Ohio isn’t only home to the famous Cuyahoga National Park and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. It is home to one of the largest universities in the country. In fact, the Ohio State University mascot is well-known for always leading the team to football victory.
To know Ohio State better, here’s a list of things you might not know:
- Ohio got its name from “ohi-yo.” It’s an Iroquois word that means “great river.”
- It was only in 1953 when Ohio officially became a state, although it was already declared to be one back in 1803. It can be recalled that Ohio failed to get the stamp of approval from the President during that time. When President Dwight Eisenhower finally signed for approval, he back-dated Ohio’s declaration to its original date.
- The term “the Buckeye State” came about due to numerous Buckeye trees found throughout the River Valley. Plants at the river produce small brown nuts which is similar to a deer’s eye. It’s said that putting one in your pocket would bring good luck.
- The cash register was invented in 1878 by an Ohio native named James Ritty. James was a saloon owner who had issues with employees stealing his hard-earned money. While viewing machineries on a steamboat, he was able to conceptualize a machine that would keep track of his monetary transactions.
- Famous inventor Thomas Edison’s birthplace is Milan Ohio.
- The movie Shawshank Redemption was filmed at the Mansfield Ohio State Reformatory. It was later used to film Air Force One. It’s a nice reformatory field and tourists can take tours inside.
- Before people knew the Boston Red Sox, the first professional baseball team that ever hailed from Ohio is the Cincinnati Red Stockings. The Red Stockings team was established in 1869.
- Prior to entering a career in television, Jerry Springer first became Cincinnati’s 56th mayor. Jerry wanted to run for senate, but due to the show’s negative ratings, he opted not to.
- The “Presidential Museum” is housed in Ohio. This museum was established in honor of John Hanson who were actually elected and served for one year prior to the time when the American constitution was written. John Hanson was technically America’s first President.
For some reason, textbooks glossed over this significant historical figure. This is the reason why the Presidential Museum was erected to properly educate the people. Visitors will not only enjoy the portraits and artifacts, they can even enjoy a personal tour given by the owner.
- The largest cuckoo clock in the world can be found in Ohio. This huge and fully functional structure could be found in Sugarcreek, a place known as Ohio’s little Switzerland.
- The great Cuyahoga River has been caught on fire for at least thirteen times. This is the reason it was named “The River on Fire.” It was considered as a polluted river that would catch fire right after train sparks would fall right into the water.
The highly covered fire that happened in 1969 caught the attention of congress and this inspired them to clean up the pollution all across the country. In addition, the EPA or environmental protection agency was also established.
- The rock song of Ohio State is McCoys’ “Hang on, Sloopy.” The choice actually made sense since the same song was the unofficial marching band anthem for this state.
- Ohio is also referred to as “Mother of Modern Presidents.” The reason behind is that 7 presidents were born here. They were Warren Harding, William Taft, William McKinley, Benjamin Harrison, James Garfield, Rutherford Hayes and Ulysses Grant.