Mississippi Trivia & Tidbits - Page 11

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

Country singer Conway Twitty was born Harold Jenkins in 1933 in Friars Point (pop. 1,480) and created his stage name from Conway, Ark.; (pop. 43,167) and Twitty, Texas.

first appeared: 5/4/2003

Settled in the 1700s, Petal (pop. 7,579) had the distinction of being the “largest unincorporated town in the United States” until incorporating in 1974.

first appeared: 4/27/2003

On Dec. 31, 2002, the state became the first in the nation to connect every public classroom—32,354 of them—to the Internet, a challenge undertaken in 1999.

first appeared: 4/20/2003

Testing of rocket propulsion systems for the Space Shuttle is done at John C. Stennis Space Center in Hancock County near Bay St. Louis (pop. 8,209).

first appeared: 4/13/2003

During a smallpox epidemic in Pearl County in 1903, authorities in Lumberton (pop. 2,228) quarantined their town with hired guards. When Pearl County refused to pay the guards, the city petitioned and joined Lamar County.

first appeared: 4/6/2003

The teddy bear was designated the official state toy in July 2002. The stuffed cub was inspired by President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt’s hunting trip in Sharkey County (pop. 6,580) in 1902 where he supposedly refused to shoot a captive bear.

first appeared: 3/30/2003

This state is the most generous, according to a 2002 study by the National Center for Charitable Statistics. Mississippi ranks 49th in income, yet sixth in percent of income given to nonprofit groups, including churches.

first appeared: 3/23/2003

The first boat to be sunk by a torpedo, the Union’s U.S.S. Cairo, was struck by Confederates on Dec. 12, 1862, in the Yazoo River. The gunboat was recovered 102 years later and is sheltered in Vicksburg (pop. 26,407).

first appeared: 3/16/2003

Amory (pop. 6,956) native and Hollywood agent Sam Haskell founded the Mary Kirkpatrick Haskell Scholarship Foundation in 1991 to honor his mother, the town’s first school nurse practitioner, and to raise college scholarship money for local students. Celebrities such as Dolly Parton and Brooke Shields have helped the foundation raise more than $1 million.

first appeared: 3/9/2003

Vardaman (pop. 1,065) proclaims itself the Sweet Potato Capital of the World. At Sweet Potato Sweets, the treats include sweet potato fudge, tarts, pies, and bread.

first appeared: 3/2/2003

Harry Cole, a chemist from Jackson, used pine oil from nearby pine forests for the cleaning product he invented in 1929—Pine-Sol.

first appeared: 2/23/2003

The Great Southern Golf Club, a public course in Gulfport, has been hosting players since 1908, making it Mississippi’s oldest golf course.

first appeared: 2/16/2003

Gulf Islands National Seashore, encompassing 11 separate masses stretching 150 miles between Mississippi and Florida, is known for its blue waters, snow-white beaches, and diverse wildlife. Mississippi’s areas are Davis Bayou, Horn Island, Petit Bois Island, East Ship Island, and West Ship Island.

first appeared: 2/9/2003

Founded in 1938, The Jackson Advocate is the oldest African-American newspaper in Mississippi and the state’s largest weekly.

first appeared: 2/2/2003

Established in 1865 in Corinth (pop. 14,054), Borroum’s Drug Store is said to be Mississippi’s oldest operating drug store and soda fountain. The store is still operated by the Borroum family.

first appeared: 1/26/2003

At 806 feet, Woodall Mountain is Mississippi’s highest point, and the state’s geographic center is nine miles northwest of Carthage (pop. 4,637).

first appeared: 1/19/2003

Playwright Tennessee Williams was born Thomas Lanier Williams in 1911 in Columbus (pop. 25,944). Among his Broadway dramas were The Glass Menagerie, A Streetcar Named Desire, and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

first appeared: 1/12/2003

NFL quarterback Brett Favre, a member of the Green Bay Packers, grew up in Kiln (pop. 2,040). In 1996, he established the Brett Favre Forward Foundation, which has helped contribute more than $1 million to charities in Mississippi and Wisconsin.

first appeared: 1/5/2003

The twice annual Roots Reunion in Hattiesburg (pop. 44,779) educates the public about the folk culture of the state’s Piney Woods and Gulf Coast regions. It features the region’s traditional music styles, including old-time fiddling, early country, blues, and gospel.

first appeared: 12/29/2002

Rosedale (pop. 2,414) is home to Great River Road State Park, named after the Great River Road, which follows the Mississippi River on both sides for 3,000 miles—from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico.

first appeared: 12/22/2002

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