Pennsylvania Trivia & Tidbits
Looking for Pennsylvania trivia? Try our list Pennsylvania little know facts, tidbits and trivia.
—The whitetail deer is Pennsylvania’s official animal, a designation approved by the state Legislature in 1959. The animal provided food, clothing and shelter to both Indians and early settlers to the state, and remains abundant today.
first appeared: 5/4/2008
—In 1898, Robert Allison of Port Carbon (pop. 2,019) bought the first Winton automobile sold by the Winton Motor Carriage Co. The company bought the vehicle back and donated it to the Smithsonian Institution in 1929.
first appeared: 3/9/2008
—Cowboy actor and silent film star Tom Mix (1880-1940) was born in Mix Run. The actor appeared in more than 300 films, but his career began to wane with the advent of “talkies.”
first appeared: 2/24/2008
—Born in County Tyrone, Ireland, John Kinley Tener served as the state’s governor from 1911 until 1915. About the same time, Tener also was president of the National Baseball League.
first appeared: 2/10/2008
—Ganoga Falls, located in northeastern Columbia County in Glens Natural Area of the Ricketts Glen State Park, spills more than 94 feet in what is described as a “wedding cake” cascade, in which water drops down along a series of rock outcroppings rather than falling straight from a precipice.
first appeared: 1/27/2008
—Ricketts Glen State Park, comprising more than 13,000 acres of natural landscape in Luzerne, Sullivan and Columbia counties, features free-flowing waterfalls in its Glens Natural Area.
first appeared: 1/13/2008
—In Danville (pop. 4,897), the past is preserved at the 18th-century Federal-style home of William Montgomery, the town’s founder. The restored residence, now known as the Montgomery House Museum, houses various local artifacts, photographs and documents, and is home to the Montour County Historical Society.
first appeared: 12/30/2007
—In the early 1880s, the Paul E. Wirt Fountain Pen Co. began manufacturing writing instruments in Bloomsburg (pop. 12,375). The company was one of the largest producers of fountain pens over the next 20 years.
first appeared: 12/2/2007
—One of the first known kidnappings of an American for ransom occurred in 1874 when Charley Ross, the 4-year-old son of a Philadelphia merchant, was enticed into a buggy by two men who offered Charley and his 6-year-old brother candy. The older brother was released, but Charley was never found.
first appeared: 11/18/2007
—A 60-foot-tall Civil War Monument erected in 1908 in Market Square in Bloomsburg (pop. 12,375) commemorates the Civil War campaigns in which residents of Columbia County served and died. At the base of the monument are four carved figures representing the infantry, cavalry, artillery and navy.
first appeared: 11/4/2007
—Celebrated equestrian artist Sam Savitt (1917-2000) grew up in Wilkes-Barre (pop. 43,123). His lifelong fascination with horses led him first into the world of comic book cover illustration and later to write and illustrate his own as well as other authors’ books. He was named the official artist for the U.S. Equestrian Team in 1956.
first appeared: 10/21/2007
—Born in Ireland in 1863, John Kinley Tener was the first foreign-born governor of Pennsylvania. He served in the state’s top post from 1911 until 1915, after having served in Congress and enjoyed a career in major league baseball.
first appeared: 10/7/2007
—Columbia and Montour counties both were integral to Pennsylvania’s industrial past. During the iron boom of the 19th century, the area prospered as a center of iron and coal production.
first appeared: 9/30/2007
—In 1751, the Pennsylvania Assembly ordered a 2,000-pound bell from the Whitechapel Foundry in England. The Liberty Bell was delivered in the fall of 1752. It is claimed that the bell cracked at the first stroke. In 1753, craftsmen John Pass and John Stow recast the bell, which today is housed at the Liberty Bell Center in Philadelphia.
first appeared: 9/9/2007
—The first practical air brake for railroads was patented by George Westinghouse in 1869 in Pittsburgh. Because the device made braking much safer, it allowed trains to travel at much greater speeds, thus serving as a boon to the industry.
first appeared: 8/26/2007
—On Dec. 7, 1941, Pfc. George C. Leslie of Arnold (pop. 5,667) in Westmoreland County became the first Keystone State resident to die in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
first appeared: 8/12/2007
—Despite efforts to keep them off the agenda, National Woman’s Suffrage Association members managed to gain the stage during the nation’s 1876 centennial celebration at Independence Hall in Philadelphia and present the Declaration of Rights for Women. The document then was framed and hung in the vice president’s room in the Capitol in Washington, D.C.
first appeared: 7/29/2007
—Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia opened in 1829 as part of a trend toward rehabilitating criminals through solitary confinement. The prison housed some of America’s most notorious criminals, including gangster Al Capone. Now a National Historic Landmark, the penitentiary is open for tours from April 1 through Nov. 30.
first appeared: 7/15/2007
—The Melsheimer Collection, a bounty of thousands of insects from around the world, was amassed by the Melsheimer family of Hanover (pop. 14,535). The collection, begun more than 200 years ago, now is housed at the Harvard University Museum of Comparative Zoology in Boston.
first appeared: 7/1/2007
—The only statue of George Washington in a British uniform is located in Waterford (pop. 3,878). The statue commemorates young Major Washington’s 1753 mission to Fort LeBoeuf to request that the French recognize Britain’s claim to the area. France’s refusal sparked the French and Indian War.
first appeared: 6/17/2007
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