Minnesota Trivia & Tidbits

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

An Art Deco diner built to look like a railroad car, Mickey's Dining Car was manufactured in New Jersey and shipped by rail to St. Paul where it opened in 1939. The diner has been serving food around-the-clock for 70 years, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

first appeared: 10/18/2009

The state's oldest celebration is Stiftungsfest, begun in 1861 by the Pioneer Maennerchor, a men's singing group, in what now is Norwood Young America (pop. 3,108). The annual founder's day festival is the last full weekend in August.

first appeared: 10/4/2009

A parade of 1,632 all-terrain vehicles rolled through Silver Bay (pop. 2,068) in June and is believed to have set a Guinness World Record for the world's longest ATV parade.

first appeared: 9/20/2009

The state's heaviest pumpkin on record was grown by Chad Revier of New London (pop. 1,066) last year and weighed a whopping 1,427.5 pounds.

first appeared: 9/6/2009

A two-acre Japanese garden provides a serene spot on the campus of Normandale Community College in Bloomington (pop. 85,172).

first appeared: 8/23/2009

In 2004, Lindsay Nielsen of Minneapolis became the first female amputee to complete an Ironman Triathlon. She finished the 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, and 26.2-mile run in 16 hours, 32 minutes, in Madison, Wis. The marathon runner lost her left foot in a freight-train accident at age 14.

first appeared: 8/9/2009

Dave Arneson, co-creator of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy game and a pioneer of role-playing entertainment, was born in 1947 in Hennepin County. He and Gary Gygax developed the game in 1974 using medieval characters and mythical creatures. The game became a hit, especially among teenage boys, and was developed into video games, books and movies.

first appeared: 7/26/2009

—Champion skier Lindsey Vonn is the first American woman to win the prestigious overall World Cup title twice-last year and this year. She was born in 1984 in St. Paul.

first appeared: 6/28/2009

—Begun in the 1930s by merchants in Benson (pop. 3,376), "Kid Day" is held each July and includes events such as a parade and the coronation of the Kid Day king and queen.

first appeared: 6/14/2009

—Since 1971, boats built from milk cartons have been raced at the summertime Aquatennial in Minneapolis. The largest competitor was made with 25,000 cartons and stretched 100 feet.

first appeared: 5/31/2009

—The Bergquist cabin, built in 1870 by Swedish immigrant John Bergquist, is the oldest house in Moorhead (pop. 32,177) still on its original site. The cabin is open each June during the Scandinavian Hjemkomst Festival and by appointment.

first appeared: 5/17/2009

—The Hautman brothers-Jim, of Chaska (pop. 17,449), Bob, of Delano (pop. 3,837), and Joe, of Plymouth (pop. 65,894)-have established themselves as America's foremost family of wildlife artists. They are the only set of brothers to win the Federal Duck Stamp Contest and their work has been featured on more than 40 state and federal conservation stamps.

first appeared: 5/3/2009

–Bert Holbrook, 80, of Waseca (pop. 8,493), has been recognized by Guinness World Records as the oldest known person with Down syndrome. The life expectancy for people with Down syndrome is 55 years.

first appeared: 4/19/2009

—The first woman in the world to cross the ice to both the North and South Poles is explorer Ann Bancroft, born in 1955 in Mendota Heights (pop. 11,434). She traveled by dogsled at the North Pole in 1986 and on skis at the South Pole in 1993.

first appeared: 4/5/2009

—1987 World Series champions the Minnesota Twins were the first team to appear on the famed Wheaties cereal box.

first appeared: 3/22/2009

—“Sitting still” isn’t a requirement for elementary students of Abby Brown, a teacher in Marine on St. Croix (pop. 602), who invented the AlphaBetter standing desk. Students stand or perch on a stool while they work.

first appeared: 3/8/2009

—You might be waiting a while if you agree to meet someone at “Long Lake” in this state nicknamed “Land of 10,000 Lakes.” At least 91 different lakes are named “Long Lake.”

first appeared: 2/22/2009

—In 1913, pitcher Leslie Ambrose Bush, dubbed “Bullet Joe” because of his throwing speed, became the youngest pitcher to win a World Series game. Born in 1892 in Brainerd (pop. 13,178), Bush was 20 years and 315 days old when he led the Philadelphia Athletics over the New York Giants during the third game of the series.

first appeared: 2/8/2009

—The only major waterfall on the entire Mississippi River is St. Anthony Falls in Minneapolis, which was harnessed in the mid-1800s to provide power for the pioneering milling town.

first appeared: 1/11/2009

—With 12 city parks covering more than 115 acres, Montevideo (pop. 5,346) has earned the nickname “City of Parks.”

first appeared: 12/29/2008

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