed the world's first
heart transplant surgery.
- Borden's Condensed Milk was first canned in Liberty.
- H.T. Merrill from Luka performed the world's first round
trip trans-oceanic flight in 1928.
- In 1884 the concept of selling shoes in boxes in pairs
(right foot and left foot) occurred in Vicksburg at Phil
Gilbert's Shoe Parlor on Washington Street.
- The first female rural mail carrier in the United States was
Mrs. Mamie Thomas. She delivered mail by buggy to the area southeast
of Vicksburg in 1914.
- Historic Jefferson College, circa 1802, was the first
preparatory school established in the Mississippi Territory.
Located in Washington the educational institution is also the
site where tradition holds Aaron Burr was arraigned for treason
in 1807, beneath what became known as Burr Oaks. Burnita Shelton
Mathews of Hazelhurst was the first woman federal judge in the
United States and served in Washington, the District of
- Dr. Emmette F. Izard of Hazelhurst developed the first fibers of
rayon. They became known as the first real synthetics.
- The first nuclear submarine built in the south was produced
- In 1871 Liberty became the first town in the United States to
erect a Confederate monument.
- Mississippi was the first state in the nation to have a
planned system of junior colleges.
- In 1902 while on a hunting expedition in Sharkey County,
President Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt refused to shoot a captured
bear. This act resulted in the creation of the world-famous teddy
- The world's largest cactus plantation is in Edwards.
- Elvis Presley was born in Tupelo, on January 8, 1935.
- The rarest of North American cranes lives in Mississippi in
the grassy savannas of Jackson County. The Mississippi Sandhill
Crane stands about 44 inches tall and has an eight-foot
- Guy Bush of Tupelo was one of the most valuable players with the
Chicago Cubs. He was on the 1929 World Series team and Babe Ruth hit
his last home run off a ball pitched by Bush.
- S.B. Sam Vick of Oakland played for the New York Yankees and
the Boston Red Sox. He was the only man ever to pinch hit for
the baseball great Babe Ruth.
- Blazon-Flexible Flyer, Inc. in West Point is proclaimed to
make the very best snow sled in the United States, which became
an American tradition. It is called The Flexible Flyer.
- Friendship Cemetery in Columbus has been called Where Flowers
Healed a Nation. It was April 25, 1866, and the Civil War had been
over for a year when the ladies of Columbus decided to decorate both
Confederate and Union soldiers' graves with beautiful bouquets and
garlands of flowers. As a direct result of this kind gesture,
Americans celebrate what has come to be called Memorial Day each
year, an annual observance of recognition of war dead.
- The largest Bible-binding plant in the nation is Norris
Bookbinding Company in Greenwood.
- In 1834 Captain Isaac Ross, whose plantation was in Lorman,
freed his slaves and arranged for them to be sent to Africa, where
they founded the country of Liberia. Recently, representatives of
Liberia visited Lorman and placed a stone at the Captain's gravesite
in honor of his kindness.
- The world's largest cottonwood tree plantation is in
- David Harrison of Columbus owns the patent on the Soft Toilet
Seat. Over 1,000,000 are sold every year.
- The first football player on a Wheaties box was Walter
Payton of Columbia.
- The oldest game in America is stickball. The Choctaw Indians of
Mississippi played the game. Demonstrations can be seen every July
at the Choctaw Indian Fair in Philadelphia.
- The International Checkers Hall of Fame is in Petal.
- Pine Sol was invented in 1929 by Jackson native Harry A. Cole,
- Root beer was invented in Biloxi in 1898 by Edward Adolf
- The Mississippi River is the largest in the United States and is
the nation's chief waterway. Its nickname is Old Man River.
Official Website of State of Montana |
| Famous People in Montana
- Montana is called the "Treasure State"
- As of May 28, 1999 Montana has a numerical speed limit on all of its
- Montana has the shortest river in the world? The Roe River in Great Falls.
- Montana holds the world record for the greatest temperature change in 24
hours? A whopping 103 degrees in Loma!
