Posted in Louisiana
August 23, 2017
11 Surprising Facts Most Louisianians Don’t Know About Their Home State
Louisiana is a truly unique state with a lot of history. If you’re a history buff, you may have already known some of these, but we’ve put together a short list of some Louisiana facts you may not know so you can impress your friends—or maybe get that question right on your next trivia night.
It stands 450 feet tall with 34 floors.
It was established in 1714.
Cemeteries are traditionally east-west facing to symbolize the beginning of life with the rising of the sun and the end of life with the setting of the sun. Maybe the gravedigger didn’t have a compass, or perhaps he just was having an off day, but the graves were set facing north-south, and too many people had been buried before the mistake had been realized. The graveyard is St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Rayne, Louisiana, and it’s certainly one of a kind.
You may have known what they represent (purple: justice, green: faith, gold: power) but according to historian Errol Flynn Laborde, the colors can be traced back to the first Rex parade in 1872. King Rex chose the colors, but why? Laborde concludes that Rex, being a king, needs a kingdom, and every kingdom needs a flag. According to "heraldry", you need both metals and colors, so gold was the obvious choice. Then, according to the rules that determine coat of arms, there were only five acceptable colors: black, green, purple, red, and blue. Obviously, purple and green were the winners.
Milk! Who knew?
All other states follow English common law.
Alaska is the other state, and they use boroughs.
It’s been in operation since 1835.
It was a performance of Ernest Grétry's Sylvain and it was performed in 1796 in New Orleans.
With a total of 46 helipads, it’s primarily used to support offshore oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico.
The Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo was established in 1928 and is still going strong.
Did you know any of these fun facts? Let us know in the comments below!
