Tennessee Trivia & Tidbits - Page 17

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

Portland (pop. 5,165) originally was called Richland when it was founded in 1859, but it caused confusion with the other Richland, Tenn., so Portland changed its name in 1888.

first appeared: 1/14/2001

The courthouse in Lynchburg (pop. 5,200) was built in 1883. It’s brick walls are 20 inches thick and held together with sand and lime.

first appeared: 1/7/2001

The world's largest collection of 18th- and 19th-century night-light teapots can be found at the municipal building in Trenton (pop. 4,836). The 525-piece collection represents an 1800s method of brewing tea while keeping a light on in a sick room.

first appeared: 12/31/2000

Dr. James Baxter Bean, a dentist from Washington County, is credited with inventing a splint for treating gunshot wounds to the face during the Civil War.

first appeared: 12/24/2000

Lynnville (pop. 408) originally was located a mile away from where it is now, but after the Civil War, the city fathers decided to move everything to make it more convenient to the railroad.

first appeared: 12/17/2000

Cornelia Fort—a Nashville native whose plane crashed in Texas in 1943—was the first woman pilot killed on active duty in World War II.

first appeared: 12/10/2000

The National Rolley Hole Marble Championship, a must for marbles enthusiasts, is held each year in Standing Stone State Park in Overton County (pop.18,900).

first appeared: 12/3/2000

Clingman’s Dome in the Great Smoky Mountains, at 6,643 feet, is Tennessee’s highest point.

first appeared: 11/26/2000

Built near the town of Cowan (pop. 1,738), the Cumberland Tunnel is the nation's largest and steepest railroad tunnel. Built in 1852, it is 2,200 feet long, 21 feet high, and 15 feet wide.

first appeared: 11/19/2000

In the northern part of the state, a bubbling spring producing red sediment healed a settler's eye condition in 1840. The site—and the town that grew around it—became known as Red Boiling Springs (pop. 956). During the 19th century, 52 springs in the area produced five types of water for treating different ailments. Some of the springs still exist.

first appeared: 11/12/2000

Wilma Rudolph, who grew up in Clarksville (pop.94,879), overcame polio to become an Olympic track champion. In the 1960 Olympics, at age 20, she won gold medals for the 100-meter race, the 200-meter race, and the 400-meter relay.

first appeared: 11/5/2000

The “Scopes Monkey Trial” was held in Dayton (pop. 6,271) in 1925. Biology teacher John Scopes was accused of teaching evolution, which the state Legislature had outlawed because many believed Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution contradicted the Bible. Scopes was found guilty and fined $100. The trial served as the basis for the movie, Inherit the Wind.

first appeared: 10/22/2000

Tennessee was the last state to secede from the Union during the Civil War and the first to be readmitted after the war. The state seceded from the Union on June 8, 1861, and was readmitted July 23, 1866.

first appeared: 10/8/2000

William Edmondson of Nashville was the first black artist to have a one-man exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. His show was in 1937.

first appeared: 9/24/2000

Tennessee’s nickname “The Volunteer State” originates from the War of 1812 when volunteer soldiers from Tennessee, serving under Gen. Andrew Jackson, defeated the British at the Battle of New Orleans.

first appeared: 9/10/2000

The Grand Ole Opry radio show began broadcasting from Nashville in 1925, and originally was called WSM Barn Dance. It got its current name in 1927 when its announcer, George Hay, poked fun at the preceding opera radio program by referring to his show as the Grand Ole Opry. The Opry is the world's longest-running live radio show.

first appeared: 8/27/2000

Tennessee ties Missouri as the most neighborly state in the nation. Eight states border Tennessee: Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, and Virginia.

first appeared: 8/13/2000

Renowned architect William Strickland designed and oversaw construction of Tennessee’s State Capitol in Nashville. He died in 1854 before the building was completed (in 1859) and is buried in a vault in the building’s north wall.

first appeared: 7/30/2000

Tennessee settlers were the first white people in America to draft a constitution. The Watauga Association drafted the constitution, based on the Iroquois Federation’s laws, in 1772 at Sycamore Shoals near Elizabethton.

first appeared: 7/16/2000

TENNESSEE HAS MORE THAN 3,800 caves. One, in southeast Tennessee?s Lookout Mountain, contains Ruby Falls-the country's highest underground waterfall (145 feet). Ruby Falls is 1,120 feet underground.

first appeared: 7/2/2000

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