facts about all the OGs, sourced from my fact book of 5,000 facts about each state :D
all of the underlined state names link to a video about them, by the way! The videos range from 10 minutes to an hour if anyone is that dedicated to learning about them
@forever-eternal mainly for you but anybody can use this
Connecticut
Connecticut has a lotta smart people! One of the oldest colleges is in this state! Lots of inventors, too, the people who made the cotton gin, sewing machine, and vulcanized rubber come from here
ranks very high in several economic factors such as annual individual salary and median household income as well as teacher’s salaries. CT also ranks high in access to primary healthcare
covered in a lotta woodland and has lots of creatures living in those woodlands!
Samuel Colt invented the revolver and this later became influential in CT being the highest in guns during the civil war
the song Yankee Doodle, according to the book, is CT’s state song
the largest pair of googly eyes were made in Connecticut
The first telephone book was issued in CT
3,000 puppets from all over the world are on display in the University of Connecticut located in Storrs
Connecticut is also know as the “Provisions State” because of how many supplies and cannons it sent to the Continental Congress during the Revolutionary War
Connecticut has the worlds oldest continuously published News Paper
until 1875, the state of Connecticut had two capitals
CT has the nation’s oldest surviving prison
the lollipop was invented in CT
500 historic ships are on display at the Mystic Seaport Museum
60% of CT is covered in woodlands
world’s largest wedding cake was made in CT and it weighed 15,032 lbs (6,818 kg)
CT is home to the world’s first nuclear powered submarine
Delaware
Delaware was home to more than 800,000 peach trees
Was apart of the New Netherlands colony, which later became New York and every other OG that split out of it
the DuPont company in DE became the nation’s largest chemical manufacturers
the Dover International Speedway had a 46 ft (14 m) tall monster named Miles guarding it
for 30~ years, Sussex County held a pumpkin shooting contest where they would try to throw pumpkins as far as possible using things like slingshots
it is illegal to pretend to sleep on a boardwalk bench in Rehoboth Beach
there are more than 250 million chickens living in Delaware
the official state star is the Delaware Diamond in Ursa Major
The state beverage is milk
the Heimlich maneuver was invented in Delaware
Georgia
Has the oldest historically black colleges for women
Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta, GA
people made a shit ton of moonshine in Georgia
In the Loudermilk Boarding House, there are approximately more than 30,000 Elvis related items and a wart supposedly removed from Elvis’s wrist there
Georgia has two official cook-offs, one is for beef and the other is for pork
coca-cola’s secret formula was invented in Atlanta, GA
the Georgia Capitol Museum has a taxidermic two-headed baby cow
the shark tooth is the official state fossil
quartz is the official state gem
there is a three-quarters sized replica of the white house here
the worlds heaviest peach was grown in Georgia at 1 pound, 12 ounces (816.5 g)
Georgia has the largest swamp in North America at 700 square miles (1,813 sq km)
Maryland
Old Bay is used to season Fucking Everything (beer, chips, ice cream, etc.) but you already know that
500 million pounds (227 million kg) of seafood are produced each year
in 1812, Francis Scott Key penned The Star-Spangled Banner, which wasn’t declared the national anthem until 1931
the Ouija board was created in MD
Edgar Allan Poe, born in Boston, settled in Baltimore, MD
MD’s state cat is the calico cat
There are several defunct gold mines in MD
MD has a peach dumpling
the world’s largest crab cake, 300 lbs (136.1 kg) was made in Timonium, MD
Massachusetts
Many big writers come from MA, including E.E Cummings, Emily Dickson, Louisa May Alcott, Phillis Wheatley, and Nathaniel Hawthorne
MA is famous for seafood desserts as well large industries including technology, finance, medicine, and manufacturing
the country’s largest Cranberry producers
of course, we have the Salem Witch Trials which were here which led to imprisonment of 150 men and women and where 20 executions were held
the word Masshole is a word in the Oxford English Dictionary, and yes it is the derogatory term for people from Massachusetts
there is a lake with a ridiculously long name that I refuse to try and type out that is in MA
the official state colors of Massachusetts are blue, green, and cranberry
the state cat of MA is the tabby cat
342 chests of tea were thrown into the harbor. Each thing of tea at the time was in the shape of a rectangle, meant to last roughly a year as each time you made tea, you were to shave a little bit off. It was not actual tea packets, but instead those little rectangles :D (that first sentence is the only thing stated in the book, but there’s a little history lesson for you ^^)
chocolate chips were invented in MA
New Hampshire
Each year, the maple syrup industry in NH produces 150k gallons (567,811 L) of maple syrup
residents are referred to as “Granite Staters” according to the book
the original state constitution, ratified in 1784, is still in use today
NH has 1,300 lakes/ponds and 40 rivers
New Hampshire delegates were the first to sign the Declaration of Independence in 1776
Russian salad dressing was invented in New Hampshire
