Here Are 9 Things They Don’t Teach You About Rhode Island In School

We all know our state is a bit weird. Rhode Island is unique in so many ways, and you might think you know it all about the Biggest Little. Here are a few odd facts about Rhode Island that you may not have learned in school.

1. Rhode Island was one of the few states not to ratify prohibition.

2. Cumberland is the only place on the planet that highly magnetic cumberlandite has been found. It looks a lot like meteor debris and is high in iron and titanium.

3. You may thank Governor Ambrose Burnside of Bristol for popularizing the side burn.

4. We have more shipwrecks per square mile than any other state.

5. At 4 letters, our state motto "Hope" is the shortest in the nation.

6. Jacqueline Bouvier and John F. Kennedy were married in Newport at St. Mary's Church in 1953.

7. George M. Cohan, the composer of "It's A Grand Old Flag" and "I'm A Yankee Doodle Dandy," was born in Providence in 1878.

8. The first torpedo boat, "Stiletto," was built in Bristol in 1887 by the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company.

9. The Quonset Hut was invented here at Quonset Point.

Yes, it's safe to say that Rhode Island has a unique history and some distinct oddities. Did you know these things about Rhode Island? Leave any other strange facts in the comments!