New Jersey Trivia & Tidbits

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

"Insectropolis" in Toms River (pop. 86,327) is an insect-related learning center set within the architecture of a bug-themed city. The "city" features educational touchscreen computer games, hands-on exhibits, hundreds of live insects and arthropods, thousands of beautiful and bizarre dried insect specimens, and even a bug store.

first appeared: 10/18/2009

In 1772, the soon-to-be state of New Jersey passed the first law in the nation requiring licensure of medical practitioners. Exempted from the law were those who didn't charge for their services, bled patients or performed dentistry.

first appeared: 10/4/2009

Steve Mizerak, born in Perth Amboy (pop. 47,303), was a dominant billiards player during the 1970s and early '80s. He was a four-time U.S. Open champion from 1970-1973 and played a role in the 1986 pool movie The Color of Money and the 1980 film The Baltimore Bullet. In 1966, he founded the "Senior Tour" for pool players 50 years and older.

first appeared: 9/20/2009

Made of fiberglass and foam, a statue of Mr. Peanut was installed on the Atlantic City (pop. 40,517) Boardwalk in 2006, but by the following year, needed repairs. After the job was completed, the statue was moved to the Garden Pier Art Center and then the AC Walk-in Visitor's Center, so the Planters Peanuts Co. mascot could continue to be part of the city's history. A Planters shop opened on the boardwalk in 1930.

first appeared: 9/6/2009

In early 2002, one of the New Jersey coast's last "haunted castle" boardwalk attractions-Castle Dracula-burned to the ground. One of the few items to survive the blaze was the original coat of arms that hung above the entrance gates in the Wildwood (pop. 5,436) castle.

first appeared: 8/23/2009

At the Ugly Mug, a restaurant and bar in Cape May (pop. 4,034), the drinking mugs of its drinking club members are hung from the ceiling, with each mug numbered for its individual members.

first appeared: 8/9/2009

The National Marbles Tournament has been held in Wildwood (pop. 5,436) since 1922. Many tournament champions returned to be recognized and enshrined in the National Marbles Hall of Fame at its official opening in 1993. The hall, located in the Greater Wildwood Chamber of Commerce, is open for viewing during the summer months.

first appeared: 7/26/2009

—Off Sunset Beach at Cape May (pop. 4,034) lies the S.S. Atlantus, a concrete ship that has been slowly sinking since it broke loose from the moorings during a storm in the 1920s. The ship, built during World War I, was one of a few made with alternative materials at a time when steel was in short supply.

first appeared: 7/12/2009

—Designed by the architectural firm of McKim, Mead and White, Newark's Pennsylvania Station opened in 1935. The interior of the primary waiting room features medallions that illustrate the history of transportation, from wagons through steamships, automobiles and airplanes.

first appeared: 6/28/2009

—Drew Pearson, born in South River (pop. 15,322) in 1951, was a wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys from 1973 to 1983. He caught 489 passes for 7,822 yards and 48 touchdowns, and was a member of the NFL's 1970s All-Decade Team.

first appeared: 6/14/2009

—In 1758, the New Jersey Assembly established the nation's first American Indian reservation, known as Brotherton, for the Lenni-Lenape Indians in Burlington County. Less than 50 years later, the reservation was sold.

first appeared: 5/31/2009

—Historic Cold Spring Village, located on 22 acres near Cape May (pop. 4,034), brings to life the daily activities of early Americans living in South Jersey during the "age of homespun" (1790-1840). Craftspeople in period attire demonstrate their trades.

first appeared: 5/17/2009

—In 1819, the first patent leather manufactured in the nation was produced in a Newark tannery. This leather, treated with a linseed oil-based lacquer to give it a high-gloss finish, was used mainly for fancywork and shoes.

first appeared: 5/3/2009

–New York Shipbuilding Corp., which operated from 1899 to 1967 in Camden (pop. 79,904), built more than 500 vessels, including the USS Indianapolis and the USS Kitty Hawk.

first appeared: 4/19/2009

—Robert Wilson and Arno Penzias shared the 1978 Nobel Prize for Physics for the discovery of cosmic microwave background radiation-largely believed to be remnants from the "Big Bang," a theory of the universe's creation. They made their discovery in 1964 at Bell Telephone Laboratories in Holmdel (pop. 15,781).

first appeared: 4/5/2009

—With his mechanical skills and financial assistance from his family, Alfred Vail, of Morristown (pop. 18,544), helped Samuel Morse build a telegraph machine. In 1838, the first telegraph message in which letters were represented by dots and dashes was transmitted.

first appeared: 3/22/2009

—The late Joe Medwick, born in Carteret (pop. 20,709) in 1911, played professional baseball for 17 years, garnering the National League’s Most Valuable Player award in 1937 while playing for the St. Louis Cardinals. Medwick was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1968.

first appeared: 3/8/2009

—In 1951, 37-year-old “Jersey” Joe Walcott, of Camden (pop. 79,904), became the oldest man to win the heavyweight boxing championship when he knocked out Ezzard Charles. His record was broken in 1994 by then 45-year-old George Foreman.

first appeared: 2/22/2009

—“Mighty Joe,” a 25-foot-tall fiberglass gorilla that formerly stood at a beachfront boardwalk and then at a go-kart track, now is parked at Mighty Joe’s Gas, Grill and Deli in Shamong (pop. 6,462). Store owner Larry Valenzano bought and restored the gorilla as a memorial to his late son, Joe.

first appeared: 2/8/2009

—Founded in 1947, the Hammonton (pop. 12,604) Little League is the oldest squad of its kind in New Jersey. In 1949, the Hammonton All-Stars won the Little League World Baseball Series by defeating Pensacola, Fla., with a score of 5-0.

first appeared: 1/11/2009

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