there are two forests that have been drowned in NH and at low tide, seaweed can be spotted covering the cedar and pine stumps
there’s a building in the shape of a shoe at Benson Park
an eatery in Concord made the worlds largest meatball, it was 222.5 lbs (101 kg)
the state fruit is the pumpkin
the highest wind speeds ever recorded were at 231 mph (372 kph) on Mount Washington in 1934
New Jersey
One of the major industries is IT related stuff and life sciences
saltwater taffy was invented in NJ
there is a floating hot dog stand in NJ on the Delaware River
an ice cream shop in NJ as ham flavored ice cream
a museum in Sterling Hills is dedicated purely to fluorescent socks
there is a city named Marget in NJ, which I mistakenly read as “Margaret”
New York
NY’s state flower is the rose, no specifics, just all roses
NYC served as the US capitol for one year
“experts believe that New York’s 11 Finger Lakes were formed more than two million years ago during the Ice Age” pg 211. The only headcannon thing I get out of that is New York having an extra finger on one of his hands
More than 60 varieties of grapes are grown in the state of New York and is the country’s third largest wine producer
buffalo wings were invented in Buffalo, NY in case anyone was wondering why they’re called that
there’s a museum for drain tiles in Geneva
There’s a legend that says if anyone enters the cave of the evil spirit right beside the Niagara Falls then they will be cursed with bad luck
English Muffins originated in NY
there are approximately 200 languages spoken in NYC
North Carolina
The Venus Fly Trap is the state’s official carnivorous plant
because of a specific type of algae in NC, oysters off the coast turn a green-blue color
Lake Norman has it’s very own cryptid and this lovely guy is called “Normie” the lake monstee
during the year of 2006, thousands of bags of chips washed up to shore after falling off a ship
there is a museum in Durham and it is dedicated to tubas
red and blue are the state’s colors
the official state precious stone is the Emerald
gold is the state mineral
the state is known as the “pig pickin’ capital of the world”
Pennsylvania
Its state bird is the Ruffed Grouse, which looks like a turkey with its tail feathers fluffed out
as we all know, the first Continental Congress was hosted in Philadelphia, PA
is titled the Keystone State because of the role it played in holding everyone together during the first years of the new country
the Coinage Act led to the opening of the very first U.S mint in Philly. For those who don’t know, a mint factory isn’t where mint leaves are harvested, but instead where all of those shiny coins in your pocket are made. There are two of these in the current day U.S. with the one in Philadelphia still open and one also in Denver, CO. If you look on the face side of your quarters, the D or P on the lower right side will tell if it was made in Philly or Denver based on the P or D
there are nearly 300 universities, colleges, and technical schools in the state
there are 55 colleges in Philly alone
the state is home to the worlds largest paint can and the worlds largest clothespin
Pennsylvania is misspelled on the Liberty Bell, it is spelled as “Pensylvania”
The state is know as the “snack food capital of the world” because of the large amount of pretzel, chip, and chocolate factories located within the state
4,600,000 pounds (2.1 million kg) of fresh milk is processed a year at the Penn State Berkey Creamery
Rhode Island
The state drink is coffee-milk
it is stated in the book that Rhode Island became the first colony to officially declare independence from Great Britain, using the Act of Renunciation
a restaurant in RI once server salad made with sea snails
the state can be driven across is a singular hour
The waters of Rhode Island hold more shipwrecks per square mile than any other costal US state
up until 2020, Rhode Island’s official state name was “State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations”
a person from RI once did 302 successful skateboard ollies in a row
the official state shell is the Quahog
the nation’s very first ferry service operated in Rhode Island
roughly 32% of RI is covered in water
there are 40,000 boats registered in Rhode Island
South Carolina
There are roughly 100,000 alligators in South Carolina
A little over 67% of SC is covered in forests
137 battles were fought in SC during the Revolutionary War, which is more than any other colony
SC was the first to secede from the Union during the Civil War
SC is the nation’s top tire producer, making 110k tires on the daily (SC always gave mechanic vibes)
The state snack food is boiled peanuts
there are two towns titled Ketchuptown and Wide Awake in SC (I think it’d be funny if he’s sometimes caught wide awake in the middle of the night eating ketchup straight out of the bottle LMAO)
Lake Murray has its own water monster that has been named “Messie”
from 1964 all the way up until 2004, it was illegal to get a tattoo in South Carolina
THERE ARE 200 KAZOOS ON DISPLAY AT THE KAZOOBIE KAZOOS FACTORY LOCATEF IN BEAUFORT. It is the only place, according to the book, where kazoos are still manufactured
Virginia
Square dancing is Virginia’s official dance
peanuts are a stable of Virginia’s food culture, getting to be in such foods as peanut pie.
a museum in Waverly is entirely peanut-themed
Virginia’s state bag is the Virginia big-eared bat
the state dog is the American foxhound
Virginia has over 300 wineries within the state
