Nevada Trivia & Tidbits - Page 12

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

The state line between California and Nevada runs through the Cal Neva Resort in Crystal Bay (pop. 279) on the shores of Lake Tahoe. The resort was built in 1926 as the Cal Neva Lodge, and was owned from 1960 to 1963 by Frank Sinatra, who built a helicopter pad on the roof. During that era, stars such as Marilyn Monroe were frequent guests at the lodge.

first appeared: 5/25/2003

Helen Delich Bentley, international trade consultant and former U.S. representative from Maryland, was born in 1923 in Ruth, which is part of Nevada’s White Pine County (pop. 9,264). When President Richard Nixon appointed her chairman of the Federal Maritime Commission in 1969, Bentley was the highest-ranking woman in the federal government, and the first woman to be appointed by a president to head a regulatory agency.

first appeared: 5/18/2003

U.S. Highway 50 between Ely (pop. 4,041) and Fernley (pop. 8,543) often is called the Loneliest Road in America. When a magazine article in the 1980s described the 287-mile stretch of road as desolate, communities along the route decided to have some fun: They launched a Highway 50 Survival Kit, offering brochures and maps to encourage travelers to choose the route. Thousands of the kits have been handed out.

first appeared: 5/11/2003

The longest Morse code telegram ever sent is believed to have been the one transmitted from Carson City to Washington, D.C. in 1864, containing the Nevada State Constitution.

first appeared: 5/4/2003

Rainfall in Nevada averages about 7 inches annually, with some areas receiving as little as 4 inches each year.

first appeared: 5/4/2003

Kangaroo rats, which inhabit arid areas like Death Valley National Park, can live their entire lives without drinking a drop of water. Instead, they get water from the plants and seeds that they eat. They also seal their burrows, so that their breathing creates an atmosphere of higher humidity.

first appeared: 4/27/2003

At the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, more than 1,000 fountains “dance” on an 8.5-acre lake. The fountains reach a height of 240 feet on a span that stretches out more than 1,000 feet, moving to music that ranges from Luciano Pavarotti and Andrea Bocelli to Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra, and Celine Dion.

first appeared: 4/20/2003

The Tahoe Rim Trail, a 165-mile loop around Lake Tahoe, resulted in one of the largest volunteer projects in the country. More than 10,000 volunteers worked to create the trail, which opened to hikers, equestrians, and (in most areas) mountain bikers in September 2001. It is one of the nation’s 50 Millennium Legacy Trails.

first appeared: 4/13/2003

The inventor of the Ferris Wheel, George Washington Gale Ferris Jr., spent part of his childhood in Carson City. It’s said that he gained the idea for the Ferris Wheel while watching the large waterwheel near Cradlebaugh Bridge on the Carson River.

first appeared: 4/6/2003

Sagebrush was first adopted as the state’s emblem in 1917, becoming the state flower in 1967. A branching bush that grows from 1 to 12 feet high, sagebrush thrives in arid regions and is an important winter food for sheep and cattle. It also indicates soil fertility—if sagebrush is growing in an area, alfalfa will likely grow there as well.

first appeared: 3/30/2003

The Nevada Test Site, 65 miles northwest of Las Vegas and larger than the state of Rhode Island, was once a top-secret thermonuclear testing ground. The Department of Energy now offers public tours of the site. These include the Sedan Crater, which was created in 1962 by a 104-kiloton explosion that moved 12 million tons of earth.

first appeared: 3/23/2003

An average of 337 weddings take place in Las Vegas every day, with Valentine’s Day and New Year’s Eve being the two most popular dates. Famous people who’ve tied the knot in Las Vegas include Elvis and Priscilla Presley, Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, Judy Garland, Bing Crosby, and Joan Crawford.

first appeared: 3/16/2003

At Reno’s outdoor Rink on the River, skaters normally can get on the ice from the end of November to the beginning of March. The rink sits on the site of the former Mapes Hotel in the heart of the downtown casino district—at an elevation of 4,498 feet.

first appeared: 3/9/2003

Nevada’s official animal is the desert bighorn sheep, also called the Nelson sheep. The animal survives easily in the state’s mountainous desert regions, largely due to its ability to go long periods without water.

first appeared: 3/2/2003

Elko Airport in Elko (pop. 16,708) was the end destination of one of the country’s first commercial air mail runs. On April 6, 1926, pilot Leon Cuddeback of Varney Air Lines landed his small plane there—carrying one bag of mail. The flight had originated in Pasco, Wash.

first appeared: 2/23/2003

James W. Nye, a New Yorker, was appointed Nevada’s first territorial governor by President Abraham Lincoln. The Nevada territory was established March 2, 1861.

first appeared: 2/16/2003

Nevada’s lowest elevation, 470 feet, is found in Clark County at a point on the Colorado River.

first appeared: 2/16/2003

Professional tennis player Andre Agassi was born April 29, 1970, in Las Vegas, where he still lives. In 1994, he founded the Las Vegas-based Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation, which provides at-risk youth with athletic and academic programs.

first appeared: 2/9/2003

Dayton (pop. 5,907) was the home to Lyon County’s first courthouse. It also claims the oldest schoolhouse in Nevada still in its original location. Built in 1865, the schoolhouse now serves as the Dayton Historic Society Museum.

first appeared: 2/2/2003

In 1855, Mormon settlers arrived in southern Nevada and built an adobe fort near a good source of water. Now a state park, the Las Vegas Mormon Fort is in downtown Las Vegas at the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and Washington Avenue. Although only remnants of it still stand, the fort holds the title of oldest standing building in the state.

first appeared: 1/26/2003

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.