City Trivial Pursuit

[Unifour]

I'm not sure who started packaging and selling it as a "beverage" first, but Coca-Cola was one of the very first producing the syrup as a "cure-all" remedy, it was sold for headaches and so forth at first. Then it occured to someone to add the carbonated water, which people liked. It wasn't invented really as a "drink." I do remember a TV show called "America Eats" that stated Coke (which contained narcotic) and Moxie were the early competitors. I wasn't saying necessarily that Coke and Pepsi were first to sell as a drink, but the recipe's were invented much earlier, and I didn't think it was Pittsburgh.

[PghUSA]

First Carbonated Soda Fountain got a patent on April 24th 1833 by George Dulty in nearby Wheeling, WV. 50 miles from downtown Pittsburgh!

From my data Coca-Cola was invented in the 1880s and Pepsi traces its roots back to the 1890s . . . 50 to 60 years AFTER the Pittsburgh area introduced the world to soft drinks.

As far as the syrup and especially the caffine (or cocoa) Coca-Cola might very well be the first in that.

[ironchapman]

Exactly, PghUSA!

Except the patent was recieved in Virginia, because WV didn't exist until the 1860's.

Sorry about the nitpicking.

[PghUSA]

hey that is correct! though you have to be careful saying that today . . . people think of Virginia as Richmond and Southern DC, Norfolk etc.

Wheeling is bascially a bedroom suburb of Pittsburgh (the owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates Ogden Nutting is I think the richest man in Wheeling to show you how close the two cities are linked).

But that's right technically it was Virginia!

[Unifour]

That is pretty incredible news to me Pgh! That show I watched made no mention of that. It stated that carbonated soft drinks began in pharmacies (such as Atlanta) and were sold as "medicine." They were sold this way for decades, and then someone ran out of something so they added a seltzer to it, which the customers began to request. Then they began to make and sell as a beverage, and Moxie was actually ahead of Coca Cola early on. Of course everyone knows history can be distorted and told from many points of view, so who knows. I tried to do some more research online, with little luck. Still talks about Coke. Thanks for responding.

[ironchapman]

If placed in the right spot, Alaska would stretch from Jacksonville (bottom tip of the area where Juneau is) to San Francisco (the tip of the Aleutian Islands Archipelagio). The northernmost point in the state would reach about to where International Falls, Minnesota is.

--Juneau would be around Atlanta if this happened.

--Anchorage would be a few miles south of Jefferson City, Missouri.

--Fairbanks would be near the Quad City area of Illinois and Iowa.

[leets]

Buffalo has the second oldest Zoo in the US

and the second oldest Airport in the US and it is the second largest city in NY

[ironchapman]

What's the oldest Zoo in the US?

[urbanplanetuser]

What's the oldest Zoo in the US?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I believe the oldest zoo in the U.S. is the Philadelphia Zoo

Interesting Facts:

The only legal "position" in Washington, DC is the missionary position (i hope that was vague enough not to be inappropriate, please tell me or edit it if it was not)

Arlington, VA is the smallest self governing county in the United States

[ironchapman]

I think the Atlanta-Fulton County Library System is the 9th or 10th oldest in the country.

[jazzman]

The Northern most state is Alaska

The Western most state is Alaska

The Eastern most state is Alaska (because it crosses the international date line)

The southern most state is Hawaii (but you knew that)

Baker CA (population 914) has the tallest thermomitor in the world (or so they claim) at 134 feet.

[jazzman]

These are just some of the records Las Vegas holds:

Worlds largest video display: The Fremont Street Experience is a video screen spanning four city blocks. Positioned 90 feet above Fremont Street, the attraction stretches 1,400 feet and consists of 12.5 million synchronized LED modules, including 180 strobes and eight robotic mirrors per block. It's capable of producing millions of color combinations, animation and video feeds.

