Missouri Facts & Trivia

Missouri is known as the "Show Me State".

The 'Show Me State' expression may have began in 1899 when Congressman Willard Duncan Vandiver stated, "I'm from Missouri and you've got to show me."

The first successful parachute jump to be made from a moving airplane was made by Captain Berry at St. Louis, in 1912.

The most destructive tornado on record occurred in Annapolis. In 3 hours, it tore through the town on March 18, 1925 leaving a 980-foot wide trail of demolished buildings, uprooted trees, and overturned cars. It left 823 people dead and almost 3,000 injured.

At the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904, Richard Blechyden, served tea with ice and invented iced tea.

Also, at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904, the ice cream cone was invented. An ice cream vendor ran out of cups and asked a waffle vendor to help by rolling up waffles to hold ice cream.

Missouri ties with Tennessee as the most neighborly state in the union, bordered by 8 states.

The state animal is the Mule.

St. Louis; is also called, "The Gateway to the West" and "Home of the Blues".

Warsaw holds the state record for the low temperature of -40 degrees on February 13, 1905.

Warsaw holds the state record for the high temperature recorded, 118 degrees on July 14, 1954.

State bird--native Bluebird March 30, 1927

State insect--honey bee July 3, 1985

Kansas City has more miles of freeway per capita than any metro area with more than 1 million residents.

Jefferson National Expansion Memorial consists of the Gateway Arch, the Museum of Westward during a nationwide competition in 1947-48, architect Eero Saarinen's inspired design for a 630-foot stainless steel arch was chosen as a perfect monument to the spirit of the western pioneers. Construction of the Arch began in 1963 and was completed on October 28, 1965.The Arch has foundations sunken 60 feet into the ground, and is built to withstand earthquakes and high winds. It sways up to one inch in a 20 mph wind, and is built to sway up to 18 inches.

The tallest man in documented medical history was Robert Pershing Wadlow from St. Louis. He was 8 feet, 11.1 inches tall