250 Funnest Facts for USA's 250th Birthday - Part 5: Everything Else

There was only one night game a year. On the Fourth of July the whole sky would brighten up with fireworks, giving us just enough light for a game. We played our best there because, I guess, we all felt like the Big Leaguers under the lights of some great stadium. Benny felt like that all the time. We all knew he was gonna go on to bigger and better games, because every time we stopped to watch the sky on those nights, like regular kids, he was there to call us back. You see, for us, baseball was a game. But for Benjamin Franklin Rodriguez, baseball was life.

"Oh beaauutiful for spacious skiiees. For amber waves of grain.....

For purple mouuuuntaiinn majesties...abbboooove the fruited plaaain

Well now wait a minute!

I'm talkin about, Americcaaa, sweet America....ya know, God done shed his grace on theeEeEe

Heeeee crowned thy good, yes he diiiid, with brotherhood,

From sea. to.....shiiining sea"

Enjoy an iced beverage today (Europe doesn't use ice smh). Relax in the air conditioning. Watch your favorite baseball team. Have a burger & hot dog, have two!

Part 5...Everything else...

1). Johnny Cash was once attacked by a pet ostrich while on a walk through his property in 1981. The ostrich was taking vengeance for the death of its partner that allegedly refused to go inside for the winter that previous year. The bird took note of Cash's daily walking route, popped out, and lunged at his abdomen with its talons, severing Cash's abdomen. He broke five ribs in all, two upon talon impact and three when he fell backward landing on a large rock. Cash attributed his large belt buckle for taking the brunt of the attack and saving his life, but the painkillers prescribed afterwards led to an unfortunate relapse for the country & blues superstar.

2). The enigmatic Hall of Fame pitcher Rube Waddell of Bradford, PA spun a career 2.16 ERA, primarily for the Philadelphia Athletics, in the early 20th century which is good for 4th best all-time (min. 400 games). But his off the field stories are what make Rube one of the more interesting characters in baseball lore...
    - As a three-year old, Waddell would wander to the local fire house for days on end and would skip school to throw rocks at birds and work on mining & drilling sites
    - In his baseball career, ole Rube chased fire trucks in the middle of games on multiple occasions and would get distracted by opposing fans that would purposely bring puppies or shiny objects to games he was pitching
    - George Edward (his given name) went missing one offseason without contact until he was discovered wrestling alligators in the circus

3). Invented in 1930 by Jimmy Dewar of Schiller Park, Illinois, the original Twinkie recipe actually used banana cream filling. When nanners were rationed during World War II, Dewar and his Continental Baking Company switched to vanilla cream and never turned back. In Mexico, the treats are sold as "Submarinos" and "Tuinkys".

4). Excluding festivals, the first concert to sell at least 100,000 tickets was the Grateful Dead at Englishtown Raceway Park (Old Bridge, New Jersey) in 1977 when 107,019 loyal deadheads bought tickets to see their favorite band. Zach Bryan currently holds the record for most tickets sold in an American venue, packing 112,408 people into the Big House, Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, on September 27, 2025.

5). American climber and cancer survivor Tyler Andrews from Concord, Mass owns world records for all kinds of mountain climbing efforts. In 2022 he recorded the fastest time to go from See to Summit to Sea at Mt. Fuji in Japan; in 2023, he set the fastest pace for an ascent and descent of Mt. Kilimanjaro; and this past May, Andrews set the world record for fastest ascent and descent of Mount Everest, doing so in 9 hours & 55 minutes which was an hour faster than the previous record set by Nepali climber Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa in 2003.

6). Panama City Beach is 2.5 hours east of the Floridabama border on the Gulf but is only one time zone ahead of Juntura, Oregon which is an hour and a half west of its border with Idaho.

7). Speaking of Panama, the United States no longer controls the area around the Panama Canal but the US funded the completion of its construction which is good enough. In order to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean through the Canal, you actually have to take your boat from west to east, and vice versa for sailing from the Pacific to the Atlantic.

8). Perhaps the most densely American city that no one has heard of is Whittier, Alaska, where nearly all of its 270 residents live under one roof in a single 14-story building called Begich Towers which also houses the post office, school, and medical clinic.

9). There are six golfers that have won the modern era Grand Slam, taking home each of the Masters, US Open, PGA Championship, and The Open at least once in there career. Four of the six golfers - Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods - are from America while the other two are from bullcrap British territories/strongholds, Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland and Gary Player from the British-controlled part of South Africa that implemented apartheid. Chalk another one up for the US.

10). Shirley Temple wasn't just a child acting star, she also held roles in the government under the Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and George H. W. Bush administrations. At different times she was the United States Ambassador to Ghana and Czechoslovakia. And she didn't actually love the mocktails named in her honor, finding the combination of bubbles and grenadine a little too sweet for her palette. 

11). This suuuucks but I just learned it to be true so I feel I have to share. Apple pie was invented in England all the way back in 1381.

12). Here's our get-back though. The delicious roast beef sandwich often served with caramelized onions and a side of beef stock better known as a French Dip was actually invented in Los Angeles. Two restaurants, Cole's Pacific Electric Buffet & Philippe the Original claim to have made the first of these sandwiches with Cole saying he did it in 1908 and Philippe asserting it was his 1918 creation.

