Got a one-two punch here today. Figured what better way to start the first blog of the year than by talking about two grand states; Georgia and North Carolina. When Georgia springs to mind, I think of one of two things: The Devil going down there and Charles Daniels beating him in an honorable fiddle duel, and some pretty darn good home cooking. North Carolina comes to mind for me when I’m thinking of North Dakota but forget the name of the state, and the NFL’s Panthers.
As I’ve mentioned before, I am not a clever man. But enough of that, let’s take a look at some of this stuff. For example, did you know that…
- In the chicken capital of the world, Gainesville, it is illegal to eat chicken with a fork
- Rome, Georgia holds the only natural forest within city limits in the United States
- Georgia had three governors at the same time twice
- St. Mary’s is the second oldest town in the United States.
- Targeting demographics: Georgia was the first state to allow 18 year olds to vote
- In Acworth, it’s a legal requirement for all citizens to own a rake
- Georgia is the nation’s number one producer of the three “p’s”: peanuts, pecans and peaches
- Coca-Cola was invented by Dr. John Pemberton in Atlanta, Georgia
- The Amusement Park Six-Flags has its name originate from the six different flags that had been flown over the state throughout the years; England, Spain, Liberty, Georgia, the CSA and then, finally, the United States
- Edward “Blackbeard” Teach, notorious pirate, frequented an island off of the Georgia shore and in 1975 Congress established the Blackbeard Island Wilderness Area, a wildlife preserve that spans over three-thousand acres
North Carolina
- In 1903 the Wright Brothers made the first successful flight by man at Kill Devil Hill
- Michael Jordan always wore his University of North Carolina shorts under his NBA Bulls uniform for good luck
- Krispy Kreme Doughnut was founded in Winston-Salem
- Babe Ruth hit his first home run in Fayetteville on March 7th, 1914
- The first miniature golf course was built in North Carolina all the way back in 1919. When finished with the project, James Barber and his partner Edward Wiswell looked over the park and said “this’ll do.” The words would inspire the name of the course: Thistle Dhu
- A rival approaches: Pepsi Cola was invented in New Bern in 1898
- It’s against the law to sing off-key
- White Lake is considered the “Nation’s Safest Beach”, housing no tides, no depressions, and crystal-clear waters.
- The first English child born in America was born in 1587 in Roanoke. Her name was Virginia Dare
- Roanoke is also well-known for housing a mystery that has haunted historians for generations. The first generation of colonists were located on Roanoke Island and when John White traveled to England for resupply, he was delayed by a war with Spain. By the time he managed to return the entire town was abandoned, the only clues to the settler’s whereabouts were the hastily carved words “Cro” on a tree and “Croatian” on a wooden fencepost. It’s only now that there are finally potential leads being discovered to the bizarre incident