One fun fact you've never learned about each of the 50 states

Madeline Diamond,Mykenna ManieceMay 29, 2024, 06:56 IST

Barrels of bourbon at the Jim Beam Distillery in Clermont, Kentucky in 2020.Bryan Woolston/Stringer/Getty Images

You probably learned basic facts about your home state like its flower or bird.
But there are many more fun facts you might not know.

Thanks to elementary school projects and random trivia games, you probably remember a few fun facts about your home state like the official bird, flower, or dessert.

But there are plenty of more obscure fun facts about each of the 50 states that may surprise you.

From New York being the first state to require license plates to Hawaii having the highest life expectancy rate, here's a fact about each state that'll impress your colleagues and give you a boost next time you play "Jeopardy!"

ALABAMA: There's a store in Alabama that sells unclaimed baggage.

Baggage claim.anek.soowannaphoom/Shutterstock

ALASKA: The northernmost city in the US, Utqiaġvik, Alaska, experiences periods of uninterrupted daylight and darkness.

Utqiaġvik, Alaska.Real Window Creative/Shutterstock

ARIZONA: The bola tie is the official state neckwear of Arizona.

A bola tie.aastock/Shutterstock

ARKANSAS: The most expensive diamond ever discovered in the US was found in Arkansas.

The Esperanza Diamond placed in comparison to a 1.5 carat diamond and a dime.Jeff Gritchen/Digital First Media/Orange County Register via Getty Images

CALIFORNIA: The state is home to over 100 ghost towns.

Ghost town of Bodie, California.Eric Kruszewski/Design Pics Editorial/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

COLORADO: There has never been a US president or vice president born in Colorado.

Denver.Andrew Zarivny/Shutterstock

CONNECTICUT: The first phone book in the US was printed in New Haven in 1878.

Hand pointing to a line in a phone book.Michal Mrozek/Shutterstock

DELAWARE: Chickens outnumber people 200-to-1 in Delaware.

Chickens on a farm.PeopleImages.com - Yuri A/Shutterstock

FLORIDA: Disney World in Orlando is a no-fly zone.

The Haunted Mansion is a popular location for this activity.Park Troopers/Unsplash

GEORGIA: There were four other state capitals before Atlanta.

Atlanta.Sean Pavone/Shutterstock

HAWAII: Hawaii has the highest life expectancy out of any state.

Aerial view of the Na Pali coast in Kauai, Hawaii.MNStudio/Shutterstock

IDAHO: At 7,993 feet deep, the Snake River in Hells Canyon is the deepest river gorge in North America.

Hells Canyon.Robert Crum/Shutterstock

ILLINOIS: The Prairie State should be re-nicknamed the Pumpkin State — it produces more pumpkins annually than any other state in the US.

Pumpkin patch in Waterman, Illinois.WhiteBlush/Shutterstock

INDIANA: It's illegal to catch a fish with your bare hands.

Man fishing in Columbus, Indiana.James Kirkikis/Shutterstock

IOWA: Pigs outnumber the human population in Iowa by about 7-to-1.

Pig farming is a huge industry in Iowa.Alexander Raths/Shutterstock

KANSAS: Natural gas deposits in the state are some of the most helium-rich in the world.

Helium balloons.Irina Yusupova/Shutterstock

KENTUCKY: There are more barrels of bourbon than people in Kentucky.

Barrels of bourbon at the Jim Beam Distillery in Clermont, Kentucky in 2020.Bryan Woolston/Stringer/Getty Images

LOUISIANA: Milk is the official state drink.

Milk.NaturalBox/Shutterstock

MAINE: The state has its own desert in Freeport.

Desert of Maine.Jill Brady/Contributor/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images

MARYLAND: The first Ouija board was invented in Maryland.

A Ouija board.Couperfield/Shutterstock

MASSACHUSETTS: Basketball was invented in Springfield.

Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics during the second round of Eastern Conference playoffs.Adam Glanzman/Stringer/Getty Images

MICHIGAN: No matter where you are in the state, you'll never be more than 85 miles from one of the Great Lakes.

