FACT OF THE DAY

[DaveMcK]

Colonial Americans fed lobster to prisoners because it was so cheap

Lobster is one of those things you buy at fancy restaurants where waiters bring you baskets of artisanal bread and call you things like “Sir” and “Madam”. However, that was not always the case. In the colonial era of the United States of America, lobster was so abundant, easy to find, and cheap that it was simply cooked up and served to prisoners as their jail food. No word on if they got hot butter to dip it in, but we would bet against it.

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North Carolina

Pharmacist Caleb Davis Bradham invented Pepsi-Cola in New Bern, North Carolina, in 1867. Although now a beloved soft drink, Pepsi was originally touted as a healthy drink that aided in digestion.

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Astronauts grow taller in space!

Do you ever dream of becoming an astronaut and exploring the vastness of space?

Well, you might grow a little bit taller!

When astronauts venture into space, the lack of gravity allows their spines to stretch out, making them taller. How cool is that?

Just imagine reaching for the stars and coming back taller than before!

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New Mexico

The chile pepper is the state vegetable of the Land of Enchantment. These spicy veggies go great in many New Mexican meals — just be sure not to rub your eyes after handling them.

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After a particularly picky customer at Moon's Lake House in Saratoga Springs, New York, complained about the thickness of his french fries in 1853, Chef George Crum sliced some potatoes paper thin, creating the first potato chips.

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New Jersey

Need a french fry fix at 2 a.m.? No problem. New Jersey is known as the diner capital of the world thanks to the hundreds of greasy spoons within the Garden States borders. Estimates say there are over 600 statewide.

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New Hampshire

A visit to Stonyfield Farm in Londonderry, New Hampshire, can show you how yogurt and other dairy products are produced ethically. This organic, non-GMO company is one of the most popular yogurt producer in the country, and you've probably spotted their products in your dairy aisle. Bonus: They'll even let you taste some free samples.

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Nevada

If you're looking to get the biggest meal for your buck, a trip to Las Vegas will leave you with a full belly. The casino city is also known as the world capital of buffets, with about 70 total in the city.

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Nebraska

Got steak? Nebraska's license plates in the '50s and '60s read "The Beef State", and beef continues to be the state's single largest industry.

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Montana

Vegetables can be pretty sweet. Montana is such a big producer of sugar beets — light brown beets that you can cook to create a molasses — that they're the mascot of Chinook High School.

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Mississippi

Sweet potatoes have been growing in the United States since before Columbus came over in 1492. Vardaman, Mississippi, is the Sweet Potato Capital of the World and hosts an annual sweet potato festival featuring a pie eating contest, live entertainment, and a Sweet Potato King & Queen competition.

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FACT OF THE DAY 

Minnesota 

Pass the bread basket! This midwestern state is nicknamed the "Bread and Butter State" because of its plentiful wheat fields and butter-making plants.

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FACT OF THE DAY 

Michigan

If you've ever sipped a can of ginger ale to quell an upset stomach, you have this state to thank. The first soda — or "pop" — made in the country was Vernor's Ginger Ale in 1866.

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FACT OF THE DAY 

Massachusetts

It wouldn't be New England without a bowl of "chowdah," and Bay Staters take their soup so seriously that one lawmaker tried to criminalize adding tomatoes to their New England clam chowder back in 1939.

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FACT OF THE DAY 

Maryland

Maine's not the only crustacean capital in the country. Maryland blue crabs are a classic Chesapeake delicacy that locals (and visitors!) enjoy steamed, sautéed, or mixed into soups and dips.

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FACT OF THE DAY 

Maine

Get your butter and bibs. Maine's lobster harvest hit an all-time high in 2016, with fishermen bringing in over 130 million pounds of the crustacean. Lobsters are harvested year round in Maine, despite extreme cold winter temperatures.

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FACT OF THE DAY 

Louisiana

This state's flavors are so intricate that it has its own cuisine. Cajun food is derived from French-speaking Acadian immigrants who came to Louisiana in the 18th century. It is known for its aromatic preparation of vegetables, rice, and seafood.

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FACT OF THE DAY 

Kentucky

This state's popular food export is no secret: Colonel Harland Sanders cooked the first batch of Kentucky Fried Chicken at Sanders Cafe in Corbin, Kentucky. The recipe has changed a few times over the years, and the first bucket of KFC chicken sold in 1957.

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FACT OF THE DAY 

Kansas

This midwestern state harvests so much wheat in a year that its annual harvest could bake 36 billion loaves of bread — enough to feed the world's population for about two weeks.

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FACT OF THE DAY 

Iowa

We have found your new vacation destination, ice cream lovers. Le Mars, Iowa, was deemed the "Ice Cream Capital of the World" in 1994, and produces more ice cream from a single company, Blue Bunny, than any other city in the world.

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FACT OF THE DAY 

Indiana

The Hoosier State is one of the country's biggest corn producers, harvesting 983 million bushels in 2018. The state takes great pride in its kernel production and even has a town named Popcorn.

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FACT OF THE DAY 

Illinois

Chicago's famous deep-dish pizza isn't an Italian export, but rather an American original. Chicago restaurant Pizza Uno first created the dish in 1943, and it has become the city's most iconic food since.

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FACT OF THE DAY 

Idaho

Yes, we want fries with that. While potatoes are grown in all 50 states of the U.S., Idaho remains the country's biggest producer, harvesting about 13 billion pounds annually.

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FACT OF THE DAY 

Hawaii

Need your caffeine fix? Hawaii is one of only two U.S. states to grow coffee beans. The Kona region of the Big Island is home to over 650 coffee farms alone.

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FACT OF THE DAY 

Florida

Guacamole fans, rejoice. The first avocado tree in the United States was planted in Florida in 1833, making taco night in American homes infinitely better since.

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FACT OF THE DAY 

Thomas Jefferson was the main author of the Declaration of Independence.

The Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. We now credit Thomas Jefferson with the Declaration’s authorship, but that was not the case on that momentous day, nor for a significant time afterwards.

The document was drafted by a committee made up of John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston. Jefferson, recognized for his ability with words, wrote the first draft; then it was edited by the others, and then edited again by the whole Congress. Fifty-six members of Congress signed it (one of them as late as November).

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FACT OF THE DAY 

Delaware

In 2009, the country's first state declared peach pie its official dessert. The campaign was started by fifth and sixth graders who chose the dessert because of Delaware's peach farming history.