- Helena became the capital of the State only after a very suspicious and
- There are no major league professional sports teams in Montana, although
there is minor league baseball in Billings, Butte, and Missoula. The
University of Montana Grizzlies and Montana State University Bobcats both
compete in the Big Sky Conference. Skiing is a very popular participation
sport. The state has world-class ski resorts in Big Sky. Other annual
sporting events include the Seeley-Lincoln 100/200 Dog Sled Race between Seely Lake and Lincoln in January and many rodeos statewide.
- The Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1804-1806 was the first group of white
explorers to cross Montana
- Lewis and Clark survived on buffalo meat as they passed through Montana in
1803 to 1804
- The discovery of gold brought many prospectors into the area in the
1860's, and Montana became a territory in 1864.
- During the 1880's railroads crossed Montana, and the territory became a
state in 1889
- Bannack was the site of Montana's first major gold discovery in 1862.
- Bannack is one of the best preserved of all of Montana's ghost towns
- Montana remained a territory for twenty-five years.
- Montana was admitted into the Union as the 41st state on November 8, 1889,
by presidential proclamation of President Benjamin Harrison.
Official Website of State of New
Famous People in New Jersey
- "I'm From New Jersey" is the only state song that is
adaptable to any municipality with a two or three syllable name.
- New Jersey has the highest population density in the U.S. An
average 1,030 people per sq. mi., which is 13 times the national
- New Jersey has the highest percent urban population in the
U.S. with about 90% of the people living in an urban area.
- New Jersey is the only state where all its counties are
classified as metropolitan areas.
- North Jersey is the car theft capital of the world, with
more cars stolen in Newark then any other city. Even the 2
largest cities, NYC and LA put together.
- New Jersey has the most dense system of highways and
railroads in the U.S.
- Picturesque Cape May holds the distinction of being the
oldest seashore resort in the United States and one of the most
- In order to meet the increasing demand for his wire rope
John Roebling opened a factory in Trenton, New Jersey in 1848.
John Roebling, along with his two sons, Washington and
Ferdinand, built a suspension bridge across the gorge of the
Niagara River. They then built the Brooklyn Bridge plus many
other suspension bridges in the United States.
- New Jersey has the most diners in the world and is sometimes
referred to as the diner capital of the world.
- North Jersey has the most shopping malls in one area in the
world with seven major shopping malls in a 25 sq. mile radius.
- New Jersey is home to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis
- Passaic river was the site to the first submarine ride by
inventor John P. Holland.
- New Jersey has over 50 resort cities and towns, some of the
nations most famous, Asbury park, Wildwood, Atlantic City,
Seaside heights, Cape May.
- New Jersey is a leading industrial state and is the largest
chemical producing state in the nation.
- New Jersey is a major seaport state with the largest seaport
in the U.S. located in Elizabeth.
- The light bulb, phonograph (record player), motion picture
projector were invented by Thomas Edison in his Menlo Park
- New Jersey is home to the Miss America pageant held in
- Atlantic City is where the street names came from for the
- Atlantic City has the longest boardwalk in the world.
- New Jersey has the largest petroleum containment area
outside of the Middle East countries.
- The first Indian reservation was in New Jersey.
- New Jersey has the tallest water tower in the world.
- Two-thirds of the world's eggplant is grown in New Jersey.
- The first baseball game was played in Hoboken.
- The first intercollegiate football game was played in New
Brunswick, in 1869. Rutgers College played Princeton. Rutgers
- The first Drive-In Movie theatre was opened in Camden.
- New Jersey has 108 toxic waste dumps, which is the most in
any one state in the nation.
- New Jersey has a spoon museum featuring over 5,400 spoons
from every state and almost every country.
- Origin of name: From the Channel Isle of Jersey.
- Tourism is the second-largest industry in New Jersey.
- In 1977, New Jersey voters approved legislation allowing
legalized casino gambling in Atlantic City.
- State motto is liberty and prosperity.
- Fair Haven is believed to have been seasonally inhabited by
native Indians prior to the coming of European settlers in the
- Parsippany has been named Tree City USA for 24 consecutive
- Software and software related companies account for nearly
2,700 companies in New Jersey.
