Delaware Trivia & Tidbits - Page 11

Looking for Delaware trivia? Try our list Delaware little know facts, tidbits and trivia.

Delaware’s state butterfly, the tiger swallowtail, was officially adopted on June 10, 1999 after half of all students in the state voted to support the choice.

first appeared: 5/11/2003

Delaware’s official marine mammal, the horseshoe crab, is more abundant in Delaware Bay than anywhere in the world. The crab’s blood contains substances that can detect bacterial poisons in vaccines and medical devices.

first appeared: 5/4/2003

In Delaware, the honeybee is responsible for pollinating more than $10 million worth of fruits and vegetables produced on some 2,500 farms.

first appeared: 4/27/2003

Each August, Rehoboth Beach (pop. 1,495) draws sculptors to compete in the Delaware State News Sandcastle Contest. Creations have ranged from horseshoe crabs to a likeness of television’s SpongeBob Squarepants.

first appeared: 4/20/2003

The “Delaware Diamond,” a star in the constellation Ursa Major (Great Bear), was designated as the state star in June 2000—the first star in the International Star Registry ever to be registered to a state.

first appeared: 4/13/2003

Part of the Ryves Holt House in Lewes (pop. 2,932) dates to 1665, making it the one of the oldest houses in Delaware. Now a private home, it was once an inn.

first appeared: 4/6/2003

The Duponts, a French-American family that came to the United States in 1800, have long been influential in Delaware history. Building a gunpowder plant in 1802 near Wilmington, the Duponts laid the foundation for industry in the state.

first appeared: 3/30/2003

The village of Cantwell’s Bridge changed its name to Odessa (pop. 286) in 1855, its residents hoping that by re-naming the town after the great Russian grain port on the Black Sea they might revive the town’s importance as a grain shipping center.

first appeared: 3/23/2003

Annie Jump Cannon (1863-1941), daughter of a Delaware state senator, was one of the earliest women to be recognized for work in astronomy. Among her achievements was the publication of a star catalog, including 300 stars she discovered.

first appeared: 3/16/2003

The stagecoach-like passenger cars on Delaware’s earliest railroad, the New Castle and Frenchtown—built in 1832—were pulled by horses.

first appeared: 3/9/2003

Built in 1858, the Fenwick Island Lighthouse originally burned whale oil before being switched to kerosene. Today, the light operates automatically by electricity.

first appeared: 3/2/2003

Before 1861, when federal money was first printed, the Bank of Delaware issued $3 bills.

first appeared: 2/23/2003

Thanks to an efficient, low-paperwork corporation law, more than 300,000 companies are incorporated in Delaware, including 60 percent of all Fortune 500 companies.

first appeared: 2/16/2003

The Treasures of the Sea exhibit at Delaware Technical and Community College in Georgetown (pop. 4,643) contains artifacts valued at more than $4 million from a 1622 shipwreck.

first appeared: 2/9/2003

Lewes (pop. 2,932) was raided by pirates in 1690 and 1698. Shortly after the last raid, the town passed an ordinance requiring all citizens to own a musket and ammunition for protection.

first appeared: 2/2/2003

The first state to ratify the U.S. Constitution, Delaware was also the first to have its own commemorative state quarter minted in 1999.

first appeared: 1/26/2003

The U.S. Air Force Base at Dover is home to the Air Mobility Command Museum with more than 35 airplanes on display, including World War II craft such as a B17G Flying Fortress and P51D Mustang.

first appeared: 1/19/2003

Anthony Christy, keeper of the Christiana Lighthouse in Delaware Bay, died on duty in 1862 at the age of 105, the oldest lighthouse keeper on record.

first appeared: 1/12/2003

A number of Delaware villages are named after places where roads meet, either at a corner or crossroad, as in Shaft Ox Corner (or Argos, Pine Tree, Mastens, and Workmans corners) and Hitchens Crossroads (or Coverdale, Hearns, and Lowes crossroads).

first appeared: 1/5/2003

The 20-year-old Marquis de LaFayette saw his first military action in America at the Battle of Brandywine, Sept. 11, 1777, where he was wounded in the leg, fighting alongside Gen. Washington.

first appeared: 12/29/2002

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