Worlds largest atrium: The Luxor's 30 story atrium measuring 29 million cubic feet can fit 13 Boeing 747 airplanes comfortably.

Worlds highest thrill rides: The Stratosphere boasts the world's four highest thrill rides; the Big Shot, X Scream, the High Roller roller coaster and Insanity the Ride.

Worlds largest sign: The free standing Las Vegas Hilton sign in front of the hotel on Paradise Road is the largest free standing sign in the world. The 279 foot tall, the sign boasts over six miles of neon and fluorescent lights, a total surface area of more than 70,000 square feet.

Worlds most expensive resort: At $2.7 billion, the Wynn Las Vegas resort and casino will hold this record for a while.

Worlds most hotel rooms: Gee, could it be...yes, you guessed it, Las Vegas holds this record. For a city which ranks 30th on the US population scale, this is an impressive record. Last count 5/2005 yielded 135,615 rooms.

Worlds most convention and meeting space: At over 9 million square feet and growing, no other city comes close.

Worlds Largest glass sculpture: The Fiori di Como is housed in the Bellagio. The colorful ceiling sculpture, which can be seen in the lobby, measures 65' 7" by 29' 6" and was created by Dale Chihuly. It took some 40,000 pounds (about 2,000 pieces) of hand-blown glass.

Worlds Largest single gold nugget: The Golden Nugget displays the world's largest single gold nugget, the "Hand of Faith" which weighs 61 pounds, 11 ounces.

Worlds Most powerful light beam: (and one of three man-made objects visible from space): The Luxor 's beam comprises dozens of lamps called Xenon lamps, which cost $1,200 each and will last up to 2,000 hours. Each lamp is 7,000 watts. Total, they are 315,000 watts.

Worlds largest watch store: Tourneau Time Dome in the Forum Shops at Caesars recently was expanded from 1,100 to 17,500 square feet. More than 8,000 timepieces are showcased inside the store.

Most fountains in a hotel: There are more than 1,000 fountains on the man-made lake at the Bellagio. The fountains, designed by WET Design, shoot water 243 feet in the air.

Worlds largest slot machine WIN: What would a Vegas records list be without some mega winnings? On March 21, 2003, a 25-year-old software engineer from Los Angeles won $39,713,982.25 after putting in $100 in the Megabucks slot machine at the Excalibur hotel.

Largest bronze sculpture in the United States: The 45-foot-tall lion that stands outside the MGM Grand weighs a hefty 100,000 pounds. It was cast in 1,600 individual pieces of half-inch-thick bronze plate, welded together and supported by an internal steel structure.

Tallest freestanding observation deck: At 1,149 feet, the Stratosphere Tower is the tallest freestanding observation tower in the United States and the tallest building west of the Mississippi River.

Worlds largest birthday cake: When Las Vegas celebrates its 100th birthday in May 2005, the city will unveil the world's largest birthday cake -- a 130,000-pound-plus confection that will make the Guinness World Records.

[ATL4EVER]

Atlanta has.....

130 retail centers

41 public golf courses

54 public parks

32 streets with the name "Peachtree"

the largest toll-free telephone dialing area in the world

the largest suburban office park in the world - Perimeter Center

the largest mall in the Southeast - Lenox Square

the world's largest bas-relief sculpture - Georgia's Stone Mountain Park

the largest federal regional concentration outside Washington D.C.

the largest 10K race in the world - The annual Peachtree Road Race with 45,000 runners

the second largest theatre organ in the nation - The Fox Theatre

the oldest ballet company in the nation - The Atlanta Ballet

the tallest escalator in the Southeast - at MARTA's Peachtree Center station - 192 feet

the largest hotel ( # of rooms )in the Southeast - the Atlanta Marriott Marquis - 1,674 rooms

the tallest hotel in the western hemisphere - The Westin Peachtree Plaza - 73 stories; Nation723 feet tall

the tallest building in the Southeast - Bank of America Plaza - 55 stories; 312m/1,023 feet tall

more shopping center space per capita than any other city except Chicago

the second-largest convention center in the world - the Georgia World Congress Center

the only city in North America to be burned down as an act of WAR

[urbanplanetuser]

Atlanta has.....

