5 Facts About 5 States #6

Montana is the first state in the country to elect a female congresswoman. Jeanette Rankin, a Montana native, was first elected to Congress in 1916 and then re-elected in 1940. Jeanette Rankin was opposed to both World Wars and the US attack on Pearl Harbor. Hers was the only vote against the war, and she was met with vehement opposition.

A triple divide is a unique feature of Montana. Water can flow into the Atlantic Ocean, Hudson Bay (when considered an Arctic tributary), and the Pacific Ocean through this triple divide. Because the opposing Arctic and Pacific atmospheres collide to create a dramatic weather clash, the continental divide is responsible for an extreme climate. When visiting Kalispell's backyard treasure, visitors should bring rain gear and warm clothing.

Montana is referred to as the Big Sky County because of its numerous vantage points. As with the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, its horizon spreads out under a panoramic sky. The migrating waterfowl can be seen from a variety of vantage points. Skiers, hikers, anglers, and mountain bikers come from all over the world to enjoy the 2.8 million acres.

Unique Wildlife: Originally, there were two forests in Neihart-Helena-Lewis and Clark, which later merged to form a home for unusual wildlife. Mountain goats, elk, bighorn sheep, deer, grizzly bears, black bears, gray wolves, bald eagles, peregrine falcons, blue grouse, and mountain lions are among the animals seen in the national park.

The Battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as Custer's Last Stand, took place near the Little Big Horn River's ravines and ridges. Soldiers from the Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne tribe, and the 7th US Calvary Regiment engaged in combat. The war is a symbol of the clash of two completely different cultures: northern plain tribes' horse/buffalo culture and the industrialized United States. Custer and his troop were killed as a result of the battle. To commemorate the Great Sioux War of 1876 and a clash of cultures, a national monument was built.

The Leon Myers Stamp Center in Boys Town, Nebraska, houses the world's largest stamp ball. The stamp ball's core is thought to be either a pencil stub or a golf ball. The ball is made up of cancelled stamps, and it grew 32 inches in diameter and weighed 600 pounds in 1955, just two years after the stamps were stuck together. The ball is thought to be made up of 4,655,000 cancelled stamps. The ball has a sizable fan base. Some visitors are said to have come from as far as 100 miles away just to get a close look at the ball. Visitors are allowed to touch the ball but not to take it or add any stamps on it.  

Nebraska passed the Homestead Act in 1862, before becoming a state in the United States. The act allowed white settlers to claim and keep a 160-acre "section" of land if they worked on it for five years. There were, however, other requirements that had to be met in order to claim the land. The act ushered in a wave of newcomers to the state.

Because it is estimated that ten mammoth fossils are buried under an average square mile of land in Nebraska, the state can also be considered a fossil burial ground. Mammoth bones have been discovered in all 93 of the state's counties. The bones of the state's largest mammoth are on display at the University of Nebraska State Museum.

Chimney Rock National Historic Site is a natural geologic formation that is one of the most famous and recognizable landmarks for pioneer travelers on the Oregon, California, and Mormon Trails. The structure is thought to have formed between 34 and 23 million years ago. The name comes from the fact that the structure's top resembles a chimney. From its base, the spire rises to a height of 325 feet.

More than a million trees were planted in Nebraska on April 10th, 1872. Ethiopia began a tree-planting campaign in 2019 by planting more than 350 million trees in a single day. Official sources, however, have not confirmed these figures. The country's prime minister was behind the move. In 2019, the country aims to plant more than four billion trees. India currently holds the world record for planting the most trees in one day (50 million).

On November 4, 2017, a car sped along Nevada State Route 160 at 277.9 mph without receiving a ticket! It was part of Koenigsegg Automotive AB's attempt to set a world record for the fastest production car. The Koenigsegg Agera RS passed the test and became the new world record holder on that day.

Jacob Davis is famous all over the world for one of his inventions, but only a few people know his name. Mr. Davis was a tailor who, in his small shop in Reno, Nevada, invented the first pair of blue jeans. The year was 1873, and Levi Strauss was credited as a co-inventor. The men named the pants "blue jeans" after the Italian city of Genoa, which is known for its "jeane cotton."

