New Hampshire Trivia & Tidbits - Page 15

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

The white birch became the Granite State’s official tree in 1947. The tree also is called the canoe birch or paper birch because American Indians used its bark to make canoes, and early settlers used it for writing paper.

first appeared: 11/11/2001

Born in Hanover (pop. 10,850), Laura Dewey Bridgman (1829-1889), a blind deaf-mute, became a pioneer educator for the sensory handicapped. Her loss of sensory abilities occurred as a child as a result of scarlet fever. When her case became known to Samuel Gridley Howe, director of the Perkins Institution for the Blind in Boston, he worked with her, capitalizing on her sense of touch. Bridgman remained at the school to become a teacher of other pupils.

first appeared: 11/4/2001

New Hampshire has nine state songs, with one of them being “official”—Old New Hampshire. The songs were debated by the Legislature for a quarter of a century, with an official song finally being agreed upon in 1977.

first appeared: 10/28/2001

Although New Hampshire is known as the Granite State, its large deposits of the stone—used for building as early as 1623—are no longer extensively quarried. The use of steel and concrete in modern construction has greatly decreased the granite market.

first appeared: 10/21/2001

The black bear, which is not uncommon in New Hampshire, can outrun a horse for short distances at 30 mph and is an accomplished climber and swimmer.

first appeared: 10/14/2001

The state’s first summer resort was established at Wolfeboro (pop. 2,979) in 1767—the summer retreat of New Hampshire Royal Governor John Wentworth.

first appeared: 10/7/2001

When the 8-mile Mt. Washington Carriage Road opened in 1861, visitors to the 6,288-foot summit drove up in specially built, horse-drawn mountain wagons—in a trip that could take all day. Today, the Mt. Washington Auto Road is paved and hundreds drive it daily during the summer.

first appeared: 9/30/2001

All colors in New Hampshire’s state tartan are significant: purple represents the state’s bird and flower, the purple finch and purple lilac; green represents the forests; black represents the state’s granite mountains; white represents the snow; and red is for all the state’s heroes.

first appeared: 9/23/2001

The Wright Museum in Wolfeboro (pop 2,979) is dedicated entirely to a collection of memorabilia from “Home Front” America during World War II, when Americans of all ages pulled together to support the war effort abroad.

first appeared: 9/16/2001

The state developed America’s first legal lottery in the 20th century in 1963—using most of the money raised to support education.

first appeared: 9/9/2001

Although its coastline is not large—only 18 miles of the state borders the Atlantic—almost all of it is public land accessible to all who wish to use it.

first appeared: 9/2/2001

The first aerial passenger tramway in North America was built in 1938 at Franconia Notch in the White Mountains. The 80-passenger cars make the vertical, 2,022-foot ascent in 7.5 minutes.

first appeared: 8/26/2001

“Live free or die,” the state motto emblazoned on New Hampshire’s license plates, was the battle cry used by Revolutionary War Gen. John Stark to urge on his troops.

first appeared: 8/19/2001

The first mountain-climbing cog railroad in the country was built at Mount Washington in 1869.

first appeared: 8/12/2001

Rain from artificially seeded clouds for fighting forest fires was first used near Concord (pop. 40,687) in 1947.

first appeared: 8/5/2001

Born in Hollis (pop. 6,700), Noah Worcester (1758-1837) is best remembered for his work in behalf of peace. His Solemn Review of the Custom of War (1814), under the pseudonym Philo Pacificus, had worldwide circulation.

first appeared: 7/29/2001

The Belknap mill at Laconia (pop. 15,700) is the oldest unaltered knitting mill in America.

first appeared: 7/22/2001

New Hampshire has 1,300 lakes or ponds and about 40 rivers with a total length of approximately 41,800 miles.

first appeared: 7/15/2001

In 1868 John Smith of Sunapee (pop. 2,600) devised a machine that permitted the local clothespin factory—a major industry at the time—to produce 125 clothespins per minute.

first appeared: 7/8/2001

When the ship Pied Cow disembarked passengers on the west bank of the Piscatagua River in 1630, they discovered wild strawberries and named the area Strawberry Banke. It grew into the town of Portsmouth (pop. 25,900).

first appeared: 7/1/2001

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