Maryland’s official sport is jousting, a medieval competition where mounted competitors try to dislodge each other with a polearm. The state holds tournaments from May to October, often with competitors wearing medieval costumes. Jousting originated as military training for knights and has a history in Maryland dating back to the late 1700s. It is a […]
Mississippi was the last US state to end alcohol prohibition laws in 1966, over 30 years after national prohibition ended. During prohibition, illegal alcohol was sold in speakeasies and blind pigs. Franklin Roosevelt celebrated the end of prohibition with the first legal beer in Washington, DC. Temperance activists rewrote the Bible to remove references to […]
Mississippi has the highest percentage of same-sex couples raising children in the US, with 26%, followed by Wyoming, Alaska, Idaho, and Montana. Washington, DC has the lowest percentage at less than 9%. Same-sex couples are four times more likely to raise adoptive children. San Antonio has the highest percentage of same-sex couples with children under […]
State of Charge (SOC) is the percentage of full charge remaining in electric or hybrid vehicle batteries. There are four methods to establish the SOC, including chemical analysis, current integration, pressure testing, and voltage-based calculation. A battery’s voltage reading is not a reliable indicator of its charge level. State of Charge (SOC) is a term […]
The orange blossom, or Citrus sinensis, is Florida’s state flower. The sweet-scented white flowers bloom from February to April and are associated with the state’s history of growing and producing oranges. Orange blossom honey, perfume, candies, and tea are made from the flowers. Florida’s state flower is the orange blossom, or Citrus sinensis. Orange blossoms […]
Wyoming was the first US state to allow women to vote and run in 1869, followed by Utah in 1870. New Jersey briefly allowed women to vote from 1790-1807. New Zealand allowed women to vote in 1893 and run in 1919. Finland was the first country to grant full suffrage in 1906. Saudi Arabia and […]
Wyoming has the fewest passports in the US due to its low population, while Mississippi has the lowest percentage of passport holders, with less than 20%. New Jersey has the highest percentage, with nearly 70%, followed by Alaska and Delaware. Over 12 million passports are issued annually, and the maximum number of pages is 96. […]
The meaning of the word “Alabama” has been debated by philologists, with various meanings given over the years. It is likely a combination of Choctaw words meaning “throwners of thickets” and was the name of a Native American tribe in central Alabama. The first written reference to the tribe was by Hernando de Soto in […]
Hoagy Carmichael composed “Georgia on My Mind” in 1930, and Ray Charles popularized it in 1960 with his blues rendition. The song became the official state song of Georgia in 1979. Its origins are unclear, with some sources suggesting it was written for a sister named Georgia, while others claim it was suggested by saxophonist […]
Seven US states have official state dinosaurs, chosen based on fossils found in those states. Colorado’s stegosaurus, Maryland’s astrodon, and Missouri’s Hypsibema missouriensis are among them. Other states have official snacks, toys, and sports. Every state in the United States has a list of official symbols representative of that state’s identity, and there are seven […]
Fairy Stone State Park in Virginia is known for its staurolite crystals, which are said to have been formed from fairy tears at the news of Jesus’ crucifixion. The park offers camping, hiking, swimming, and fishing, and was created from land donated by Julius B. Fishburn in 1933. The land was originally owned by Native […]
North Dakota’s state constitution does not require the governor and other officials to swear in, conflicting with the US constitution. This discrepancy may exclude North Dakota from being a US state, making it a territory until an amendment is passed. There is conflicting language between the North Dakota state constitution and the US constitution, so […]
Dinosaur State Park in Connecticut features a dome displaying over 500 Eubrontes dinosaur tracks dating back 200 million years. The park also has trails, an arboretum, and activities such as trace casting and gem mining. Admission fees apply for the dome display. Dinosaur State Park is a state park in Rocky Hill, Connecticut several miles […]
Stone Mountain State Park in North Carolina covers 14,100 acres and offers outdoor activities such as fishing, camping, rock climbing, and hiking trails. The park also features historical exhibits and a 600-foot-tall granite peak called Stone Mountain. Visitors can fish in the park’s streams, hike on its trails, and camp in its facilities. Stone Mountain […]
Morrow Mountain State Park in North Carolina offers outdoor activities such as hiking, horseback riding, camping, boating, and fishing. It has over 4,000 acres of land, six cabins, and a nature museum. The park is named after James McKnight Morrow and is open year-round. Morrow Mountain State Park is a recreational park operated by the […]
Nevada is the fastest growing state in the US, with a population increase of over 2,000% from 1860 to the late 2000s. Dallas is the fastest growing city in the US, while Beihai and Chongqing in China are the fastest growing cities in the world. Cleveland, Detroit, and Canton in Ohio are the fastest shrinking […]
Maine’s state animal is the moose, the largest species in the deer family. Moose range in North America, northern Asia, and Europe, and Maine’s heavily forested land is excellent habitat. Moose can weigh up to 1,600 pounds and consume 45 kg of vegetation per day. They are not endangered, and licensed hunting is permitted. During […]
The brown thrasher is the state bird of Georgia, chosen by school children in 1928 and officially adopted by the state legislature in 1970. These birds have reddish-brown feathers, curved beaks, and a large range of songs. They migrate to northern states in the summer and live in the southeastern, northeastern, and midwestern states of […]
Idaho’s state flower is the mock orange syringa, chosen following a design contest for the state seal. Syringa is known for its white petals and Native Americans used it for various purposes. The plant was officially adopted as the state flower in 1931, but was already well-established in the minds of Idaho citizens. Idaho’s state […]
The Kansas state seal reflects the state’s culture, history, and concerns. The current version was mandated in 1859 and includes symbols of agriculture, commerce, and migration. The seal was one of the first pieces of legislation passed by the Kansas state legislature and was included in the state flag in 1927. The state seal and […]