Except for the fact that part of his name, Major General Jesse Lee Reno, was given to a city in northern Nevada, a Civil War officer killed during the Battle of South Mountain is little known. He was honored with the names Reno, Nevada, Reno County, Kansas, El Reno, Oklahoma, Reno, Pennsylvania, Fort Reno (Oklahoma), and Fort Reno Park in Washington, D.C.

Area 51, a top-secret US Air Force military installation located at Groom Lake in southern Nevada, is used as a flight testing facility. This area has previously been linked to various theories, including UFO sightings. Another conspiracy theory put forth by Bill Kaysing claims that NASA astronauts never made it to space and that all footage of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walking on the moon was shot at Area 51.

US Route 50 (US 50) runs straight through the heart of Nevada, and includes the section that was dubbed "The Loneliest Road in America" by the now-defunct Life Magazine back in 1986. The highway's 408 miles pass through desert, mountain valleys, and other sparsely populated areas that are notoriously boring for long-haul drivers. The route connects Ocean City, Maryland on the Atlantic Ocean and West Sacramento, California on the Pacific Ocean for a total distance of 3,000 miles (4,800 kilometers).

Granite from the state was used to build structures in Boston, Washington, D.C., and many other small towns, earning it the nickname "The Granite State." Conway Granite, a pink granite, and Concord Granite, a gray granite, were both quarried locally and shipped widely. The granites were given their names after the towns where they were first mined.

Ralph Henry Baer, known as the "Father of Video Games," was recently honored with a memorial in Manchester, New Hampshire. Baer invented the "Brown Box" in 1968, which allowed players to control moving dots on a television screen. Magnovax purchased the prototype of the box in 1972 and went on to market the world's first commercially sold video game. The Magnavox Odyssey Home Video Game System was the name given to the game. The invention paved the way for the multibillion-dollar gaming industry that exists today. During his lifetime, the legendary inventor was awarded over 150 patents.

On December 30, 1828, the first strike organized by women workers in the United States took place in New Hampshire. The strike was called to protest the Dover Cotton Factory's new policies prohibiting employees from talking on the job. Almost half of the 800 mill girls went on strike in protest of a daily wage cut of 5 cents. Men, on the other hand, received a higher wage.

The Bretton Woods International Monetary Conference, held in July 1944 at the Mount Washington Hotel, brought together financiers from 44 countries, and the American dollar was designated as the international currency standard. At the same time, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund were established. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund are both based in Washington, D.C., and collaborate closely.

In terms of total energy costs per month, New Hampshire ranks among the top ten states in the United States. A household in the state pays an average of $329 per month for electricity, natural gas, motor fuel, and home heating. Connecticut is the most expensive, costing $373 per month, while Colorado is the least expensive. Wallet Hub conducted the research and gathered the information.

New Jersey is known as the "World's Diner Capital." This is largely due to a set of circumstances that aided the growth of the state's dining culture. To begin with, due to the early development of the state's transportation system, when people were out commuting, they required a place to stop and eat. The new and upcoming diners were ideal for this purpose. The state's central location, which connects Philadelphia and New York, aided the trend. And the rest, as they say, is history! According to some sources, the state has the world's largest number of diners.

New Jersey was home to some of the most influential inventions of the twentieth century. When Thomas Edison presented the world with his idea for an electric light bulb, he did one of these things. Edison created the first high-resistance incandescent electric light in his Menlo Park laboratory. Edison was born on February 11, 1847, in Ohio.

The Holland Tunnel is the world's first mechanically ventilated underwater tunnel, connecting Jersey City, New Jersey, and Manhattan, New York City. The tunnel was completed in 1927 after a seven-year construction period. The Holland Tunnel was the world's longest continuous underwater vehicular tunnel at the time of its opening. The tunnel reaches a maximum depth of 93 feet beneath the Hudson River.

William Afton Allen of South Orange invented standard time in 1883. Did you know that in the 1850s, Americans used to set their watches to up to a hundred different local times? The railroad industry, which was booming at the time, necessitated the establishment of a standard time. Because of the need for a consistent and reliable railway schedule, the United States was divided into four time zones in 1883, each with its own standard time. William F. Allen was the editor of The Traveller's Official Guide and the secretary of the railroads' General Time Convention.

While working as a teacher at St. John's Parochial School in Paterson, New Jersey, John Philip Holland began work on the submarine's design. The submarine was first tested in Coney Island, New York, with a 33-inch model. The success of the test resulted in an additional $4,000 sponsorship fund for the inventor to further his design.