Official Website of State of New York |
Visit New York |
Famous People in New York
- The total length of the New York State boundary is 1,430 miles.
- The first railroad in America ran between Albany and Schenectady, a
distance of 11 miles.
- The Catskills are the home of the legend of Rip Van Winkle, brown trout
and fly casting.
- "Uncle Sam" was a meatpacker from Troy, New York. During the War of
1812, Sam Wilson stamped "U.S. Beef" on his products and soldiers
interpreted that as Uncle Sam. His caricature later came to personify the
United States. His gravesite is located in Oakwood Cemetery in Troy.
- The term "The Big Apple" was coined by touring jazz musicians of the
1930s who used the slang expression "apple" for any town or city. Therefore,
to play New York City is to play the big time - The Big Apple.
- New York City is knows as the city that never sleeps.
- The Statue of Liberty was formally presented to the U.S. Minister to
France, Levi Parsons on July 4, 1884 by Ferdinand Lesseps, representing the
Franco-American Union. The Statue of Liberty (dedicated in 1886 in the
harbor), with its famous inscription, "Give me your tired, your poor, your
huddled masses yearning to breathe free," was the first symbol of America's
Official Website of State of North Carolina |
Famous People in North Carolina
- North Carolina has over 450 golf courses
- The first state art museum in the country is located in Raleigh.
- The University of North Carolina was the first public university in the
United States to open its doors.
- The first English colony in America was located on Roanoke Island.
- The first outdoor drama in America, The Lost Colony, is staged every year
in Manteo, North Carolina.
- The first x-ray photograph was made on January 12, 1896 , by Dr. Henry
Louis Smith of Greensboro.
- Cabarrus County, North Carolina was the site of America's first gold rush.
- North Carolina established the first state-supported symphony orchestra in
the nation in 1946.
- The nation's first black textile mill was owned and operated by Warren C.
Coleman of Concord, North Carolina.
- Harriet Abigail Morrison Irwin of Mecklenburg County was the first
American woman to receive a patent for architectural innovation.
- In 1969, North Carolina chartered the first totally natural habitat zoo in
the United States.
- In 1942, Thomas Oxendine of Pembroke became the first Native American to
graduate from the United States Naval Flight School.
- In 1992, Eva Clayton became the first woman in North Carolina history
elected to Congress.
- The first Pepsi was created and served in New Bern, North Carolina in
- Rock hounding for gems and minerals, panning or prospecting for gold,
treasure hunting for coins, jewelry and gold nuggets, are popular hobbies in
- Home to the Furniture Capital of the World (High Point), the Golf Capital
of the World (Pinehurst), the Chair Capital of the World (Thomasville), the
Hosiery Capital of the World (Burlington), the Pottery Capital of the World
(Seagrove), and the Barbeque Capital of the World (Lexington).
- Babe Ruth hit his first professional home run in Fayetteville on March 7,
Official Website of State of North Dakota |
Famous People in North Dakota
- North Dakota grows more sunflowers than any other state.
- Ellendale's oldest attraction is the Opera House. Built in 1909 it has a seating capacity for 1000 patrons.
- Kenmare is the Goose Capital of North Dakota . Kenmare is the hunting haven of the north with an annual snow goose count being over 400,000 birds.
- If you are in a covered wagon, it is legal to shoot an Indian on horseback.
- The town of Rugby is the geographical center of North America. A tall stone obelisk marks the location.
- North Dakota is the only state in the nation to never have an earthquake.
- It is illegal to lie down and fall asleep with your shoes on in North Dakota.
- According to FBI data, North Dakota was the safest place in the nation in 2004 and 2005.
- In North Dakota, it is unlawful to serve beer and pretzels at the same time in any bar or restaurant.
- North Dakota has more registered vehicles than it has residents.
- Theodore Roosevelt was sent to live in North Dakota for health reasons. He fell in love with the West and wrote a book titled Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail before becoming a US president. The book was illustrated by famous Western artist Frederick Remington.
- Milk is North Dakota's official state beverage.
