Georgia Trivia & Tidbits - Page 5

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

Actor Burt Reynolds, who was born in 1936 in Waycross (pop. 15,333), turned to acting after being sidelined by a football injury and became a No. 1 box-office draw in the 1970s. Deliverance was his breakthrough film in 1972.

first appeared: 5/21/2006

The first girl to serve as a page in the U.S. House of Representatives was Gene Cox, 13, daughter of Congressman Edward Eugene Cox of Georgia, in 1939. Gene received $4 and bragging rights for her day's work.

first appeared: 5/14/2006

A 5,200-pound red apple built of steel and concrete is the pride of downtown Cornelia (pop. 3,674). The 7-foot-tall apple, which crowns a pedestal, was dedicated in 1926 and honors Habersham County's apple growers.

first appeared: 4/23/2006

The Georgia Aquarium opened last November in Atlanta and is the world’s largest indoor aquarium, with more than 8 million gallons of fresh and marine water and more than 100,000 aquatic animals. Among the aquarium’s 500 species are the only whale sharks in captivity outside of Asia.

first appeared: 4/9/2006

Tom Forkner and Joe Rogers Sr. opened the first Waffle House in 1955 in Avondale Estates (pop. 2,609) to serve their neighbors. Today, more than 1,400 Waffle House restaurants feed diners in 25 states.

first appeared: 3/26/2006

Millions of undeliverable letters and packages end up in the U.S. Postal Service’s Mail Recovery Center, formerly called "the dead letter office." The Atlanta office is one of three such centers where letters are shredded and unclaimed items are auctioned.

first appeared: 3/12/2006

In 1842, Dr. Crawford Long became the first doctor to use ether as a surgical anesthesia. Born in 1815 in Danielsville (pop. 457), Long first used ether as he removed a cyst from patient James Venable in Jefferson (pop. 3,825).

first appeared: 2/26/2006

In 1946, S. Truett Cathy opened the Dwarf Grill in Hapeville (pop. 6,180). The eatery grew into the Chick-fil-A restaurant chain, with $1.75 billion in sales in 2004. A devout Christian, Cathy closes the restaurants on Sundays so employees can worship and have family time.

first appeared: 2/12/2006

Macon is nicknamed "Cherry Blossom Capital of the World" because of its 275,000 Yoshino cherry trees, which paint the town pink each March. The town’s first 500 cherry trees were planted in 1973.

first appeared: 1/29/2006

In 1942, the town of Wellston changed its name to Warner Robins (pop. 48,804) to honor nearby Robins Air Force Base. The town’s motto is EDIMGIAFAD, or "Every Day In Middle Georgia is Armed Forces Appreciation Day."

first appeared: 1/15/2006

MISS GEORGIA 2006 2006—Monica Pang earned her degree in journalism from the University of Georgia. Pang, whose father is of Chinese heritage, is the first Asian-American to win the Miss Georgia title.

first appeared: 1/8/2006

Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites, one of the nation’s oldest state park systems, celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. The system originated in 1931 with the joining of Indian Springs State Park and Vogel State Park.

first appeared: 1/1/2006

Visitors to Kolomoki Mounds Historic Park in Blakely (pop. 5,696) will find interesting archaeological sites. The park features seven earthen mounds built between 250 and 950 A.D. by the Swift Creek (Kolomoki) and Weeden Island Indians. The mounds include a temple mound, believed to be the state’s oldest; two burial mounds, and four ceremonial mounds.

first appeared: 12/18/2005

The mournful faces carved into oak trees in St. Simons (pop. 13,381) represent the many sailors who died at sea and are known locally as "tree spirits." Sculptor Keith Jennings carved the faces, which seem to peer out from between tree branches.

first appeared: 12/4/2005

The Rev. Howard Finster (circa 1915-2000) created sculpture from bicycle and lawnmower parts and cast-off objects to illustrate Scripture at Paradise Garden, his folk art installation begun in 1961 in Pennville, near Summerville (pop. 4,556).

first appeared: 11/20/2005

Thousands of American Indians called Moundbuilders lived in a city around the Etowah Indian Mounds at Cartersville (pop. 15,925) from 1000 to 1500 A.D. The largest of the six earthen mounds stands 63 feet tall and encompasses three acres. Archeologists believe the giant mound was the site of a priest-chief’s temple.

first appeared: 11/6/2005

Golfing legend Bobby Jones, born in 1902 in Atlanta, won all four major championships—the U.S. Amateur, U.S. Open, British Amateur and British Open—in 1930, earning him the title of Grand Slam Champion. By the time he retired at the age of 28, he had won 13 national championships.

first appeared: 10/23/2005

Since introducing its Tasty Dog Diner in 1959, Diner-Mite Diners in Atlanta has manufactured modular stainless steel diners in several styles and sizes and heaped with nostalgia, such as the Happy Days Diner introduced in 1986.

first appeared: 10/9/2005

Augusta dedicated a life-size bronze statue of entertainer James Brown, known as the "Godfather of Soul," last May. Brown grew up in Augusta where he danced for change on sidewalks that surround the statue.

first appeared: 9/25/2005

Thomas E. Watson, born in 1856 near Thomson (pop. 6,828), was elected to Congress in 1890 on the Farmers’ Alliance ticket and in 1893 introduced a resolution calling for Rural Free Delivery (RFD). In 1896, the first experimental rural mail routes were established in West Virginia.

first appeared: 9/18/2005

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