Florida Trivia & Tidbits - Page 8

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

Miles of book stalls and readings by hundreds of authors attract bookworms to the Miami Book Fair International each November at Miami Dade College. The event is billed as the nation’s largest book fair.

first appeared: 6/20/2004

In 1861, the Florida Railroad Co. completed the track connecting the Atlantic Coast to the Gulf of Mexico—from Fernandina Beach (pop. 10,549) to Cedar Key (pop. 790).

first appeared: 6/13/2004

Rain most likely is forecast for St. Cloud (pop. 20,074), where near-daily thunderstorms lured scientists in 1946 to conduct weather research.

first appeared: 6/6/2004

The 1887 Ponce de Leon Hotel in St. Augustine (pop. 11,592) is believed to be the nation’s first large-scale building constructed from poured concrete.

first appeared: 5/30/2004

In 1988, 50-year-old Bobby Allison became the oldest NASCAR driver to win the Daytona 500 race in Daytona Beach.

first appeared: 5/23/2004

The state’s first commercial oil field was drilled in 1943 by Humble Oil and Refining Co. at Sunniland in Collier County. Seventeen other oil fields quickly sprang up nearby.

first appeared: 5/16/2004

While living in a houseboat in Key West (pop. 25,478), treasure hunter Mel Fisher spent 16 years searching for the Atocha, a Spanish galleon lost at sea in 1622. In 1985, he recovered the ship’s treasures valued at $400 million.

first appeared: 5/9/2004

More than 450 varieties of camellias, the largest collection outside of California, bloom at Harry P. Leu Gardens in Orlando.

first appeared: 5/2/2004

Francisco “Pipin” Ferreras of Miami set the world record for no-limits free diving on Oct. 13, 2003, after descending 558 feet on one breath into Los Cabos Bay in Mexico.

first appeared: 4/25/2004

The state bird, the mockingbird, is a superb mimic, often repeating in quick succession as many as 30 phrases from other birds’ songs.

first appeared: 4/18/2004

The state animal is the Florida panther, chosen in 1982 by a statewide student vote. Now endangered, the animal has been protected from legal hunting in Florida since 1958.

first appeared: 4/11/2004

The state butterfly is the zebra longwing, commonly seen in south Florida. The black and yellow butterfly sleeps so soundly that one can be lifted off its roost and returned without waking any of the rest of its family.

first appeared: 4/4/2004

The National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola (pop. 56,255) features more than 140 restored aircraft representing the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard.

first appeared: 3/28/2004

The state’s alligators are found in freshwater, whereas crocodiles prefer brackish or saltwater. The latter are an endangered species in Florida.

first appeared: 3/21/2004

One of the world’s largest living captive Atlantic coral reefs can be found at the Museum of Discovery and Science in Fort Lauderdale.

first appeared: 3/14/2004

The state is home to two rivers with the same name: the Withla-coochee in north-central Florida (Madison County) and a Withlacoochee in central Florida. They have nothing in common except the name.

first appeared: 3/7/2004

The water hyacinth, a beautifully flowered aquatic plant, was introduced to Florida accidentally in the 1880s. It spread so rapidly that it now restricts commercial navigation on parts of the St. Johns River.

first appeared: 2/29/2004

The state’s 1,197 miles of coastline include 663 miles of beaches.

first appeared: 2/22/2004

Florida built its first governor’s mansion in 1907 because, as one newspaper editorial put it, “since the Governor receives but $3,500 per year, he must do the best he can at boarding houses and hotels, precluding proper social functions expected of a head of State.”

first appeared: 2/15/2004

The Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens at Delray Beach is a unique museum dedicated exclusively to the living culture of Japan.

first appeared: 2/8/2004

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