- In 1947 and again, in 1989, North Dakota attempted to change its name simply to "Dakota," but the Legislature rejected the idea.
- North Dakota was the first state to complete its Interstate highway system.
- North Dakota hosts almost fifty local and regional rodeos that attract hundreds of cowboys each year.
- The coast line around Lake Sakawea in North Dakota is longer than the California coastline along the Pacific Ocean.
- During the Lewis and Clark expedition, each of the men ate 9-12 pounds of meat per day while staying at Fort Mandan in order to stay warm.
- It wasn't until 1987 that North Dakota passed a law making English the official state language.
- North Dakota has 60 wildlife refuges, more than any other state, and all are managed for waterfowl production.
- More ducks reproduce in North Dakota wetlands than anywhere in the nation.
- North Dakota has more miles of road per capita than any other state - approximately 166 miles of road for every 1,000 people.
- If North Dakota seceded from the Union, it would be the world's third strongest nuclear power.
- President Theodore Roosevelt first came to Dakota Territory in September 1883 to hunt buffalo. Before returning home to New York, he became interested in the cattle business and established the Maltese Cross and Elkhorn Ranches.
- If you wear a hat while dancing in Fargo, you can be jailed. In fact, if you even wear a hat to a place where dancing is going on, you are tempting the law.
- On the Lewis and Clark expedition, the men spent the most amount of time in what is now North Dakota.
Official Website of State of Pennsylvania |
Famous People in Pennsylvania
- State of many firsts:
- First United States Capital - York, PA. Congress adopted
the Articles of Confederation here to become a nation.
- First anti-slavery resolution - 1688, Germantown.
- The first public school in the American Colonies was
established at Philadelphia - 1698.
- First public library - 1731, Philadelphia.
- First institution devoted to science - The American
Philosophical Institution, 1743.
- First school of anatomy in North America - Dr. William
- First medical school - 1765 in The College and Academy
of Philadelphia (now The University of Pennsylvania.)
- First Pharmacy school - 1821 as Philadelphia College of
Pharmacy (now part of University of Sciences in
- First (and only) surrender by George Washington - Fort
- First abolition law -1780.
- First United States Mint - Philadelphia, 1782.
- First pretzel factory - Julius Sturgis, Lititz,
Lancaster County, 1784.
- The first vessel ever moved by steam - Delaware River,
at Philadelphia, by John Fitch, 1786.
- The first Stock Exchange in America - Philadelphia,
- First African-American church - Mother Bethel A.M.E.
Church, Philadelphia, 1794.
- First suspension bridge - 1796 at Uniontown by James
- The first art institution in America - The Pennsylvania
Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, 1805.
- World's first wire cable suspension bridge -1816 near
Philadelphia, by Josiah White and Erskine Hazard.
- First national convention for the Republican Party -
- First oil well - 1859, Titusville (Edwin L. Drake).
- First Civil War battle north of the Mason-Dixon Line -
Hanover, J.E.B. Stuart vs. George Armstrong Custer.
- First zoo - 1874, Philadelphia (chartered in 1859).
- First World's Fair - 1876, Centennial International
- First department store opened - Wanamaker's, 1877, in
- First community illuminated by electricity -
- First taxi service - 1884, Philadelphia.
- First US escalator installed - 1901, Philadelphia.
- First World Series - 1903, Pittsburgh Pirates.
- First Thanksgiving Day Parade - 1919, Philadelphia.
- First municipal airport - Clarion.
- First woman to serve as Speaker of a State House of
Representatives - 1924, Alice M. Bentley.
- First totally air conditioned building - PSFS Building
in Philadelphia, 1932.
- First baseball stadium built for a Black team - Greenlee
Stadium in Pittsburgh, 1933.
- First coast-to-coast highway - Lincoln Highway.
- First African-American woman to be elected a State
Legislator - 1938, Crystal Bird Fauset.
- First non-reservation school for Indians - Carlisle
Indian School, Carlisle.
- First successful siamese twin separation - 1974, Clara
and Altagracia Rodriguez, at Children's Hospital of
- First African-American to serve as Speaker of a State
House of Representatives - 1977, K. Leroy Irvis.