Lake Michigan.Shutterstock

MINNESOTA: Minnesota has the highest proportion of public golf courses.

There is a huge golfing population in Minnesota.Sam Greenwood/Getty Images

MISSISSIPPI: Barq's Root Beer was invented in Biloxi.

A root beer float.Shutterstock/Brent Hofacker

MISSOURI: The first successful parachute jump from a moving plane (what we now call skydiving) was completed in Missouri.

Skydiving.Mauricio Graiki/Shutterstock

MONTANA: In 1972, Loma, Montana, set the world record for the largest temperature increase in 24 hours.

Montana winter.Galyna Andrushko/Shutterstock

NEBRASKA: Kool-Aid is the official state soft drink of Nebraska.

Kool-Aid.dcwcreations/Shutterstock

NEVADA: Nearly half of all the wild horses in the US are in Nevada.

Wild horses.James Marvin Phelps/Shutterstock

NEW HAMPSHIRE: Alan B. Shepard Jr., the first American to travel into space, was from New Hampshire.

American astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr.Space Frontiers/Stringer/Getty Images

NEW JERSEY: During the Revolutionary War, more battles were fought in New Jersey than in any other colony.

Revolutionary War reenactment.Kevin M. McCarthy/Shutterstock

NEW MEXICO: Santa Fe, New Mexico, is 7,000 feet above sea level, making it the state capital with the highest elevation in the country.

Santa Fe, New Mexico.Shutterstock

NEW YORK: New York was the first state to require license plates on cars.

New York City traffic.Andriy Blokhin/Shutterstock

NORTH CAROLINA: North Carolina produces the most sweet potatoes out of all the 50 states.

Sweet potatoes.mama_mia/Shutterstock

NORTH DAKOTA: Rugby, North Dakota, is home to the geographical center of North America.

"Geographical Center of North America" monument in Rugby, North Dakota.Sue Smith/Shutterstock

OHIO: Ohio has the only state flag in the US that isn't rectangular.

Ohio's state flag.John Moore/Staff/Getty Images

OKLAHOMA: There are more man-made lakes in Oklahoma than in any other state.

Lake Texoma.Donna Beeler/Shutterstock

OREGON: Portland, Oregon, has more breweries than almost any other city in the world.

Beer.Joshua Rainey Photography/Shutterstock

PENNSYLVANIA: The first public zoo in the US opened in 1874 in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia Zoo.Kate Iniakina/Shutterstock

RHODE ISLAND: The first polo club in the US was founded in Rhode Island in 1876.

A polo match.Kento35/Shutterstock

SOUTH CAROLINA: Georgia may be well known for its peaches, but South Carolina actually produces more of the fruit annually.

Peaches.billysfam/Shutterstock

SOUTH DAKOTA: Until its closure in 2002, the Homestake Mine in Lead, South Dakota, was the largest and deepest gold mine in North America.

Homestake Mine, South Dakota, in 1900.History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

TENNESSEE: The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited National Park in the US.

The Newfound Gap in the Great Smoky Mountains.Sean Pavone/Shutterstock

TEXAS: Dr Pepper was invented in Texas in 1885.

Soda.Andrey Ch/Shutterstock

UTAH: Utah is the only state where every county includes a part of a national forest.

Dixie National Forest.Thierry Guinet/Shutterstock

VERMONT: Vermont produced 2.05 million gallons of maple syrup in 2023, more than any other state.

Maple syrup.Jonathan Wiggs/Contributor/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

VIRGINIA: The first college fraternity was founded in the College of William & Mary in 1776.

The campus of William & Mary.Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

WASHINGTON: Washington produces six out of every 10 apples consumed in the US.

Apple orchard near Lynden, Washington.Margaretha Maryk/Shutterstock

WEST VIRGINIA: West Virginia's name was almost "Kanawha."

Welcome to West Virginia sign.LesPalenik/Shutterstock

WISCONSIN: The QWERTY keyboard was invented in Wisconsin.

A person typing on a laptop.ArthurStock/Shutterstock

WYOMING: Wyoming was the first state in the country to have a female governor.

Nellie Tayloe Ross.Bettmann/Contributor

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