130 retail centers

41 public golf courses

54 public parks

32 streets with the name "Peachtree"

the largest toll-free telephone dialing area in the world

the largest suburban office park in the world - Perimeter Center

the largest mall in the Southeast - Lenox Square

the world's largest bas-relief sculpture - Georgia's Stone Mountain Park

the largest federal regional concentration outside Washington D.C.

the largest 10K race in the world - The annual Peachtree Road Race with 45,000 runners

the second largest theatre organ in the nation - The Fox Theatre

the oldest ballet company in the nation - The Atlanta Ballet

the tallest escalator in the Southeast - at MARTA's Peachtree Center station - 192 feet

the largest hotel ( # of rooms )in the Southeast - the Atlanta Marriott Marquis - 1,674 rooms

the tallest hotel in the western hemisphere - The Westin Peachtree Plaza - 73 stories; Nation723 feet tall

the tallest building in the Southeast - Bank of America Plaza - 55 stories; 312m/1,023 feet tall

more shopping center space per capita than any other city except Chicago

the second-largest convention center in the world - the Georgia World Congress Center

the only city in North America to be burned down as an act of WAR

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Washington, DC was burned by the British during the War of 1812, but heavy rainfall prevented the entire city from being burned to the ground, so Atlanta probably still holds the record.

The largest office building in the world is in Arlington, VA (The Pentagon at with over 3.7 million square feet of space and roughly 23,000 employees).

[ATL4EVER]

I didn't mention anything about the world's largest office building.

[urbanplanetuser]

I didn't mention anything about the world's  largest office building.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah, sorry, only the first part of the post was referring to yours, the other part was just another fact about my hometown, sorry for the confusion

[ATL4EVER]

Apology accepted!

[monsoon]

Atlanta has.....

the only city in North America to be burned down as an act of WAR

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Actually Columbia SC was burned to the ground in the same war.

Washington DC was burned by the British in the War of 1812.

[ATL4EVER]

I stand corrected

[PeninsulaKiddo]

Hampton Roads, Virginia (as a region) has more bridges and tunnels connecting the cities, counties, and regions than any other area in the United States (not including overpasses or non-vehicular tunnels/bridges).

Norfolk Naval Base is the world's largest navy base.

Hampton Roads has the greatest concentration of military and government jobs outside the DC Metro.

Hampton Roads is the LEAST densely populated metro area in the United States (hahaha.... not something to be proud of. Go suburban sprawl!) Chesapeake and Suffolk have fewer than 1000 persons per/sq/mi.

The Chesapeake Bay-Bridge Tunnel (CBBT) has the highest toll of any Bridge-Tunnel complex in America (12$ each way and slated to increase by the end of 2005)

Jamestown settlement was the first permanent settlement by the British in North America (Roanoke Island failed some 30 years prior).

Pocahantas and the Powhatan tribes lived in the Williamsburg (Hampton Roads) area, and contrary to the Disney movie, there are no massive waterfalls or mountains (sadly).

The College of William and Mary is the 2nd oldest College in the nation.

The Adam Thoroughgood (sp?) House in present-day Virginia Beach is the oldest brick home in America.

Virginia Beach was the only US city with fewer than 10 murders in 2001/2002 yet more than 250,000 residents.

Even though Hampton Roads hasn't been directly hit (had landfall) by a hurricane since 1933, Floyd and Isabel were both billion-dollar disasters for the region.

The Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk has the world's largest collection of Murano glass outside Italy.

Northrup-Grumman Shipyards in Newport News is the nation's only aircraft-carrier shipyard (and employs over 18,000 people for the city).

The battle at Yorktown concluded the American Revolution.