- First bridge to be named for a woman - The Betsy Ross
- First museum for young children - The "Please Touch
Museum for Children" in Philadelphia.
- First indoor zoo - National Aviary, Pittsburgh.
- First Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security -
January 24, 2003, Tom Ridge.
- First to have cable television - 1948, Mahanoy City,
- First to have HBO
- The English Quaker William Penn named Pennsylvania for the
Latin phrase meaning "Penn's Woods"
- The city of Reading is well known for its introduction of
outlet shopping as a tourist industry.
- Pennsylvania has five nuclear power plants.
- Pennsylvania is one of four states known as a Commonwealth.
The others are Massachusetts, Virginia, and Kentucky.
- The Pennsylvania Dutch region in south-central Pennsylvania
include the Old Order Amish, the Old Order Mennonites. They are
common in the rural areas around the cities of Lancaster, York,
and Harrisburg, with smaller numbers extending northeast to the
Lehigh Valley and up the Susquehanna River valley.
- Williamsport, PA is the original home of Little League
Baseball, founded in 1939 as a three-team league. The Little
League World Series is held annually on the other side of the
West Branch Susquehanna River in South Williamsport, where
Little League Baseball now has its headquarters.
- The city of Allentown was made popular by
Joel's 1982 song by the same name.
Official Website of State of Rhode Island |
Visit Rhode Island |
Famous People in Rhode Island
- Rhode Island was the first of the British colonies in America to declare
its independence on May 4, 1776. However, Rhode Island was the last of the
original 13 states to ratify the United States Constitution (May 29, 1790) -
doing so after being threatened of having its exports taxed as a foreign
- Following the Revolution, industrial growth began in Rhode Island. In
1793, Samuel Slater's mill in Pawtucket became America's first successful
water-powered cotton mill. From this success, the Industrial Revolution in
America began. In addition, the founding of the American jewelry industry by
Nehemiah and Seril Dodge helped make Providence one of the chief industrial
cities of New England by 1824. Jabez Gorham, jeweler and silversmith, was
the forerunner of the world renowned Gorham Manufacturing Company.
- Rhode Island Red chickens, first bred in 1854; the start of poultry as a
major American industry
- The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations (commonly known as
Rhode Island) is the smallest state in size in the United States, and the
state with the longest official name.
- In 1637, Anne Hutchinson was banished from Massachusetts for expressing
her beliefs that people could talk to God by themselves, not necessarily
through a minister. She and some others, including William Coddington and
John Clarke, founded the town of Portsmouth on Aquidneck Island. In 1639,
Coddington left Portsmouth and founded Newport on Aquidneck Island.
Official Website of State of South Carolina |
Famous People in South Carolina
- South Carolina has some towns with funny/unusual names like Coward, Due
West, Ninetimes, Ninety Six, Southern Shops, South of the Border, and
- The salamander was given the honor of official state amphibian.
- The City of Myrtle Beach is in the center of the Grand Strand, a 60-mile
crescent of beach on the South Carolina coast. In the last 25 years, Myrtle
Beach has developed into the premier resort destination on the East Coast.
- South Carolina entered the Union on May 23, 1788 and became the 8th state.
- The first battle of the Civil War took place at Fort Sumter.
- South Carolina is the nation's leading peach producer and shipper east of
the Mississippi River.
- The only major league baseball player to wear the name of his hometown on
his uniform was pitcher Bill Voiselle. He wore number 96.
- The Black River Swamp Preserve is located near Andrews. This slow-moving
river is characterized by high concentrations of organic carbon, which
accounts for the tea-colored water and gives rise to the diverse habitats in
its widespread floodplain.
- Sumter has the largest Gingko farm in the world.
- The Board of Public Works in Gaffney built an elevated water storage tank
in the shape of a peach in 1981.
- Duncan Park Baseball Stadium in Spartanburg is the oldest minor league
stadium in the nation.
- A 24-mile motorcycle trail and a 26-mile horse trail are unusual features
of Parsons Mountain Park in the Sumter National Forest.
