Here are some of the most interesting Pennsylvania facts you’ll find on the internet. The Big Mac was invented by Jim Delligatti, who owned several McDonald’s restaurants near Pittsburgh. Pennsylvania has the highest concentration of Amish in the U.S. He lost all of his investment. Named in honor of Admiral Sir. From the days of its founding by William Pitt to the 21st century, Pittsburgh has penned quite the story. The reverse side, or counterseal, pictures Liberty dominating Tyranny in the form of a lion, along with the warning "Both Can't Survive. Stan Musial played on a high school basketball team with Griffey’s grandfather. The exterior of the Harry Packer Mansion in Jim Thorpe was the inspiration for the Haunted Mansion ride at Disney World. The Byler Amish in the Big Valley of Mifflin County use yellow-topped buggies. I was there at least a dozen times when I was a kid. The boxy, black cylinder with the short stack on top was the main passenger locomotive of the Pennsylvania railroad for 30 years. The Pennsylvania Colony was dominated by the Quaker religious beliefs and values. It was dedicated on February 15, 1946 and weighed 28 tons. During World War II, a Pennsylvania dentist convinced President Roosevelt to bomb Japan with timed explosives attached to thousands of bats. Capital Harrisburg Became a State December 12,1797 Location middle Atlantic United States Area 46,055 sq. The Patriot & Union Newspaper in Harrisburg (the precursor to The Patriot-News) wrote in November 1863 that Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address was “silly” and deserving “a veil of oblivion.” The paper issued a retraction in November 2013. J.C. Blair invented the paper writing tablet in Huntingdon, PA. Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain) wrote a letter in 1884 thanking Blair for the invention of the tablet. If you are looking for some fun and magic, visit the Ringing Rock Park in Bucks County. These include the Delaware, Susquehanna, and Iroquois. The organ is in a private home and opened to the public for concerts several times a year with world renowned organists at the console. Questions will cover facts learned during our school days as well as those acquired in the days since. The team was called the Steagles and they finished with a winning record, something the Eagles had yet to achieve. 1863 - The Battle of Gettysburg occurs. Most of these tribes were driven off or reduced to remnants as a result of diseases, such as smallpox, that swept through long before any permanent Euro… Evans City, PA Evans City Learn More. On Feb 11, 1912, he became the pilot to successfully fly over Lake Erie and thus completed the first international flight. Questions? A short list of Pennsylvania … The land of Pennsylvania was inhabited by Native American tribes long before the first Europeans arrived. Pennsylvania is bordered by New York and Lake Erie in the north; New York and New Jersey in the... WILDLIFE. Swedes arrived in 1638 and, with the Finns, who came about the same time, spilled over into what is now the Philadelphia area. Children in the city were the first to be given the new vaccine. The Johnstown incline plane is the world’s steepest vehicular incline plane. Fun Facts. The area was later ruled by the Netherlands and Great Britain. Chorus The word "Sylvania" means "land that is full of trees." They city received 138.4 inches of snow. Pennsylvanians know fireflies as "lightning bugs" that brighten a still summer night. History of Adams County Pennsylvania, Part 3, including Biographical Sketches from History of Cumberland and Adams Counties, Pennsylvania; Chicago: Warner, Beers & Co., 1886. Origin of the Name Pennsylvania: Penn's Woods. The southern boundary of Pennsylvania, ratified in 1769, was the Mason and Dixon Line, which became the dividing line between the slave and the free states before the American Civil War. Pennsylvania is officially a Commonwealth, a word which comes from Old English and means the "common weal" or well-being of the public. “Pennsylvania” actually means “Penn’s Woods,” referring to the holder of the founding colonial charter, William Penn. The Tunkhannock Viaduct in Nicholson, PA, was the largest concrete structure in the world when it was completed in 1915. Today, Pennsylvania is … Pennsylvania's State Flag is composed of a blue field on which is embroidered the State Coat of Arms. These tribes included the Shawnee in the southwest, the Susquehannock in the south, the Delaware in the southeast, and the Iroquois (Oneida and Seneca tribes) in the north. We give you 41 interesting facts about how the Pennsylvania colony came into existence, its people, and its unification into the USA. The first State Flag bearing the State Coat of Arms was authorized by the General Assembly in 1799. The world’s first purposefully-dug oil well was dug by Colonel Edwin Drake in 1859 near Titusville, Pennsylvania. Designated June 23, 1931, State Flower: Mountain Laurel Pennsylvania is the 6th most populated state behind California, Texas, New York, Florida, and Illinois (source 2013 United States Census Bureau estimate). These include the Delaware, Susquehanna, and Iroquois. The polio vaccine was created in Pittsburgh in 1955. Where first our country's flag unfolded, Verse 2 Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Population: 12,763,536 (2012 est.) [31] Facts about Philadelphia. Call … Until the early 1800s, the largest shipping port in North America was in Philadelphia. Designated August 15, 1965, State Fish: Brook Trout An act of the General Assembly of June 13, 1907, standardized the flag and required that the blue field match the blue of Old Glory. Pennsylvania officially became a state on December 