Nebraska Trivia & Tidbits - Page 6

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

Created in 1869, Colfax County is named for U.S. Vice President Schuyler Colfax, who served under President Ulysses S. Grant from 1869 to 1873. The county seat of Schuyler (pop. 5,371) shares the rest of his name.

first appeared: 11/6/2005

The state’s deadliest flood killed about 100 people and thousands of farm animals when 20 inches of rain flooded the Republican River in the southern part of the state on May 31, 1935.

first appeared: 10/23/2005

At Buffalo Bill Cody’s first full-scale Wild West Show in Omaha on May 17, 1883, 36 Pawnee Indians took part in the opening parade, horseback and foot races, and a sham battle. A smaller show took place the year before in North Platte (pop. 23,878).

first appeared: 10/9/2005

Born in Fremont (pop. 25,188) and raised in Aurora (pop. 4,225), Harold Edgerton (1903-1990), a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, pioneered strobe photography in 1931. His ability to capture motion in photos won him international acclaim.

first appeared: 9/25/2005

The state’s first winery, Cuthills Vineyards in the rolling hills near Pierce (pop. 1,774), was opened in 1994 by Ed and Holly Swanson. The vineyards grow more than 50 varieties of wine grapes.

first appeared: 9/18/2005

The National Korean War Museum reopened last April in Oxford (pop. 876) with a collection of uniforms, photographs, medals and war memorabilia. The museum previously was located in Wahiawa, Hawaii.

first appeared: 9/11/2005

More than 800 varieties of lilacs perfume the air each May at Meadowlark Hill, 14 miles southeast of Ogallala (pop. 4,930). Planted as a family hobby in 1969, the fragrant flowers have grown into one of the world’s largest private lilac collections.

first appeared: 8/28/2005

The Frank H. Woods Telephone Pioneer Museum in Lincoln rings with historical exhibits, including a cordboard room with operator-answered switchboards and 1890s candlestick-style and wooden wall phones. Woods founded the Lincoln Telephone and Telegraph Co. in 1903.

first appeared: 8/14/2005

Seward (pop. 6,319) has honored the nation’s birth on July 4th with a town celebration every year since 1868. Thousands attend the parade and activities in the town known as Nebraska’s "Fourth of July City."

first appeared: 7/31/2005

In 1935, Andy Nelsen of Omaha gambled on a new industry by franchising the 1935 Indian line of trailers, which started at $345 for the Papoose model. A.C. Nelsen RV World is America’s oldest recreational vehicle dealer.

first appeared: 7/17/2005

A birdwatcher’s paradise, Ponca State Park near Ponca (pop. 1,062) also is home to a 360-year-old black oak tree. Established in 1934, the park offers 20 miles of trails through forests and along Missouri River bluffs.

first appeared: 6/19/2005

During the first coast-to-coast airmail flight in 1921, Jack Knight flew the North Platte (pop. 23,878) to Omaha to Chicago legs at night through snow and fog with navigational aid from farmers and postal workers who lit bonfires along the route. Previously, airmail letters were flown only during daylight hours and were offloaded to railcars for nighttime transit.

first appeared: 6/5/2005

An exhibit of 10 rare mounted cranes, more than 75 years old, can be seen at the Hastings (pop. 24,064) Museum. The bird gallery features 200 resident and migratory birds seen in Nebraska and Kansas.

first appeared: 5/22/2005

After author Roald Dahl created Willy Wonka, a chocolate-factory owner in his 1964 book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, a real Will Wonka contacted him. A postman in Blue Hill (pop. 867), Wonka often handed out chocolate to children along his route.

first appeared: 5/8/2005

In 1992, Columbus (pop. 20,971) celebrated the 500th anniversary of Columbus’ voyage to the New World with the dedication of the Quincentenary Bell Tower in Pawnee Park.

first appeared: 4/24/2005

Miracle Hill golf course in Omaha lived up to its name when Robert Mitera aced the 447-yard 10th hole in 1965 for one of the world’s longest hole-in-ones.

first appeared: 4/10/2005

Box Butte County, in the Panhandle region, is named for the box-shaped butte, or flat-topped hill, about six miles north of Alliance (pop. 8,959), the county seat.

first appeared: 3/27/2005

The West Stadium Strength Complex at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln covers 30,000 square feet and is among the nation’s largest college weight room facilities.

first appeared: 3/27/2005

The 1874 Elijah Filley barn, built into a hillside near Filley (pop. 174), is the state’s oldest limestone barn.

first appeared: 3/13/2005

Social reformer Grace Abbott (1878-1939), born in Grand Island (pop. 42,940), directed the Children’s Bureau of the U.S. Department of Labor from 1921 to 1934.

first appeared: 2/27/2005

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