How to Own Trivia Night: The Quirkiest Facts About U.S. Cities
March 18, 2016
Did you know that it’s possible to get married inside a doughnut shop in Portland? Or that Boston was once submerged in a deadly wave…of molasses? If you love a bit of bizarro urban lore, keep on reading for more quirky and unexpected facts about U.S. cities. (And see if you can memorize ’em. You never know what might come up at your next trivia night.)
1. LOS ANGELES: Few things are as iconic as the Hollywood sign. But you might be surprised to learn that LA's most famous landmark looked a little different when it was first erected in 1923. Back then, it read "Hollywoodland." Another movie-making fun fact, while we're at it: the American film industry first located here in 1912 only because they wanted to escape Thomas Edison's many prohibitive film patents.
Photo courtesy of Alex Campos/Flickr
Photo courtesy of Alex Campos/Flickr
2. NEW YORK: It's no surprise that the Big Apple has its fair share of trivia, right down to its nickname. The etymology goes back to the 1920s, in a sports writer's column about horse racing. But our fave New York factoid has more recent origins. First reported in 2011, the city is home to its very own urban panhandler, who claims to make hundreds of dollars a week skimming the sidewalks of Midtown's Diamond District for gold flakes and dropped gems. Eureka!
3. PHILADELPHIA: When non-natives think of Philly, they probably think of Rocky running up the Art Museum steps. Or the Liberty Bell. Or cheesesteaks. But what about Einstein's brain? Let's back up a sec. America's first capital is home to the infamous Mütter Museum, which catalogues all manner of queasiness-inducing medical oddities. And it's here that you can see a preserved section of the very cerebrum that nailed that whole E=MC2 business.
Photo courtesy of Evi Numen, 2011, for the Mütter Museum of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia
Photo courtesy of Evi Numen, 2011, for the Mütter Museum of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia
4. CHICAGO: Chicago is a city of innovation — just look at its world-famous museums for proof. Or you could just look around you, wherever you are, where signs of the city's inventive spirit are likely visible. After all, the zipper, the Twinkie, the vacuum cleaner, spray-paint, and the Ferris wheel were all born in the Windy City.
5. BOSTON: One of early Boston's biggest disasters wasn't a blizzard or another terrible storm. Nope: it was a flood. Of molasses. In 1919, the disaster struck when a giant tank burst, sending over 2 million gallons barrelling down on the city's residents. But that isn't even the oddest bit of Bostonian culinary trivia. In Massachusetts, it's also illegal to make clam chowder with tomatoes. You've been warned.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
6. PORTLAND: Given that "Keep Portland Weird" is a motto that frequently appears around town, it's not too surprising that Portland is brimming with odd trivia. For instance: did you know that it's the only major city in the continental U.S. that has a volcano within city limits? It's the extinct Mount Tabor. But our favorite example of Portland's wonderful weirdness has to be Voodoo Doughnut, which offers five different packages for legal weddings. Nothing says romance like a bacon maple doughnut.
Photo courtesy of Krista/Flickr
Photo courtesy of Krista/Flickr
7. SEATTLE: As far as unusual facts about U.S. cities go, Seattle trivia skews from the highbrow to the...slightly less so. On the one hand, cultured Seattle has more glass-blowing studios than any other U.S. city (and is also one of the most literate cities in the U.S. to boot). But then again, Seattle is also famous for hosting an annual naked pumpkin run. You make the call.
8. SAN FRANCISCO: The City by the Bay has always attracted its fair share of characters. Like the Emperor of the United States. For real. Back in 1859, resident Joshua A. Norton decided to give himself an imperial title. Best of all, most people seemed happy enough to go along with it, greeting him with bows, paying him taxes, and printing his decrees. Yeah, we're tempted to try this out sometime.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
1. LOS ANGELES: Few things are as iconic as the Hollywood sign. But you might be surprised to learn that LA's most famous landmark looked a little different when it was first erected in 1923. Back then, it read "Hollywoodland." Another movie-making fun fact, while we're at it: the American film industry first located here in 1912 only because they wanted to escape Thomas Edison's many prohibitive film patents.
Photo courtesy of Alex Campos/Flickr
Photo courtesy of Alex Campos/Flickr
2. NEW YORK: It's no surprise that the Big Apple has its fair share of trivia, right down to its nickname. The etymology goes back to the 1920s, in a sports writer's column about horse racing. But our fave New York factoid has more recent origins. First reported in 2011, the city is home to its very own urban panhandler, who claims to make hundreds of dollars a week skimming the sidewalks of Midtown's Diamond District for gold flakes and dropped gems. Eureka!
3. PHILADELPHIA: When non-natives think of Philly, they probably think of Rocky running up the Art Museum steps. Or the Liberty Bell. Or cheesesteaks. But what about Einstein's brain? Let's back up a sec. America's first capital is home to the infamous Mütter Museum, which catalogues all manner of queasiness-inducing medical oddities. And it's here that you can see a preserved section of the very cerebrum that nailed that whole E=MC2 business.
Photo courtesy of Evi Numen, 2011, for the Mütter Museum of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia
Photo courtesy of Evi Numen, 2011, for the Mütter Museum of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia
4. CHICAGO: Chicago is a city of innovation — just look at its world-famous museums for proof. Or you could just look around you, wherever you are, where signs of the city's inventive spirit are likely visible. After all, the zipper, the Twinkie, the vacuum cleaner, spray-paint, and the Ferris wheel were all born in the Windy City.
5. BOSTON: One of early Boston's biggest disasters wasn't a blizzard or another terrible storm. Nope: it was a flood. Of molasses. In 1919, the disaster struck when a giant tank burst, sending over 2 million gallons barrelling down on the city's residents. But that isn't even the oddest bit of Bostonian culinary trivia. In Massachusetts, it's also illegal to make clam chowder with tomatoes. You've been warned.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
6. PORTLAND: Given that "Keep Portland Weird" is a motto that frequently appears around town, it's not too surprising that Portland is brimming with odd trivia. For instance: did you know that it's the only major city in the continental U.S. that has a volcano within city limits? It's the extinct Mount Tabor. But our favorite example of Portland's wonderful weirdness has to be Voodoo Doughnut, which offers five different packages for legal weddings. Nothing says romance like a bacon maple doughnut.
Photo courtesy of Krista/Flickr
Photo courtesy of Krista/Flickr
7. SEATTLE: As far as unusual facts about U.S. cities go, Seattle trivia skews from the highbrow to the...slightly less so. On the one hand, cultured Seattle has more glass-blowing studios than any other U.S. city (and is also one of the most literate cities in the U.S. to boot). But then again, Seattle is also famous for hosting an annual naked pumpkin run. You make the call.
8. SAN FRANCISCO: The City by the Bay has always attracted its fair share of characters. Like the Emperor of the United States. For real. Back in 1859, resident Joshua A. Norton decided to give himself an imperial title. Best of all, most people seemed happy enough to go along with it, greeting him with bows, paying him taxes, and printing his decrees. Yeah, we're tempted to try this out sometime.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
