Alabama Facts

An underwater forest off the coast of Alabama that is 50,000 years old was uncovered by Hurricane Katrina.

A mother of three walked out of an Alabama Walmart with Cap'n Crunch, bread, and Christmas lights. The scanner froze. **Walmart had her arrested.** When the charge was dropped, they sent collection letters anyway - demanding $200 from a woman who owed them nothing. She sued. A unanimous jury handed her $2.1 million. The scanner was $48.

Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama has turned kids into pretend astronauts since 1982. Christina Koch went three or four summers as a kid and begged to go back every time. On April 6, 2026 she flew around the far side of the Moon on NASA's Artemis II, the first crewed lunar flyby since Apollo 17 and farther than any woman had ever flown. One of Space Camp's own kids made it to the Moon.

Rodney Smith Jr. was driving home in Huntsville, Alabama, when he pulled over to help an elderly stranger struggling to mow his lawn. That night he decided to mow free lawns for seniors, veterans and single moms. Then he asked kids to do the same: 50 free lawns each. More than 6,000 kids across the country have signed up. Those who finish all 50 get a new mower, trimmer and blower.

Snow and ice brought Birmingham, Alabama, to a standstill in January 2014. Neurosurgeon Zenko Hrynkiw was needed for emergency brain surgery at another hospital, so with traffic stuck he set off on foot in his scrubs. He walked miles through the storm until a stranger gave him a lift the rest of the way. He reached the hospital, operated, and the patient lived.

A year after the April 2011 tornadoes hit Alabama, Bo Jackson got on a bicycle. He rode 300 miles in five days through the tornado-hit towns. It became Bo Bikes Bama and ran for 14 years, through 2025. More than 10,750 riders joined it. The money rebuilt homes and paid for dozens of community storm shelters across the state.