Discover the Unbelievable: Top 16 Fun Facts About America You Never Knew!

1. USA's 344 Climate Divisions

If you're ever feeling "clime" and punishment in America, just remember: our great nation's weather mood swings are played out across a whopping 344 climate divisions! Tickling the fancy of sun-seekers and snow-lovers alike: each division boasts its unique temperature and precipitation quirks, spanning from coastal Mediterranean vibes to desert oases and mountainous alpine retreats, ensuring there's never a dull moment in the meteorological wonderland that is the United States.
Source => y-axis.com

2. National Anthem's Boozy Origins

Who needs a rousing karaoke session when you can get tipsy on patriotism: The tune of "The Star-Spangled Banner," America's national anthem, actually comes from an 18th-century British pub song called "To Anacreon in Heaven," and was deemed controversial due to its complex composition, making it difficult for children and public gatherings to sing properly, but it ultimately became the official anthem by Congress in 1931.
Source => theatlantic.com

Did you know that Canada's Trans-Canada Highway is the world's second-longest national highway, stretching across 10 provinces and overcoming daunting natural hurdles like the avalanche-prone Rogers Pass? 🛣️🇨🇦 Discover how they keep it open all year round!

=> Fun Facts about Canada

3. Ben Franklin's Shocking Invention

In a shocking turn of events, Benjamin Franklin threw a proverbial wrench into the cloud tantrums that terrorized towns: In the mid-1700s, Franklin invented the lightning rod, a pointed iron needle fastened atop buildings, which channeled electrical fire away from structures and their inhabitants, protecting them from lightning's wrath and etching his name in the annals of history as a brilliant inventor.
Source => fi.edu

4. Wampum: Ancient Shell Currency

Forget swiping cards and counting coins: Indigenous American tribes were trading like bosses with glittery purple shells known as wampum. These swanky tokens, made from the purple part of quahog or hard clam shells, were not only high in style but also represented peace and valuable trade items – talk about a clam-orous entrance to the trading scene! However, keep your oysters close, as wampum wasn't a standard currency with fixed exchange rates for all goods and services.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

5. Oklahoma's Watermelon Conundrum

In a move that left okra feeling green with envy and cucumbers in a bit of a pickle, Oklahoma proved it has a melon reasons to break the rules: The state declared watermelon as their official vegetable, despite it widely being considered a fruit. This juicy decision was justified by the watermelon's membership in the cucumber family, but not everyone agreed on this refreshing identity crisis. Nevertheless, the watermelon emerged as the top pick(le), while strawberries enjoy their sweet spot as Oklahoma's official fruit.
Source => theguardian.com

6. USVI's Left-side Driving Quirk

Ever feel like you're driving on the wrong side of the road? Welcome to the United States Virgin Islands, where left is right and right is... well, still right in a weird way: The USVI is the only US territory where drivers cruise on the left side, but thanks to imported American cars, the steering wheels are still on the left, making navigating hairpin turns on narrow, hilly roads a truly unique experience.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

7. ZIP Codes' British Inspiration

Did the United States Postal Service steal a page from Mary Poppins' book? It might just appear that way as they went about their business, making sure every delivery was practically perfect in every way: In 1963, the US introduced the Zone Improvement Plan or ZIP codes, assigning that first ever five-digit number, 00601, to Adjuntas, Puerto Rico, streamlining mail sorting and delivery efficiency. While it sounds like an American idea, it actually hearkens back to 1858 when Sir Rowland Hill devised a postal system dividing London into areas, which led to the origin of postal districts. So, next time you scribble that magic number on your envelope, remember that Uncle Sam had some British inspiration!
Source => oldest.org

8. Alaska's Incredible Ice Cubes

Alaska may just have us all on thin ice with its massive ice cube collection: boasting a staggering 25,000 glaciers spanning an icy expanse of approximately 35,385 square miles, it is predicted that they will lose 30 to 60 percent of their volume by 2100, impacting seal levels, river flows, and even power generation.
Source => gi.alaska.edu

9. Manhattan's $24 Dutch Bargain

Did you hear about the legendary yard sale back in 1626 when the Dutch scored the ultimate thrift shop find? That's right, folks: Peter Minuit, a merchant from Tournai, purchased Manhattan Island for the Dutch East India Company from representatives of the Lenape people for a value way over the commonly-known $24, laying the groundwork for what would become modern-day New York City.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

10. World's Shortest Railway

Forget about coast-to-coast road trips, save some gas and take a quick, breezy ride on the world's shortest railway: Angels Flight in Los Angeles is a 298 feet funicular connecting Grand Central Market and the Water Court shopping mall, boasting appearances in movies like La La Land and Michael Connelly's Angels Flight® novel, and offering a one-minute, celebrity-status ride aboard the two trolleys Sinai and Olive.
Source => metrolinktrains.com

11. Michigan's Horse-powered Highway

Ready to power down your engines and saddle up, partner? As America's most peaceful rodeo unfolds, you're about to embark on a journey along a truly horse-powered, old-fashioned highway: Michigan's M-185 is the only state trunkline highway in the nation that prohibits motor vehicles, allowing travel solely by foot, horse, horse-drawn carriage, or bicycle. This 8.004-mile road circles Mackinac Island's picturesque landscapes while the vehicle ban, in effect since 1898, guarantees that the only horsepower you'll find here is the real, neighing kind.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

12. Superman's Lightspeed Baby Trip

You know how they say that babies grow up in a flash? Well, Superman must have left that flash on Krypton since it took him three whole years to arrive on Earth as an infant: Surprisingly, the Man of Steel's home planet was about 640 light-years away from Earth, and without faster-than-light travel, baby Kal-El had quite the interstellar road trip before crash landing in Smallville. The tragic loss of Krypton occurred around 33 years ago in the Superman timeline, leaving behind a cosmic debris field known as the "Krypton Plume."
Source => reddit.com

13. San Francisco's Real Crooked Street

What do you get when you mix a hill, a little wiggle room, and some seriously confused navigators? The second most crooked street in San Francisco! Relegation for Lombard Street: While it's famous for being the “Crookedest Street in the World," the twisty-turny Vermont Street between 20th and 22nd streets on Potrero Hill is ever so slightly more crooked. Doesn't that just throw a curveball into your sightseeing plans? And on top of that, Lombard Street lost out on hosting the Bring Your Own Big Wheel Race as Vermont Street hijacked the title for the swirliest street for wheeling and dealing.
Source => sftravel.com

14. World's Largest Twine Ball

Forget Charlie and his giant peach – it's all about Frank and his colossal coil of cordage: In Cawker City, Kansas, Frank Stoeber began the World's Largest Ball of Twine, which now weighs over 27,000 pounds, and the community keeps adding to it each August in a "twine-a-thon," with businesses celebrating this twine behemoth through creative window displays and a painted path on the sidewalk.
Source => kansastravel.org

15. Washington's Shellfish Supremacy

Holy clam chowder, Batman! The Pacific Northwesterners are shell-abrating a shucking good time: Washington State reigns supreme as Uncle Sam's biggest provider of hatchery-reared and farmed shellfish, boasting nearly 700 fishing and seafood operations along its scenic coasts.
Source => choosewashingtonstate.com

16. McDonald's Fast-food Monarchy

In the game of global fast-food thrones, the Big Mac reigns supreme and the ruler of the McEmpire wears a clown crown: McDonald's boasts over 40,000 locations worldwide as of 2022, beating out even its footlong adversary, Subway, which has a mere 37,000 locations across the globe.
Source => en.wikipedia.org