Posted in Pennsylvania Fun Facts April 05, 2015 by

Here Are 20 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Pennsylvania

You might think you know your home state like the back of your hand, but think again. There are always new and interesting things to learn about the place you call home– from historical facts, to weird laws, to state firsts, here are some quirky and fun things you may not have known about Pennsylvania. Below are 20 interesting facts about Pennsylvania that you probably didn’t know.

1. The state insect is the firefly.
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2. The oldest gas station in the US is located in Altoona.
Riza Nugraha
3. Pennsylvania is one of the few U.S. states that is a commonwealth, which has no legal meaning but emphasizes the role of the people in the state's govenment. (The others are Kentucky, Virginia, and Massachusets.)
Nicholas A. Tonelli
4. The third biggest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, is Allentown.
Lehigh Valley, PA
5. The nation's oldest golf course is located in Clarion.
Dan Perry
6. The Monongahela River, located in Western PA, is unique in that it flows north.
Jon Dawson
7. The first department store in the U.S. was located in Philadelphia. It was called Wanamaker's.
"The Grand Court" by Nikita52389 at en.wikipedia. Licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
8. The only president from Pennsylvania was James Buchanan.
"James Buchanan" by From Brady daguerreotype (Mathew Brady) (1822-1896) - Library of Congress. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
9. The Philadephia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers merged to form the Steagles for one season in 1943. The teams merged because both lost so many players to military service during WWII.
"Steagles photo" by Courtesy Urban Archives, Temple University Libraries, Philadelphia. Licensed under Fair use via Wikipedia
10. One weird Pennsylvania law forbids singing in the bathtub. Another forbids the sweeping of dirt underneath a rug.
Evil Erin
11. Pennsylvania has the highest Amish population in the world.
Nicholas A. Tonelli
12. Kennett Square, PA is the mushroom capital of the world. It produces one million pounds of mushrooms per year and has an annual mushroom festival.
varmfront.se
13. The most haunted house in the country was once considered to be the Congeleier House on Ridge St. in Pittsburgh.
pinterest.com
14. The first complete Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton can be found in the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh.
fatherspoon
15. The world's largest furry convention, Anthrocon, occurs in Pittsburgh every year.
Douglas Muth
16. The first baseball stadium was built in Pittsburgh.
"Forbes Field exterior" by Unknown - This image is available from the United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID ppmsca.18454. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
17. In 1946, the world's first computer was used in Philadelphia.
"Eniac" by Unknown - U.S. Army Photo. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
18. Pennsylvania was the only colony of the original thirteen that did not border the Atlantic Ocean.
Official U.S. Navy Page
19. Benjamin Franklin started the country's first zoo in Philadelphia.
Jim, the Photographer
20. The official state beverage is milk. Mmm.
Marl Hillary

We hope you found these facts as interesting and surprising as we did. Do you have any unusual Pennsylvania trivia to share?

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