12, 1787. Discover an overview of Pennsylvania's rich history, heritage, historic events, and culture. However, the U.S. military didn’t think they could produce enough models and gave the plans to Ford. Designated November 29, 1990. The State Flag Did you know that of the original thirteen colonies, Pennsylvania is the only that does not border the … Our dynamic urban spaces. Smethport, PA Smethport Learn More. 1835 - The Liberty Bell cracks. Since colonial days, farming has remained one of Pennsylvania's top industries. The Pennsylvania Colony was also called the Province of Pennsylvania. Potter County, Pennsylvania, is home to the only Triple Continental Divide east of the Mississippi. How to proceed--1. Description; Flag; Geography Statistics; Geography; Location; Maps; Symbols; Capital City: Harrisburg (pop.) List of Pennsylvania Counties with Burned Courthouses. Pennsylvania's Coat of Arms is probably the state's most familiar symbol. If you can, log-in about 5-10 minutes early. … Here’s a final, but surprising fact about Pennsylvania. The Pittsburgh area was the childhood home of six Hall of Fame quarterbacks: Joe Montana, Joe Namath, Jim Kelly, Dan Marino, Johnny Unitas, and George Blanda. Pennsylvania was attmited as a state on December 12, 1787. Would you like to submit an event to the calendar? They produce nearly three billion crayons each year, enough to encircle the globe six times. Tyranny decried, First commercial pretzel bakery and !invest continuous July 4th celebration. Westinghouse Research in Forest Hills split the first atom. A ZOOM link will be emailed to you one hour before the start time. It held the colonies together like the "keystone" in a window or door arch. The highest point in PA (Mount Davis at 3,213 feet) is at a lower elevation than the lowest point in the entire state of Colorado (3,315 feet). Built in 1937, the GGI 4859 pulled troop trains to military destinations during World War II and continued powering coal and passenger cars until retirement in 1979. The state was named in honor of William Penn.The capital is Harrisburg and the official state website is www.pa.gov.. It was cut in half and nearly killed by the widening of Route 322 in the 1970s. The Keystone State The first programming was announcing the presidential election results. The first oil boom in the world happened in Northwest Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania Fun Facts. Radio and TV. The damage to courthouses greatly has a bearing on genealogists in every way. Anthracite coal was discovered in many locations in Northeast Pennsylvania and mines followed. 1952 Harvey Taylor bridge opens to help traffic to west shore Actor Jimmy Stewart was from Indiana, PA. Me too…born in Indiana, Pa & spent summers there with relatives. Pennsylvania was in the center of the original 13 colonies (6 above it and 6 below it), and was also central to much of the economic, social, and political development of the country. Named in honor of Admiral Sir. A water animal measuring just one to four inches, the Phacops Rana lived and left its mark Pennsylvania more than 250 million years ago. The review was also mocked by Saturday Night Live. 'Til the bell of independence filled with honor everlasting as your history. It was dedicated on February 15, 1946 and weighed 28 tons. Want to learn fun facts about Pittsburgh, PA? It is also the 32nd largest state by land and water area with a total area of 46,055 square miles. State Motto There is nothing more beautiful than the flash of a Brook Trout beneath a bubbling current -- especially for Pennsylvania's 1.1 million anglers. Designated June 17, 1982, State Steam Locomotive: K4s Steam Life. Curwensville was home to the first sliced cheese! When the Speaker of the House called for a voice vote to designate the Great Dane, yips, growls and barks assaulted his ears from every part of the chamber! Settlers relied on this plump, red-brown bird with the feathery legs as part of their food supply. Designated June 22,1931, State Tree: Hemlock From 1894-1908, Philadelphia City Hall was the tallest habitable building in the world (at 548 feet in height). Without knowledge of the events in Philadelphia, they declared their own independence from Great Britain on July 4, 1776. filled the countryside. Join the ZOOM event. Its first blast on July 4, 1840 marked the beginning of the industrial revolution in America. (The others are Kentucky, Virginia, and Massachusets.) There is a mine in Pennsylvania that has been on fire since 1962 and is expected to burn for another 250 years minimum. The toy became a hit and later the wife moved production from Philly to Hollidaysburg when the creator left his family for a religious cult. Description; Facts; Flag; Geography Statistics; Location; Maps; Symbols; Almost totally covered by mountains, most of the state is a series of rolling hills, plateaus and ridges, punctuated by valleys. Jim Cheney is the creator of UncoveringPA.com. In 1682 the English duke of York had leased to Penn the Three Lower Counties (now Delaware) along the west bank of the Delaware River and Bay. Between 1834 and 1854, the time to travel from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh was cut from 20+ days to just 15 hours thanks to advances such as the Allegheny Portage Railroad and the Horseshoe Curve near Altoona. There have been more than 10 reported sightings of a ghost named Fred at the historic State Theater in downtown Easton. It was built by David Thomas, a welsh iron master, at Lock 36 on the D&L Canal. Today, Pennsylvania continues to be of key importance to the social, economic and political development of the United States. 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