Louisiana Trivia & Tidbits - Page 4

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

—The state’s most popular baby names in 2005 for girls were Madison, Emma, Emily, Hannah and Olivia. The top five boys’ names were Ethan, Michael, Joshua, Jacob and Christopher, according to the Social Security Administration.

first appeared: 4/8/2007

—Mansura (pop. 1,573) is the “Cochon de Lait Capital of the World.” The French term refers to the style of cooking a pig over an open fire. Each May, the town holds the traditional pig roast.

first appeared: 3/25/2007

—One of the first geodesic domes for large-scale industrial use was built in 1958 by the Union Tank Car Co. in Baton Rouge. The dome was designed by Robert Buckminster Fuller.

first appeared: 3/11/2007

—The names of about 3,000 people identified as Acadian refugees are engraved on 12 bronze plaques and framed in granite at the Acadian Memorial in St. Martinville (pop. 6,989). The Acadians landed in the area from Nova Scotia and the northeastern American colonies in the mid-1700s. MISSISSIPPI—Established in 1812, Hancock County (pop. 42,967) is named after John Hancock, the first signer of the Declaration of Independence, who may be best remembered for his bold signature.

first appeared: 2/27/2007

—Founded in 1953, Fluker’s in Port Allen (pop. 5,278) is among the nation’s oldest and largest cricket farms. Millions of crickets are bred and sold—primarily to pet stores—by the farm each week. The insects also are covered with chocolate and sold for human treats.

first appeared: 2/11/2007

—U.S. Naval Capt. Albert Weisbogel received the Medal of Honor—twice. In peacetime acts of valor, Weisbogel jumped overboard to rescue a crewmember of the USS Benicia in 1874. Two years later, he repeated the heroic act while serving on the USS Plymouth. Weisbogel was born in 1844 in New Orleans.

first appeared: 1/28/2007

In 1934, machinist Ernest Hansen of New Orleans invented a Sno-Bliz motorized ice shaver for making syrup-flavored “sno-ball” treats at his city stand. Granddaughter Ashley Hansen continues the sweet family business and maintains the beloved city landmark.

first appeared: 1/14/2007

—Donnie Sistrunk Jr. and his 15-year-old son, Rusty, grew a state-record watermelon—a whopping 252.4 pounder—in a patch outside their home in Converse (pop. 400). They cut the melon from the vine in August.

first appeared: 12/17/2006

—On the grounds of the Capitol in Baton Rouge stands the Old Arsenal Powder Magazine, one of the city’s oldest landmarks. Built around 1838, the building was used to store ammunition and was an important staging area for the Mexican War.

first appeared: 12/3/2006

—Bunkie (pop. 4,662) was named by Capt. Samuel Haas, who donated land in 1882 for a railroad right-of-way. Haas had given his daughter a toy monkey, which she mispronounced as “bunkie,” giving him the idea for the town’s name.

first appeared: 11/19/2006

—Fred’s Lounge in Mamou (pop. 3,566) is known worldwide as the home of Cajun music. For more than 40 years, a live Cajun music show has been broadcast from the local bar and eatery. The Saturday morning show is broadcast by KVPI Radio in nearby Ville Platte (pop. 8,145).

first appeared: 11/5/2006

—Louisiana is the only state that offers tax-free shopping for international visitors. More than 1,000 retailers participate in the Louisiana Tax Free Shopping program. Shoppers, who show a foreign passport when purchasing goods, are issued a voucher for a sales-tax refund.

first appeared: 10/22/2006

—One of the state’s best areas for sailing is Cypremort Point State Park on Vermilion Bay between Grand Isle (pop. 1,541) and Cameron (pop. 1,965). The park has a sand launch especially designed for catamarans and windsurfers.

first appeared: 10/8/2006

Clinton (pop. 1,998) boasts several architectural treasures, including the East Feliciana Parish Courthouse, built in 1840 and still in use, and nearby Lawyers Row with Greek Revival buildings from the same era.

first appeared: 9/24/2006

Built in 1898, the Creole House in French Settlement (pop. 945) is typical of dwellings built in the late 1800s from cypress trees, which were plentiful in the surrounding swamps. The Creole House has served as a town hall for the village, but today is a museum.

first appeared: 9/10/2006

The Chitimacha Tribe in Charenton (pop. 1,944) has been known since ancient times for its intricate basket weaving, an art continued by a few Chitimachas today. River cane is gathered, split and dyed for the single and double-woven baskets.

first appeared: 8/27/2006

America's only floating hotel barge, River Explorer, is based in New Orleans. The barge accommodates 198 guests on rolling excursions down inland waterways, including the Mississippi, Cumberland and Ohio rivers, with shore stops at river towns.

first appeared: 8/13/2006

Billed as the world's largest revolving lounge, Altitude 33 is on the 33rd floor of the World Trade Center in New Orleans. The club offers visitors a chance to sip and spin while enjoying a 360-degree view of the city.

first appeared: 7/30/2006

One of the nation's leading early architects was Henry Hobson Richardson, who designed Trinity Church in Boston and the Albany (N.Y.) City Hall. He was born in 1838 at Priestly Plantation in St. James Parish (pop. 21,216).

first appeared: 7/16/2006

More than 2,000 alligators inhabit the Insta-Gator Ranch and Hatchery Education Foundation in Covington (pop. 8,483), where visitors can learn about the state's alligator industry—from hatchlings to handbags.

first appeared: 7/2/2006

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