The All American Book of Lists: A unique compendium of bizarre and fascinating facts from Alabama to Wyoming

150 Pages·2009·9.02 MB·English

by  Julian Ashe

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The All American
Book of Lists
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The All American
Book of Lists
A unique compendium of bizarre
and fascinating facts from
Alabama to Wyoming
Julian Ashe
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A Oneworld Paperback Original
Published by Oneworld Publications 2009
Copyright © Julian Ashe 2009
The right of the Julian Ashe to be identified as the Author of this
work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988
All rights reserved
Copyright under Berne Convention
A CIP record for this title is available
from the British Library
ISBN 978–1–85168–672–8
Typeset by Jayvee, Trivandrum, India
Cover design by D. R. Ink
Printed and bound in Great Britain by
Bell & Bain, Glasgow
Oneworld Publications
185 Banbury Road
Oxford OX2 7AR
England
www.oneworld-publications.com
Learn more about Oneworld. Join our mailing list to
find out about our latest titles and special offers at:
www.oneworld-publications.com
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Contents
Acknowledgments x
Introduction xi
1 Politics and Government 1
USA Fast Facts 1
Ten Fascinating Facts 2
Presidents 4
Political Records 7
The Constitution 8
The Senate and Senators 9
Elections 11
Barack Obama 12
Civil War Veterans who Became President 13
Last Words 14
Burial Places 15
Presidential Quotes 18
The White House 21
Symbols 22
Dollar Bills 23
Washington DC Memorials and Landmarks 25
Want to be an FBI Agent? 28
2 States 30
Ten Fascinating Facts 30
Physical Features 31
CONTENTS v
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Extreme Weather 32
Highest Mountains 33
Longest Rivers 34
River Trivia 34
Largest States (by area) 35
Largest States (by population) 36
Time Zones 36
Origin of State Names 37
State Mottos 42
State Nicknames 44
Most Populous Cities 47
City Firsts 47
Most Self-satisfied Town Names 48
Towns Worth Avoiding? 49
Towns You Could Eat? 50
Animal Town Names 51
3 Lifestyle, Work, and Culture 52
Social Characteristics 52
Ins and Outs 53
1900 to 2000 54
Population by Ancestry 55
Most Common Surnames 56
Ten Most Popular Boys’ Names 57
Ten Most Popular Girls’ Names 57
Seniors 58
Family and Society 59
Women by Numbers 60
Ten Largest Native American Tribes 61
Winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature 61
Mark Twain Quotes 62
vi CONTENTS
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Food 63
Success 64
4 History 66
Brief History 66
Inventions, Firsts, and Beginnings 70
The Great Depression 73
War and Peace 74
Military Engagements Authorized by Congress 75
Failed Constitutional Amendments 76
Independence Day – July 4 76
Civil War Firsts 77
Civil War Mascots 78
Nicknames of Civil War Generals 79
Popular Songs of the Civil War 80
Civil War Generals’ Civilian Occupations 81
Commemorative Stamps 82
5 Tourism 83
Ten Fascinating Facts 83
The Hotel Industry 84
World Heritage Sites 85
Top Ten City Destinations 88
Most Visited States 88
Disneyland 89
Weird Tourist Attractions 90
The Statue of Liberty 91
Ellis Island 92
Best Beaches 94
Federal Holidays 94
Important National Days 95
CONTENTS vii
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6 Sports 97
Ten Fascinating Facts 97
National Football League Records 98
National Basketball Association Records 99
Major League Baseball Records 100
Record Holders 100
Sporting Firsts 101
Tidiest Sports Stats 102
Memorable Sporting Uniform Numbers 103
Olympic Host Cities 104
The Olympics 104
Famous Sporting Quotes 104
Football Quotes 106
Baseball Quotes 107
Basketball Quotes 108
7 Music 110
Brief History 110
Songs that Debuted at Number One in the
Billboard Singles Chart 112
Artists with the Most Consecutive Number One
Hits 113
Best-selling Artists 114
Best-selling Albums 114
Longest Broadway Runs 115
Most Successful Concert Tours 116
Origins of Band Names 116
Band Names which Feature Places 117
Musicians Killed in Airplane Crashes 118
Artists with Posthumous Number Ones 119
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Ten Fascinating Facts about Elvis Aaron
Presley 120
Elvis Quotes 121
8 Film and Television 123
Films with the Highest Box Office Returns 123
Top Television Broadcasts since 1964 124
Top Product Placement Brands 125
Top Programs for Product Placement 126
Real Names 126
Actors Known by their Middle Names 127
Funny Television Quotes 128
Most Memorable Catchphrases 129
Longest-running Series 130
The Emmys 131
The Oscars 132
Bob Hope Quotes 133
Stars who Worked in Soap Operas 134
Former Professions 134
Television Pets 135
Iconic Movie Quotes 136
CONTENTS ix