Florida Trivia & Tidbits - Page 7

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

One of the nation's oldest publicly held companies, Dixon Ticonderoga in Heathrow (pop. 4,068) started making pencils in 1829, and by 1872 was producing 86,000 pencils a day. In 1997, the company introduced a new crayon made from soybean oil.

first appeared: 1/2/2005

Using parts from a Model-T Ford and a World War I airplane, Ed Frank of Naples (pop. 20,976) built the first swamp buggy about 1919 to navigate the Everglades.

first appeared: 12/19/2004

In 1914, the world’s first scheduled commercial airline, the St. Petersburg–Tampa Airboat Line, offered two round trips daily.

first appeared: 12/5/2004

Encompassing 840 square miles, Jacksonville is the largest U.S. city in land area in the contiguous 48 states.

first appeared: 11/21/2004

Branford (pop. 695) makes a splash with cave divers for the many springs that feed the Suwannee, Ichetucknee and Santa Fe rivers.

first appeared: 11/7/2004

In the late 1880s and early 1890s, the U.S. Postal Service contracted with "barefoot mailmen" to deliver mail between Palm Beach (pop. 10,468) and Miami. They walked 80 miles of the 136-mile roundtrip journey barefoot on sandy beaches.

first appeared: 10/24/2004

In 1918, Florida became the last state to issue statewide license plates.

first appeared: 10/10/2004

Novelist Ann Taylor Cook of Tampa struck a pose as the 1928 model for the Gerber baby.

first appeared: 10/3/2004

The Ted Williams Museum and Hitters Hall of Fame in Hernando (pop. 8,253) honors baseball’s famous hitter who batted .406 in 1941 for the Boston Red Sox.

first appeared: 9/19/2004

Dedicated in 1943, the Monument of States in Kissimmee (pop. 47,814) is a 50-foot tower of rocks signed by governors from every state.

first appeared: 9/12/2004

In 1886, inventor Thomas Edison built a winter home in Fort Myers (pop. 48,208), and his friend, automaker Henry Ford, bought the neighboring property in 1915. Both homes are now part of the Edison & Ford Winter Estates and open to the public.

first appeared: 9/5/2004

Since the 1960s, sunset watchers have flocked to Mallory Square in Key West (pop. 25,478) for the nightly Sunset Celebration, which includes performers and artists.

first appeared: 8/29/2004

Ray Charles, who moved to Greenville (pop. 837) as an infant, pioneered soul music with his blend of blues and gospel. Charles, 73, died in June.

first appeared: 8/22/2004

Jessica Porter, 20, of Hudson (pop. 12,765) began in May 2003 to stitch a memorial quilt for the family of every soldier killed in Iraq. With help from volunteers, she completed her 500th quilt in June.

first appeared: 8/15/2004

Sharks teeth are free souvenirs along the beaches in Venice (pop. 21,000), the “Sharks Tooth Capital of the World.”

first appeared: 8/8/2004

Known as “Dr. Beach,” Stephen Leatherman, a professor at Florida International University in Miami, annually ranks the nation’s best beaches.

first appeared: 8/1/2004

Old Christ Church, built in 1832 in Pensacola (pop. 56,255), is the state’s oldest church still standing at its original location.

first appeared: 7/25/2004

The 1954 classic monster movie Creature from the Black Lagoon was filmed at Wakulla Springs State Park near Tallahassee.

first appeared: 7/18/2004

Published since 1854, the Fernandina Beach News-Leader in Fernandina Beach (pop. 10,549) is the state’s oldest weekly newspaper.

first appeared: 7/11/2004

Daytona Beach (pop. 64,112) is named for pioneer Mathias Day who built the first hotel, the Palmetto House, in 1874.

first appeared: 6/27/2004

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