25 Fascinating Facts About America

Posted by , Updated on December 7, 2023

Some call it The Land of the Free, others call it ‘Mericuh. No matter what you call it though, you should take a short break from lighting fireworks and grilling hamburgers to enjoy these 25 Fascinating Facts About America! And as we celebrate the birth of a nation, make sure to thank any veterans that you know. Happy Fourth of July!

25

A Chilly Commute

alaska mountainhttp://www.businessinsider.com/here-are-the-states-where-the-most-people-walk-or-bike-to-work-2014-7

Alaska is the state with the highest percentage of people who walk to work.

24

Conspiracy Theory

moon landinghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_landing_conspiracy_theories

Some estimates say that up to twenty-seven percent of Americans believe we never landed on the moon.

23

Three Cheers for the Red, White, and Blue

us flag 1https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File_talk:Flag_of_the_United_States.svg

The American flag’s official colors are “Old Glory Red,” “White,” and “Old Glory Blue.”

22

A Grisly Realization

california-state-flaghttps://www.sequoiaparksconservancy.org/tales/the-last-grizzly

Even though the grizzly bear is California’s official state animal, none have been seen there since 1923.

21

Cereal City

cerealhttps://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/story/news/local/2017/06/12/we-still-th/369462001/

Breakfast cereal was started, accidentally, in Battle Creek, Michigan. Although many plants have closed, it’s still known as Cereal City.

20

Crowning Glory

liberty

The seven rays on the crown of the Statue of Liberty represent the seven continents. Each measures up to 9 feet in length and weighs as much as 150 pounds.

19

Outnumbered

happy cowshttp://beef2live.com/story-cattle-inventory-vs-human-population-state-0-114255

Montana has three times as many cows as it does people.

18

High Morale

Declaration of Independencehttps://www.monticello.org/site/jefferson/declaration-independence-paper

Many people claim the Declaration of Independence was written on hemp paper as the paper used for the draft was likely Dutch in origin, and hemp was a common paper material in Europe at the time. However, the final signed copy was on parchment, which was made out of animal skin. 

17

Creeper

Dollar-spider

The American one-dollar bill contains several hidden images, including a spider in the upper right-hand corner.

16

Coincidence?

declaration signing

John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died on July 4, 1826 – 50 years to the day after the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

15

We Speak American

english lang symbolhttps://www.cnn.com/2018/05/20/us/english-us-official-language-trnd/index.html

Although English is the most commonly spoken language in the United States, no official national language exists.

14

Let Freedom Ring…Or Not

Liberty_Bell_2017a

The Liberty Bell was last rung on George Washington’s Birthday in 1846. It received its fatal crack a few hours later.

13

Island Time

louisiana

In addition to its mainland, Louisiana consists of 2,482 islands that cover nearly 1.3 million acres.

12

Pilgrim Pride

mayflower

About 35 million Americans share DNA with at least one of the 102 pilgrims who arrived aboard the Mayflower in 1620.

11

Where The Streets Are Paved With Gold

highway 550https://www.informationin.com/2014/08/us-highway-550-in-colorado-is-known-as.html

US Highway 550 in Colorado became known as Million Dollar Highway because its roadbed was paved with low-grade gold ore.

10

Cast Off The Shackles

liberty shackles

Broken shackles lie at the feet of the Statue of Liberty, signifying freedom from oppression and tyranny.

9

Feeling Crowded?

crowd-2140587_1280

The state of Alaska is 429 times larger than the state of Rhode Island, but Rhode Island has a significantly larger population. Alaska’s population sits around 740,000, where as Rhode Island has over 1 million.

8

Oops!

ohio

Although Ohio is listed as the 17th state in the U.S., it is technically 47th because Congress forgot to vote on a resolution to admit it to the Union until 1953.

7

On Shaky Ground

seismic waves

About 500,000 detectable seismic tremors occur in California each year.

6

Twists and Turns

snake alley

Snake Alley, the most crooked street in the world, can be found in Burlington, Iowa.

5

Positively Presidential

virginia

George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, and Woodrow Wilson were all born in Virginia, making it the birthplace of more Presidents than any other state.

4

Home Sweet Home

Venus Flytrap Sea Anemone https://botany.org/bsa/misc/carn.html

Venus Fly Traps can only be found natively in the Carolinas and nowhere else in the world.

3

Such Great Heights

skyscraper roller coasterhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyscraper_(roller_coaster)

The world’s tallest roller coaster will soon open in Orlando, Florida; it’s estimated to open in 2020. At over 500 feet (150 m) high, this ride will also include the steepest drop and the highest inversion!

2

BOMBarded

balloon bombhttps://www.wired.com/2010/05/0505japanese-balloon-kills-oregon/

The Japanese sent bombs aboard balloons to the United States during World War II. Dozens of them actually landed, causing some damage. One of them even killed an Oregon family in 1944. The scary part is that there might be more lying around undiscovered!

1

And The Rockets’ Red Glare

Francis Scott Keyhttps://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/history-national-anthem-sports_us_5afc9bcfe4b06a3fb50d5056

The British deployed the first rockets in America during their attack against Fort McHenry in the War of 1812. Francis Scott Key witnessed the attack and immortalized it in a song he titled “The Star-Spangled Banner.” That song is now the national anthem of the United States.



Photo: Featured Image - shutterstock, 1. wikimedia commons (Public Domain), 2. (U.S. Air Force photo), Japanese Balloon Bomb (Public Domain), 3. wikipedia (Fair Use: Illustrative Purposes Only), 4. Noah Elhardt, Venus Flytrap showing trigger hairs, CC BY-SA 2.5 , 5. Famartin, 2015-05-14 07 16 15 Welcome to Virginia sign on southbound Interstate 495 (Capital Beltway) in McLean, Virginia, CC BY-SA 4.0 , 6. Loco Steve via flickr, "Snake Alley" b, CC BY 2.0, 7. wikimedia commons (Public Domain), 8. Stepshep, Flag Map of Ohio, CC BY-SA 3.0 , 9. pixels (Public Domain), 10. National Park Service, Statue of Liberty NM, The Statue’s shackles and feet, 11. Reinhard Schön, Million Dollar Highway 10 2006 09 13, CC BY-SA 3.0 , 12. By Unknown author - <a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="https://collections.carli.illinois.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/nby_teich/id/21342">https://collections.carli.illinois.edu/cdm/compoundobject/collection/nby_teich/id/21342</a>, Public Domain, Link, 13. I, Ruhrfisch, Louisiana Locator Map, CC BY-SA 3.0 , 14. By William Zhang - <a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/willzhang05/33650671514/">https://www.flickr.com/photos/willzhang05/33650671514/</a>, CC BY 2.0, Link, 15. wikimedia commons (Public Domain), 16. wikimedia commons (Public Domain), 18. wikimedia commons (Public Domain), 19. max pixel (Public Domain), 20. goodfreephotos.com (Public Domain), 21. Amin, Boxes of cereal in a supermarket, CC BY-SA 4.0 , 22. wikimedia commons (Public Domain), 23. pixabay (Public Domain), 24. max pixel (Public Domain), 25. Paxson Woelber via flickr, Mount Deception. Denali National Park, Alaska, CC BY 2.0