Nebraska Trivia & Tidbits - Page 10

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

A cantaloupe-sized hailstone measuring 18.75 inches in circumference fell from the sky in Aurora (pop. 4,225) on June 22 and is believed to be the nation’s largest hailstone.

first appeared: 10/5/2003

Bess Streeter Aldrich chronicled Midwestern pioneering history in novels and short stories. One story became a television movie, The Gift of Love, starring Angela Lansbury and Lee Remick. Aldrich was born in 1881 in Cedar Falls, Iowa (pop. 36,145), and moved to Elmwood (pop. 668) in 1909.

first appeared: 9/28/2003

Gutzon Borglum, sculptor of Mount Rushmore National Memorial in South Dakota, carved a likeness of his own face and three locals on the front of the Thayer County Courthouse in Hebron (pop. 1,565).

first appeared: 9/21/2003

The temperature soared to a record-sizzling 118 degrees on July 24, 1936, in Minden (pop. 2,964).

first appeared: 9/14/2003

The Troll Stroll nature trail features 24 student-crafted trolls and is among the heritage attractions in Oakland (pop. 1,367), the Swedish Capital of Nebraska.

first appeared: 9/7/2003

During the Depression, Kool-Aid creator Edwin Perkins of Hastings (pop. 24,064) cut the price of his popular drink to one-half cent a package and launched an endearing bit of Americana—kid-operated Kool-Aid stands.

first appeared: 8/31/2003

Founded in 1854 on the Missouri River, Brownville (pop. 146) is the state’s oldest river town.

first appeared: 8/24/2003

Brewster (pop. 29) is the Blaine County (pop. 583) seat and the state’s smallest county seat.

first appeared: 8/17/2003

The state’s tallest waterfall tumbles 70 feet to a spring-fed creek at Smith Falls State Park near Valentine (pop. 2,820).

first appeared: 8/10/2003

Leon F. Douglass, born in 1869 near Syracuse (pop. 1,762), invented a coin-operated phonograph in 1889 and a machine to duplicate cylinder records in 1892.

first appeared: 8/3/2003

Armadillos, common in the southern United States, have migrated as far north as Ord (pop. 2,269). One was photographed last February near Holdrege (pop. 5,636).

first appeared: 7/27/2003

Academy Award-winning actor Marlon Brando was born in 1924 in Omaha. He won awards for On the Waterfront in 1954 and The Godfather in 1972.

first appeared: 7/20/2003

Wayne Guthrie of Alma (pop. 1,214) plucked and shucked 473.8 pounds of corn in 30 minutes to win the men’s 2002 national corn-husking contest in Huntington, Ind.

first appeared: 7/13/2003

The 1857 Combs School in Homer (pop. 590) is the oldest schoolhouse in Dakota County (pop. 20,253).

first appeared: 7/6/2003

A full-blown attraction, 40 windmills whirl and 85 more are in the works at the 2nd Wind Ranch near Comstock (pop. 110).

first appeared: 6/29/2003

In 1887, settler George Rowley suggested his town be named Juanita after a popular Spanish love song, but the post office changed the spelling to Wauneta (pop. 625) to avoid mix-ups with Juniata (pop. 693).

first appeared: 6/22/2003

In 1958, Clifton Hillegass borrowed $4,000 to publish a guide for Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The first year, Cliffs Notes sold 58,000 copies. He was born in 1919 in Rising City (pop. 386).

first appeared: 6/15/2003

Scottsbluff (pop. 14,732) is named after fur trapper Hiram Scott who died in 1828 at what became known as Scotts Bluff, 800 feet above the North Platte River.

first appeared: 6/8/2003

The Naval Ammunition Depot in Hastings (pop. 24,064) provided 40 percent of the Navy’s ammunition for World War II.

first appeared: 6/1/2003

During World War II, 6 million soldiers passed through the railroad hub at North Platte (pop. 23,878) where volunteers at the North Platte Canteen welcomed them with homemade sandwiches, cookies, coffee, and encouraging words. The canteen was revived in January for National Guardsmen en route to the Persian Gulf.

first appeared: 5/25/2003

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