The first ironclad-ship battle took place in Hampton Roads' Harbor.

etc.

Hampton Roads is the largest metro without a major-league sports team.

Norfolk is the only Virginia city with only Democrats serving on the city council.

[ironchapman]

I heard somewhere that some counties in Mississippi have two county seats...any truth to that?

Try this:

--A light bulb at a fire station in Livermore, California, has been burning since 1901.

--New Jersey is the only state where all of its counties are classified as metropolitan areas.

--The game Monopoly, played all over the world, named the streets on their playing board after the actual streets in Atlantic City.

Found this on ebaumsworld.com

Las Vegas means "the meadows" in Spanish.

In Nevada, there are more than 209,000 slot machines normally operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The first neon sign appeared in Las Vegas in 1954 at the Boulder Club.

The bell is the oldest symbol still used on today's slot machines.

The average annual temperature in Las Vegas is 66 degrees.

It would take 288 years for one person to spend one night in every hotel room in Las Vegas.

Shrimp consumption in Las Vegas is more than 60,000 pounds a day. That's higher than the rest of the country combined and adds up to 22 million pounds per year.

The Stardust was the first hotel in Vegas to add a sports book to its casino.

Nickel slots on the Strip pay back anywhere from 86.9 percent to 92.8 percent of what they take in.

Las Vegas casinos never use dice with rounded corners.

It's estimated that every day Las Vegas casinos give away $3 million of freebies (more than $1 billion per year) just to get customers through their doors.

It's against the law to pawn your dentures in Las Vegas.

The Horseshoe was the first Las Vegas casino to install carpeting.

A vagrant once turned a $400 Social Security check into $1.6 million playing blackjack in a Las Vegas casino.

According to suppliers, purple is the favorite ink color in daubers used by Las Vegas Bingo players.

The beam of light atop the Luxor in Las Vegas is made up of 39 individual lamps. Each xenon lamp costs $1,200 and will last about 2,000 hours. The electric bill for the Luxor beam is $51 an hour.

Las Vegas has the highest number of unlisted phone numbers of any U.S. city.

The iconic, waving neon cowboy, located at Vegas' Pioneer Club downtown, is named Vegas Vic.

Frank Sinatra was the first Vegas headliner to earn $100,000 per week.

More than 110,000 marriage licenses are issued in Las Vegas each year.

Elvis and Priscilla Presley were married at the original Aladdin hotel.

The Silver Slipper was the first casino to hire female card dealers on the Las Vegas Strip (in 1971).

@ ATL4EVER

The Mall of GA is larger than Lenox Square. Mall of GA is the largest in the country outside of the Mall of the Americas in Minneapolis.

[ATL4EVER]

@ ATL4EVER

The Mall of GA is larger than Lenox Square. Mall of GA is the largest in the country outside of the Mall of the Americas in Minneapolis.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well, the Mall of Georgia is in Buford (Metro Atlanta)

and Also

When completed Atlanta will have the tallest Airport Control Tower in the Western Hemisphere.

Will the New 5th runway being built put Atlanta on a "Largest Airport" list?

[ironchapman]

When completed Atlanta will have the tallest Airport Control Tower in the Western Hemisphere.

Will the New 5th runway being built put Atlanta on a "Largest Airport" list?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It depends on what you mean by "largest".

Dennver International Airport is the largest in the country in terms of size (bigger than Dal-FTW Int'l and O'Hare put together). I don't know which one has the most runways though.

[willacoochee]

These are facts on my city:

-Willacoochee is an Indian name, believed to mean: Home of the Wildcat.

-Willacoochee use to be known as Danielsville.

-Willacoochee was the first town charted in the county. The town was incorporate in 1889. The city is 116 years old.

[ironchapman]

Actually more of "State Trivia", but here goes:

If I am wrong, then correct me, but I believe the word "hoosier" (as in Indiana) comes from a local dialect word "hoozer" meaning "something big".