Florida Trivia & Tidbits
Looking for Florida trivia? Try our list Florida little know facts, tidbits and trivia.
—In 1970, Arthur A. Jones introduced his Nautilus machine, which revolutionized the fitness industry. Jones died at age 80 last year at his home in Ocala (pop. 45,943).
first appeared: 5/4/2008
—Collier County is the state’s official Purple Martin Capital, so designated in 1994. The bluish-black bird is praised for its appetite for flying insects.
first appeared: 3/9/2008
—Songwriter Bobby Braddock, born in 1940 in Lakeland, was co-writer of “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” which won the Country Music Association’s Song of the Year Award for two consecutive years—in 1980 and 1981. He also co-wrote “D-I-V-O-R-C-E” and “Golden Ring,” and wrote “I Wanna Talk About Me.”
first appeared: 2/24/2008
—The state’s first constitution was drafted in 1838 at the State Constitution Convention in St. Joseph and is commemorated at Constitution Convention Museum State Park at Port St. Joe (pop. 3,644).
first appeared: 2/10/2008
—At 23, Barrington Irving, then a senior at Florida Memorial University in Miami Gardens (pop. 2,706), became the first black and the youngest pilot to fly solo around the globe. He completed his 26,800-mile feat in March 2007.
first appeared: 1/27/2008
—The nation’s first publicly funded English-Hebrew charter school, Ben Gamla Charter School, opened in August in Hollywood. Students in kindergarten through eighth grade learn the Hebrew language and culture, but the Jewish religion is not taught.
first appeared: 1/13/2008
—A rare ghost orchid, which grows only in southwestern Florida and Cuba, was discovered last summer growing high in a bald cypress tree at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary near Naples (pop. 20,976). A telescope allowed visitors to view the flower.
first appeared: 12/30/2007
—Hog Island was renamed Honeymoon Isle in 1939 after a New York developer bought the island and built 50 palm-thatched bungalows for honeymooners. Today, the barrier island near Dunedin (pop. 35,691) is a state park and nature-lover’s paradise with one of the few remaining virgin slash pine forests in southern Florida.
first appeared: 12/2/2007
—Believed to be the oldest person to earn the rank of Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts organization, Walter Hart, 88, of Fort Myers (pop. 48,208), received the award in July. Hart had to set aside his Scouting work to serve in World War II.
first appeared: 11/18/2007
—Blackbeard’s blunderbuss—a muzzle-loading firearm—and Capt. Thomas Tew’s pirate’s chest are among the 500 authentic buccaneering and booty artifacts on exhibit at the Pirate Soul Museum in Key West (pop. 25,478).
first appeared: 11/4/2007
—At age 12, golfer Alexis Thompson of Coral Springs became the youngest player to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Open in June. Her father served as her caddy.
GEORGIA—The nation’s tallest air traffic control tower, measuring 398 feet from the base to the top of the lightning rods, is at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The tower was put into operation last year.
first appeared: 10/21/2007
—Nearly 400 primates swing, chatter and play freely on 30 acres at Monkey Jungle in Miami. Monkey Jungle is one of the few protected habitats for endangered primates in the United States.
first appeared: 10/7/2007
—The state’s famous sinkhole at Devil’s Millhopper Geological State Park near Gainesville was created when an underground cavern roof collapsed. A stairway leads to the bottom of the 120-foot-deep sinkhole, where lush vegetation thrives on the limestone walls.
first appeared: 9/30/2007
—Nicholas Toth of Tarpon Springs (pop. 21,003) makes traditional copper and brass diving helmets for sponge divers, continuing the craft he learned from his Greek-immigrant grandfather.
first appeared: 9/9/2007
—Exhibits of shells used throughout history in art, architecture, jewelry, and as money are some of the exhibits at the Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum in Sanibel (pop. 6,064). Local and worldwide shells and mollusks are identified.
first appeared: 8/26/2007
—Completed in 1926 during the pre-Depression Florida boom days, the Stuart Welcome Arch was built to greet travelers to Stuart (pop. 14,633), the “Atlantic Gateway to the Gulf of Mexico.” The stucco arch with domed towers also is known as the Rio-Jensen Arch.
first appeared: 8/12/2007
—The grand centerpiece of Flagler College in St. Augustine (pop. 11,592) is Ponce de Leon Hall, a National Historic Landmark that houses dorm rooms and offices. Built in 1887 as a luxury resort, the building boasts Tiffany windows and rooms once used by celebrity hotel guests, including Presidents Grover Cleveland and Theodore Roosevelt.
first appeared: 7/29/2007
—Rock ’n’ roll star Elvis Presley performed his first indoor concert in 1956 at the Florida Theatre in Jacksonville. Presley met with juvenile court Judge Marion Gooding before the show to discuss his hip movements and which would—and would not—be allowed.
first appeared: 7/15/2007
—In 1972, the Miami Dolphins became the first NFL team to go undefeated in a season, with a 17-0 record and a Super Bowl championship.
first appeared: 7/1/2007
—Born in 1982 in Riviera Beach (pop. 29,884), Devin Hester, a cornerback for the Chicago Bears, became the first player to return an opening Super Bowl kickoff for a touchdown during last February’s championship game between the Bears and the Indianapolis Colts.
first appeared: 6/17/2007
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