Mississippi Trivia & Tidbits

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

Founded in 1871, Alcorn State University near Lorman in Claiborne County (pop. 11,831) was the nation's first state-supported institution for the higher education of African Americans.

first appeared: 1/24/2010

The rock band 3 Doors Down, formed in Escatawpa (pop. 3,566) in 1994, has sold more than 16 million records. The band found national success in 2000 with its debut album, The Better Life.

first appeared: 1/10/2010

Panola County (pop. 34,274) was established in 1836. The county's name is derived from an American Indian word that means "cotton."

first appeared: 12/27/2009

The speed limit on the campus of the University of Mississippi at Oxford (pop. 11,756) is 18 mph to honor the jersey number of former star football quarterback Archie Manning.

first appeared: 12/13/2009

Although he was the King of Rock 'n' Roll, Elvis Presley's three Grammy awards were for gospel songs. As a young boy, he attended the First Assembly of God Church in East Tupelo, where he sang and learned to play guitar chords. The church was relocated last year to his birthplace in Tupelo (pop. 34,211).

first appeared: 11/29/2009

An old-fashioned general store, the Williams Brothers Store in Williamsville, near Philadelphia (pop. 7,303), has been operated by the Williams family since 1907 and sells goods from groceries to fence posts.

first appeared: 11/15/2009

Completed in 1860, Provine Chapel at Mississippi College in Clinton (pop. 23,347) was occupied by troops during the Civil War and was called by architect Frank Lloyd Wright one of the best remaining examples of antebellum architecture.

first appeared: 11/1/2009

Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi (pop. 50,644) will be home to the Air Force's new Undergraduate Cyberspace Training Unit, a program that will teach students how to protect communications networks. The program is scheduled to begin next year with about 615 students.

first appeared: 10/18/2009

The top poultry-producing region in the United States stretches from Woodville (pop. 1,192) to Starkville (pop. 21,869) and generated $1.78 billion in poultry and egg sales in 2007.

first appeared: 10/4/2009

Buddy's Jeans, made in New Hebron (pop. 447), were designed and originally manufactured by Buddy Steverson, a rancher and rodeo cowboy who wanted jeans that were as dependable as his horse and sold in odd sizes. Buddy's Jeans are made from long-lasting 14-ounce blue denim.

first appeared: 9/20/2009

Ship Island, one of the barrier islands off the coast of Mississippi and part of the Gulf Island National Seashore, is considered the "Plymouth Rock of the Gulf Coast" because many colonists took their first steps in America on the island.

first appeared: 9/6/2009

In 1942, the entire town of Coldwater (pop. 1,674) was moved about one mile to alleviate flooding and to make way for the Arkabutla Dam on the Coldwater River.

first appeared: 8/23/2009

Frederick W. Smith, born in 1944 in Marks (pop. 1,551), in 1971 founded Federal Express, the world's largest express transportation company with delivery in the United States and more than 220 other countries and territories. FedEx, as the company now is called, is based in Memphis, Tenn.

first appeared: 8/9/2009

Wood sculptor Marlin Miller has donated his time and talent to carve large standing dead oak trees, killed by Hurricane Katrina, into sculptures along U.S. Highway 90 on the Gulf Coast. Miller, who lives in Fort Walton Beach, Fla. (pop. 19,973), began the sculpture project in 2007.

first appeared: 7/26/2009

—The first person who indisputably reached the North Pole by surface travel was Ralph Plaisted (1927-2008), an insurance salesman turned explorer, who led the successful expedition by snowmobile in 1968. Plaisted was born in Bruno (pop. 102).

first appeared: 7/12/2009

—The state's tallest building is the 32-story Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi. Opened in 1999, the resort was damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, rebuilt and reopened in 2006.

first appeared: 7/12/2009

—According to local lore, Jackson originally was known as LeFleur's Bluff, named after the French-Canadian explorer who established the trading post on the banks of the Pearl River in the late 1700s.

first appeared: 6/28/2009

—Jackson County is famous for its development of nine successful varieties of papershell pecans: Stuart, Success, Schley, Alley, Delmas, Papst, Russell, Hall and Lewis.

first appeared: 6/14/2009

—Errick Smith, of Ocean Springs (pop. 17,225), celebrated his 16th birthday last July by becoming the youngest person to solo fly both an airplane and a helicopter on the same day. To add to the feat, Smith flew two helicopters that day.

first appeared: 5/31/2009

—The Mississippi Farmers Market in Jackson bills itself as the state's largest farmers market. It has 32 stalls with roll-up doors and covers 18,000 square feet.

first appeared: 5/17/2009

jump to page: 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18

newspaper partner login create account

Recent

Popular

Recipes

Below are the most recent American Profile articles:

Below are the most recent, highest rated American Profile articles:

Below are the most recent, highest rated American Profile recipes:

Relish

Spry

Below are the most recent articles from our Relish sister site. Click on the "Spry" tab above to see the most recent articles from our other sister site.

Below are the most recent articles from our Spry sister site. Click on the "Relish" tab above to see the most recent articles from our other sister site.

Smart ways to lose