Ohio Trivia & Tidbits

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

Sarah Whitaker, 10, of Norton (pop. 11,523), continued a family tradition in July when she won the stock division in the 72nd All-American Soap Box Derby in Akron. She is the 15th member of her family to race in the national Soap Box finals.

first appeared: 10/18/2009

The world's largest crystal ball weighs about 700 pounds and can be gazed upon in the lobby of the American Ceramics Society in Westerville (pop. 35,318). The ball was created in 1987 by artist Christopher Ries at Schott Glass Technologies in Duryea, Pa.

first appeared: 10/4/2009

Children's book author Robert McCloskey, born in 1914 in Hamilton (pop. 60,690), wrote the 1941 classic Make Way for Ducklings, in which baby mallards in line behind their mother waddle along busy Boston streets en route to their new home in the city's Public Garden. In 2003, the book was designated the official children's book of Massachusetts.

first appeared: 9/20/2009

In 1890, delegates from the National Progressive Union of Miners and Mine Laborers and the Knights of Labor Trade Assembly No. 135 met in Columbus and founded the United Mine Workers of America. The labor union began a campaign to bring better wages, safe working conditions, and an eight-hour workday to America's coalfields.

first appeared: 9/6/2009

Inventor La Marcus Thompson, born in 1848 in Jersey in Licking County, has been called the "Father of the Gravity Ride" for the Switchback Railway roller coaster he built in 1884 at Coney Island in Brooklyn, N.Y.

first appeared: 8/23/2009

Thumbs up for Nathan Schwartz, 20, of Clyde (pop. 6,064), who won $50,000 as the text-messaging champ in the 2008 LG National Texting Competition. In 60 seconds on his cell phone, he correctly typed the phrase, "Does everybody here know the alphabet? Let's text. Here it goes . . . AbcDeFghiJKlmNoPQrStuvWXy & Z! Now I know my A-B-C's, next time won't you text with me?" to beat 15,000 competitors.

first appeared: 8/9/2009

The only blind marching band in the nation is the 17-member group formed in 2005 at the Ohio State School for the Blind in Columbus. The band has been invited to march in the 2010 Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, Calif.

first appeared: 7/26/2009

—The 20th U.S. president, James Garfield, born in 1831 in Orange (pop. 3,236), entertained guests by writing simultaneously with both hands in two different languages.

first appeared: 7/12/2009

—In 1964, Leroy and Forrest Raffel opened the first Arby's in Boardman (pop. 37,215) and served roast beef sandwiches. The name Arby's is derived from R.B., for Raffel Brothers, although many believe the initials stand for "roast beef."

first appeared: 6/28/2009

—The 1925 steamship William G. Mather transported ore, coal, grain and other cargo for 55 years on the Great Lakes before being restored as a floating museum in Cleveland.

first appeared: 6/14/2009

—At Cleveland Botanical Garden, high school students chosen for the Green Corps work-study program learn and earn as they grow fruits, vegetables and flowers in neighborhood gardens and sell the produce at farmers markets. Students also make salsa and vinaigrette, labeled Ripe from Downtown.

first appeared: 5/31/2009

—The world's largest vacuum chamber is a cathedral-like structure measuring 100 feet in diameter and towering 122 feet tall at the Space Power Facility at NASA Glenn Research Center's Plum Brook Station in Sandusky (pop. 27,844).

first appeared: 5/17/2009

—The last sparkler manufacturer in the United States is Diamond Sparkler in Youngstown (pop. 82,026). The company, which began in 1922 as Acme Sparklers in Chicago, can produce 800,000 sparklers a day during peak season.

first appeared: 5/3/2009

–A machine to manufacture a square–bottom paper sack was patented in 1883 by Charles Stilwell, a native of Fremont (pop. 17,375). The sacks, which folded flat for storage and stood alone for filling, have stood the test of time.

first appeared: 4/19/2009

—The John G. White Collection of Chess and Checkers at the Cleveland Public Library is the largest chess library in the world, with more than 30,000 bound and cataloged volumes of manuscripts and periodicals, plus chess sets. White, who died in 1928, bequeathed his personal collection to the library and established a trust fund for acquiring more material.

first appeared: 4/5/2009

—Legendary golf course architect Pete Dye, born in 1925 in Urbana (pop. 11,613), has designed more than 100 golf courses around the world. His first course, designed in 1964, was Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Ind. (pop. 37,733).

first appeared: 3/22/2009

—Legendary actor and philanthropist Paul Newman appeared in more than 50 movies, including classics such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Cool Hand Luke and The Sting, and raised millions of dollars for charity. Newman, who grew up in Shaker Heights (pop. 29,405), died in September at age 83.

first appeared: 3/8/2009

—The term wind chill was coined by Antarctic explorer Paul Siple in his 1939 doctoral thesis to describe the rapid heat loss experienced by a body under strong winds. Born in 1908 in Montpelier (pop. 4,320), Siple was a member of Adm. Richard Byrd’s first Antarctic expedition in 1928.

first appeared: 2/22/2009

—Founded in 1818, Minerva (pop. 3,934) is located in three counties: Stark, Columbiana and Carroll (pop. 28,836).

first appeared: 2/8/2009

—In the late 1800s, Abram Piatt and his brother, Donn Piatt, built limestone castles a mile apart near West Liberty (pop. 1,813). Known as Mac-A-Cheek and Mac-O-Chee, the castles today house museums that are open to the public.

first appeared: 1/11/2009

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