- Johnston is known as the Peach Capital of the World.
- Orangeburg is known as the "Garden City" because of its beautiful Edisto
Memorial Gardens. The Edisto Memorial Gardens displays past and current
award winning roses from the All-American Rose Selections.
- On Nov 2, 1954 Strom Thurmond became the first US senator elected by
write-in vote. Thurmond received 139,106 write-in votes to win his seat. He
defeated Democratic nominee Edgar Brown, who received only 80,956 votes.
- The Columbia City Ballet, South Carolina's oldest dance company, has
developed into one of the most broadly supported performing arts
organizations in the state.
- There are no major league professional sports teams in South Carolina.
Official Website of State of Tennessee
| Famous People in Tennessee
- Trade, Tennessee in the Northeast corner of the state is the oldest town
and has been a pow wow site since the early 1700s.
- The Great Smoky Mountains National Park was named for the smoke-like
bluish haze that often envelopes these mountains.
- The legendary railroad engineer Casey Jones, who was killed when his train
crashed on April 30, 1900, lived in Jackson, Tennessee
- Nashville's Grand Ole Opry is the longest continuously-running live radio
program in the world. It has broadcast since 1925.
- On August 21, 1920, Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the 19th
amendment to the U.S. Constitution, thus giving the nation's 17 million
women the right to vote
- More Civil War battles were fought in Tennessee than any other state
- Tennessee was the first state to be readmitted after the Civil War
Official Website of State of Texas |
Famous People in Texas
- The only place in the world where they make Dr. Pepper according to the
original formula is in Dublin, Texas. Dr Pepper was invented in Waco in
1885. There is no period after the Dr in Dr Pepper.
- Rodeo is the official state sport of Texas, though High School Football
is more popular.
- In Texas, it's illegal to put graffiti on someone else's cow.
- The world's largest oatmeal cake was baked and built in Bertram, Texas
during Labor Day weekend 1991. The 33-layer cake stood more than 3 feet
tall, weighed 333 pounds, and served 3,333 people.
- On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated during
a motorcade through downtown Dallas.
- The all American meal, the hamburger, was created in Athens, Texas.
- Of the nation's ten largest cities, three are in Texas (Houston, Dallas,
and San Antonio).
- The first word spoken from the moon on July 20, 1969 was "Houston".
- The world's first rodeo was held in Pecos on July 4, 1883.
- Texas is the only state to have the flags of six different nations fly
over it. They are: Spain, France, Mexico, Republic of Texas, Confederate
States and the United States.
- The King Ranch in Texas is bigger than the state of Rhode Island.
Official Website of State of Washington |
Visit Washington |
Famous People in Washington
- The state of Washington is the only state to be named after a United
- Seattle is home to the first revolving restaurant, 1961.
- Washington state produces more apples than any other state in the union.
- Washington state has more glaciers than the other 47 contiguous states
- The highest point in Washington is Mount Rainier. It was named after
Peter Rainier, a British soldier who fought against the Americans in the
- Medina, WA is the home of the United States wealthiest man, Microsoft's
- Microsoft Corporation is located in Redmond.
Official Website of State of Wisconsin |
Famous People in Wisconsin
| Wisconsin for Kids
- The Chippewa, Menominee, Oneida, Potawatomi and Ho Chunk tribes lived in
the area undisturbed until the late 1800s.
- Wisconsin is 26th in area among the 50 states.
- Wisconsin ranks as one of the nation's leading agricultural states with
more than 5.5 billion dollars in farm product sales per year.
- Wisconsin is knows as "America's Dairyland." Wisconsin is a national
leader in butter, cheese and milk production.
- Wisconsin was the first state in American to open a kindergarten in
Watertown, Wisconsin in 1856.
- Wisconsin is the leading producer of Ginseng in the U.S.
- The first ice cream sundae was concocted in Two Rivers in 1881.
- The Ringling Bros were from Baraboo and wintered their world-famous circus
there each winter.
- Green Bay, home of the Packers is known as "Titletown USA."
- Golda Meir, Prime Minister of Israel from 1969-74, was raised in
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