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Table of Contents
Alabama
Nicknames
While Alabama does not have an official nickname, it is known as the “Heart of Dixie”, the “Camellia State”, the “Cotton State”, and, of course, “Bama”.1)
Name Meaning
The word “Alabama” is derived from the Choctaw Native American alba amo, which translates as “clearers of the thicket.” The Choctaw were previously known as the Alba Amo.2)
Cotton
Alabama is the tenth largest cotton producer in the United States.3)
Split From Union
In January 1861, Alabama became the fourth state to formally split from the Union.4)
Cannonballs Discovery
Ten Civil War cannonballs were discovered buried beneath walkways at the University of Alabama in 2015.5)
Monument Dedicated To Boll Weevil
Alabama is the only state with a monument dedicated to a bug, the boll weevil. The inconspicuous insect ate much of Alabama's early cotton harvests, prompting the state to diversify its crop rotation.6)
State Drink
Alabama designated Conecuh Ridge Whisky as the state drink in 2004, making it the only state with an alcoholic beverage as the state drink. In most other states, you can get soda, juice, or milk.7)
Unclaimed Baggage Center
Alabama is home to the nation's biggest unclaimed luggage center, appropriately titled the “Unclaimed Baggage Center”.8)
Unclaimed Baggage Center Findings
A vase containing someone's ashes, a six-foot-tall paper mache Tinker Bell, sets of armor, and a 5.8 carat diamond solitaire ring are among the more unusual artifacts on display.9)
Luther Hill, Jr.
Luther Hill, Jr. (1862-1946), a prominent Alabama physician, is widely considered as the first American physician to successfully heal an injured heart. He patched up a 13-year-old victim with a heart stab wound.10)
First To Recognize Christmas As Holiday
In 1836, Alabama became the first state to recognize Christmas as a legal holiday. It was not recognized as such by the United States until 1870.11)
Famous People
George Washington Carver (1864-1943), Zora Neale Hurston, Martin Luther King, Jr., Helen Keller, Harper Lee, Rosa Parks, Tuscaloosa, Hiram “Hank” Williams, Emmy Lou Harris, Evander Holyfield, Bo Jackson, and Booker T. Washington are all famous Alabamians.12)
Lonnie Johnson
Lonnie Johnson of Mobile, Alabama, a NASA engineer, designed the world-famous Super Soaker, which has been named in the Top 20 selling toys since its release in 1989.13)
People In Alabama
Alabamians or Alabamans are residents of Alabama.14)
Rocket City
The Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, is known as “Rocket City”, since the Saturn V rocket, which first transported Americans to the Moon in 1969, was developed there.15)