Missouri Trivia & Tidbits - Page 2

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

—In 1904, St. Louis brothers Edward, Richard and William Tritschler each qualified for the U.S. Olympic team in gymnastics, though none medaled during the Summer Games that year in their hometown.

first appeared: 1/11/2009

—Remains of earthen mounds constructed for ceremonial, residential and religious purposes at a once fortified Indian village are preserved at Towosahgy State Historic Site in Mississippi County (pop. 13,427). Indians of the Mississippian culture inhabited the site between A.D. 1000 and 1400.

first appeared: 12/29/2008

—The first player to come to bat in the history of the Kansas City Royals was Lou Piniella on April 8, 1969, in a game against the Minnesota Twins. Piniella also scored the first home run for the Royals in the same game.

first appeared: 11/30/2008

—The state’s only operating library housed in a log cabin is the Puxico (pop. 1,145) Public Library, built as a Works Progress Administration project in 1939 from native cypress. The building formerly housed city hall.

first appeared: 11/16/2008

—The first U.S. city to generate all of its electricity from wind is Rock Port (pop. 1,395). The Loess Hills Wind Farm generates five megawatts each day, more than enough to power the town.

first appeared: 11/2/2008

—Founded in 1857, the town of Cuba (pop. 3,230) was named by residents in support of residents of the island of Cuba, who at the time were fighting for independence from Spain.

first appeared: 10/19/2008

—Organized in 1845, Hickory County (pop. 8,940) was named for President Andrew Jackson, who was known as “Old Hickory.” Hermitage (pop. 406), the county seat, was named for Jackson’s home in Tennessee.

first appeared: 10/5/2008

—The last American veteran of World War I is Frank Buckles, 107, who was born in Bethany (pop. 3,087) in 1901. Buckles, who lives in Charles Town, W.Va., lied about his age to join the Army and provided ambulance service in France in 1917 and 1918.

first appeared: 9/21/2008

I—In 2006, the Rev. Will Bowen in Kansas City challenged churchgoers to refrain from complaining, criticizing and gossiping for 21 days and had them wear purple wristbands as reminders. If they complained, they switched the bracelet to the other arm and started anew. The idea led to a book and the distribution of millions of wristbands, and Bowen isn’t complaining.

first appeared: 9/7/2008

—Ice skaters have been gliding at the Steinberg Skating Rink in Forest Park in St. Louis since 1957. The rink, one of the largest outdoor ice skating rinks in the Midwest, was a gift from the family of successful investment broker Mark C. Steinberg, who was born in 1881 in St. Louis.

first appeared: 8/24/2008

—Author Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, was born in a humble two-room cabin in Florida (pop. 9).

first appeared: 8/10/2008

—The nose on former Gov. David R. Francis’ statue at the University of Missouri in Columbia has been replaced a few times. Legend holds that a student will get an A on his next exam after rubbing Francis’ nose.

first appeared: 7/27/2008

—Raytown (pop. 30,388) is named after pioneer William Ray who moved to the area in the 1840s and set up a blacksmith shop along the Santa Fe Trail. The settlement first was known as Ray’s Town.

first appeared: 7/13/2008

—Cape Girardeau (pop. 35,349) holds the Guinness World Record for simultaneously launching the most Mentos candy fountains—973 of them last October. When the candy is dropped into bottles of carbonated diet soda it causes a chemical reaction, creating geysers up to 30 feet high.

first appeared: 6/29/2008

—Billed as the world’s largest, a pencil weighing about 22,000 pounds and measuring 76 feet long is housed at City Museum in St. Louis. The pencil has a 250-pound eraser and 4,000 pounds of lead.

first appeared: 6/15/2008

—Lamar (pop. 4,425) is home to Stilabower Observatory, one of the few community-owned astronomical observatories in the nation. The free facility is designed so it is accessible to handicapped persons and small children.

first appeared: 6/1/2008

—At the Shoji Tabuchi Theatre in Branson (pop. 6,050), offstage accommodations gets applause, too. The men’s restroom features a hand-carved mahogany billiard table, lion-head sinks, a marble fireplace and leather chairs. The women’s restroom sparkles with chandeliers, a fountain, and live orchids at each granite and onyx pedestal sink.

first appeared: 5/18/2008

—In 1960, Peg Bracken mixed a dash of wit with her dislike of cooking and created a bestseller, The I Hate to Cook Book. Bracken was raised in Clayton (pop. 12,825) and died last October at age 89.

first appeared: 5/4/2008

—One of the state’s oldest brick houses is the 1819 Thomas Hickman House at the University of Missouri’s Horticulture and Agroforestry Research Center in New Franklin (pop. 1,145).

first appeared: 3/9/2008

—The state’s first commercial wind farm is Bluegrass Ridge Farm near King City (pop. 1,012). The wind farm has 27 massive turbines—whose spinning blades are nearly as long as a football field—that generate electricity and tourist traffic.

first appeared: 2/24/2008

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.