Place Facts About American History

New Jersey and Oregon are the only two states where it is illegal to pump your own gas.

About 1 in 30 people, in the U.S., are in jail, on probation, or on parole!

It is illegal to purchase or consume Jack Daniel's Whiskey in the town in which it is produced!

President George W. Bush and Playboy founder Hugh Hefner are cousins!

Native Americans do not have to pay tax on their land.

George W. Bush was also the head of the cheerleading team in his high school.

Cast iron skillets used to be the leading source of iron in the American diet!

Every U.S. president with a beard has been a Republican.

In 1659, it was illegal to celebrate Christmas in Massachusetts.

203 million dollars is spent on barbed wire each year in the U.S.

Saint Augustine, Florida, founded in 1565, is the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in what is now the United States.

Jimmy Carter is the first U.S. President to have been born in a hospital.

The White House maintains a collection of over 13,000 pieces of flatware, including historic silver dating back to the early 1800s.

John F. Kennedy was the first Roman Catholic President of the USA!

J. Edgar Hoover liked to fire FBI agents whose palms were sweaty when shaking hands.

The average American uses eight times as much fuel energy as an average person anywhere else in the world.

Connecticut and Rhode Island never ratified the 18th Amendment (Prohibition).

In 21 U.S. states, WALMART is the single largest employer.

Manhattan Island was purchased by Dutch colonial governor Peter Minuit from the Lenape people in 1626 for trade goods valued at 60 guilders—roughly $1,000-$1,150 in today's money, not the commonly cited $24.

In 1956, 80% of all U.S. households had a refrigerator, but only 8% of British households had one!