41 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Pennsylvania There are a million things to love about Pennsylvania, but here are 41 things you’ll love to know. 1. Philadelphia Eagles fans and Pittsburgh Steelers fans might think they’re from two very different worlds, but 70 years ago things were much different. For one season in 1943 the two teams merged to form the Steagles. 2. The Pennsylvania Dutch aren’t really Dutch at all. After migrating to America from Germany , they were called Pennsylvania Deutsch, which is the German word for Germanic people. Eventually, the English language converted Deutsch into Dutch. 3. Actor Jimmy Stewart was born and raised in the town of Indiana , PA. Every Christmas, the downtown area is decorated in the theme of the star’s classic Christmas hit, Its a Wonderful Life. 4. Philadelphia native Bill Cosby played football at Central High School despite his grandfather warning him he wasn’t strong enough. He broke his shoulder in the first game of the season. Let’s hope they gave him plenty of pudding in the hospital. 5. A Pennsylvania couple got married at a Philadelphia Dunkin’ Donuts in 2005. Isn’t that sweet? 6. Pennsylvania leads the country in a lot of things. Some include: the number of licensed hunters, pretzel bakeries, sausage production, covered bridges and rural population. 7. There have been more than 10 reported sightings of a ghost named Fred at the historic State Theater in downtown Easton . Fred was the manager of the theater from 1936 – 1965 and lived there for a short time. 8. The Crayola Factory is located in the Lehigh Valley , producing nearly 3 billion crayons each year, That’s an average of 12 million daily, enough to wrap the earth six times. 9. Pittsburgh has become somewhat of a Hollywood mecca in recent years. Hits like “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” “The Dark Knight Rises” and “The Fault In Our Stars” were all filmed here. 10. Located in Pottsville , D. G. Yuengling & Son began brewing in 1829, making it the oldest operating brewing company in the United States . It also tied with Boston Beer Company (maker of Samuel Adams) in 2011 for sales. 11. Pennsylvania is the only original colony not bordered by the Atlantic Ocean . 12. On the day prohibition was repealed in 1933, Yuengling delivered a special celebratory shipment of their brew. Many found the delivery suspicious, because their brewing process takes three weeks to complete... 13. Pennsylvanians love their chips. PA has six regional potato chip companies: Herrs, Utz, Martins, Bon Ton, Bickels and Snyders of Hanover scattered around the states Potato Chip Belt. 14. Peeps are manufactured in Bethlehem at the Just Born Candy factory. Every December 31st, a giant peep is dropped over the city to ring in the New Year. 15. Everyone knows Philadelphia is the proud home of the Liberty Bell. But you probably didn’t know that in 1777 the bell was stashed in the basement of Zion ’s Reformed Church of Christ in Allentown to protect it from the British. 16. Centralia , PA has been on fire since 1962. Seriously. The fire started with an accidental garbage fire that spread to the towns coal mine, which has been burning underground ever since. 17. Centralia is the least populated municipality in Pennsylvania , with 10 residents still living there as of the 2010 census. 18. Philadelphia ’s infamous Eastern State Penitentiary had indoor plumbing and central heating before the White House did. 19. Considered the Chocolate Capital of the United States , Hershey , PA is home to the Hershey Chocolate Factory, where Hershey Kisses were created in 1907. 20. Built in Lakemont Park in Altoona in 1902, Leap-The-Dips is the world’s oldest operating wooden roller coaster and is the last surviving side friction roller coast in North America . 21. Punxsutawney citizens are proud to be overshadowed by their towns most famous resident, world-renowned weather forecaster Punxsutawney Phil. But the hilarious movie was actually filmed in Woodstock , Illinois . 22. Indiana County in Pennsylvania has come to be known as the Christmas Tree Capital of the World. 23. In Historic Bethlehem , The Moravian Book Shop stands as the oldest continuously operating bookshop in the world, founded in 1745. 24. The first daily newspaper was published in Pennsylvania on September 21, 1784. 25. Sesame Place in Langhorne is the only theme park based on the award-winning series, Sesame Place . 26. Shankweiler’s Drive-In in Orefield is America ’s oldest drive-in movie theater in the country that is still operational. It first opened on April 15, 1934. 27. Denny’s Beer Barrel Pub in Clearfield , PA claims to have the “World’s Largest Hamburger Challenges.” Their Ye Olde 96er burger has gotten the restaurant featured on The Food Network, Travel Channel, Good Morning America, The Today Show and part of David Letterman’s Top 10 list. 28. Philadelphia is home to the world’s biggest clothespin. Because… art! 29. The movie “That Thing You Do” starring Tom Hanks and Liv Tyler takes place in Erie , PA. Some of the cast are shown drinking Koehler Beer, which is a real brand produced by the Erie Brewing Company on State Street . 30. Zippos were created in Bradford , PA in 1932 by George G. Blaisdell. Tom Hanks, who collects Zippos, gave an engraved Zippo to previous governor Ed Rendell when he visited the set of “That Thing You Do.” 31. Kennett Square is known as the Mushroom Capital of America, with nearly half of the fungus grown local. Its pretty unmistakable, as the whole place has a pretty strong mushroom aroma. 32. Nazareth has been the home of the C.F. Martin Guitars Company since 1833. Martin is the country’s largest and the world’s oldest maker of high end acoustic guitars. 33. M. Night Shyamalan was raised in Penn Valley , a suburb of Philadelphia . He is known for setting his films like “The Sixth Sense,” “Signs,” and “The Happening” in and around the Philadelphia area. 34. Pittsburgh holds claim to the first ferris wheel, built in 1893. 35. You can find the world’s largest paint can on Interstate 83 between Harrisburg and York . 36. Citizens Bank Park , the home of the home of the Phillies after Veterans Stadium was torn down, was built with 450,000 hand-laid bricks. 37. “The place called the plateau” is not where everybody goes in Philadelphia , as sung by Will Smith. But it is located in Fairmount Park . 38. Bethlehem ’s Musikfest is considered one of the largest outdoor music festivals in the U.S. , lasting 10 days, with over 500 performers and over 1 million visitors. 39. Hey, Boo Boo, hide your picnic baskets. You can find the world’s largest Yogi Bear in Cook Forest . 40. Pennsylvania is one of only four commonwealth states in the country along with Kentucky , Massachusetts and Virginia . 41. The world’s largest shoe is all tied up in Hellam , PA. It’s actually a house that is shaped like a shoe. No reports on if an old lady lives in it.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Nov 2014 14:07:49 +0000
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