13). About 5 million years before the pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, there were species of canines that roamed America and would be bigger than every big cat species we now know besides lions and tigers. The largest of these pups, Epicyons, had bone-crushing jaws and averaged 8 feet in length, 3 feet in height, and 250 pounds in weight. These Big Dawgs were most likely pack hunters, though, which would lead to their demise and extinction when felines of equal-enough size entered the picture and hunted the same prey with more efficient ambush-style tactics.

14). Christopher Columbus's bih-ass never took shore in the United States of America. He docked in the modern-day Bahamas, Cuba, Hispaniola, and Central + South America. Never came within 150 nautical miles of our shores. Give it up Italians.

15). Hawaiian-born, half-Filipino, quarter-Hungarian, quarter-Ukrainian, full-fledged American Peter Gene Hernandez, better known as Bruno Mars, has the highest number of monthly listeners on Spotify at a few ticks over 133 million. Long before he dominated streaming platforms, a five-year-old Bruno performed at halftime of the 1990 Aloha Bowl in which Syracuse shut out Arizona 28-0.

16). The dress that Marilyn Monroe wore to sing "Happy Birthday Mr. President" to JFK, which was so tight it had to be sewn onto her, is the highest priced article of clothing ever sold at auction. Ripley's Believe It Or Not purchased the gown in a November 2016 auction for 4.81 million dollars.

17). The nearest town to the geographical center of the lower 48 States is Lebanon, Kansas. Lebanon is home to just under 200 citizens, one gas station, one bank, one grocery store, one library, and two churches.

18). At 9,078 feet elevation, Telluride Regional Airport in Colorado is the highest commercial use airport in the United States. It offers daily nonstop flights to Denver & Phoenix and handles an average of 26 flights per day on its single runway. Furnace Creek Airport in Death Valley, California is the lowest airport in the country and at -208 feet elevation is the second-lowest airport in the world (Bar Yehuda Airfield in Israel, -1,266 feet elevation).

19). Mississippi is the only state that has an official state toy, passing legislation to name the Teddy Bear to that title in March 2003. There was a proposal moved forward to the Pennsylvania General Assembly on September 5, 2001 to make the Slinky the official state toy but some higher priority issues arose a week later and the bill wasn't passed.

20). Horween Leather Company based out of Chicago (since its founding in 1905) is the primary leather supplier of American professional sports equipment. Around half of pro baseball players use Horween leather gloves whether branded by Rawlings or Wilson. Horween also supplies the leather used for NBA basketballs and pebbled cowhide used for NFL footballs.

21). A small parcel of British land still exists in the United States. In 1942 the British government was gifted an acre of land on Oracoke Island in North Carolina - the same place Blackbeard died in 1718 - to honor five Royal Navy sailors that washed ashore and were buried following a German U-boat torpedo attack aimed at the HMS Bedfordshire.

22). London Broil didn't originate in London or even England for that matter, nor does it refer to a cut of meat. L-B, an American dish, is a method of cooking steak, most commonly flank, under a broiler then sliced against the grain. There's no real known reasoning as to why "London" entered the picture in naming, though James Beard claims it was first seen in early 20th-century Philadelphia, but it's supposed to have added a certain gravitas to an inexpensive cut of meat.

23). The northern cardinal is the most commonly shared official US State Bird, taking the crown in 7 states: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia. The western meadowlark gives a run for the redbirds' money with 6 states: Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon, Wyoming.

24). The United States accounts for 425 of the 965 Nobel Prize laureates since 1901, almost 300 more than any other country. The first American Nobel Prize winner was Theodore Roosevelt who won the 1906 Peace Prize for negotiating an end to the Russo-Japanese War. The first American woman to win a Nobel Prize was Jane Addams of Chicago who won the 1931 Peach Prize for social work in co-founding the Hull House for accommodating settling immigrants.

25). Last year the World's largest time capsule was opened on the 4th of July in Seward, Nebraska. In 1975 Harold Davisson built a 45-ton vault that housed more than 5,000 objects from an estimated 3,000 people including a car from that year. It was unearthed last summer by Davisson's daughter Trish and there was a large gathering & celebration to honor Matty Healy's band.

26). In the 70 year history of Billboard's Hot 100 record chart, there have been two albums that supplied five different number-one singles...
    - Katy Perry's 2010 release, Teenage Dream: California Gurls (feat. Snoop Dogg) / Teenage Dream / Firework / E.T. / Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)
    - Michael Jackson's 1987 album, Bad: I Just Can't Stop Loving You / Bad / The Way You Make Me Feel / Man in the Mirror / Dirty Diana

27). Though regarded as the "Champagne of Beers," Miller High Life isn't brewed in France but rather Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the beautiful United States. The Miller High Life Theatre in downtown was the site of the famous 1912 speech that Theodore Roosevelt orated just an hour removed from surviving an assassination attempt across the street. A local bartender shot at Teddy and hit him in the chest but the bullet was slowed by his steel eyeglass case and a doubled over book, lodging the shrapnel in Theo's chest muscle. Doctors determined it was more dangerous to surgically remove the bullet than leave it so Roosevelt lived the remainder of his days with a .38 cal in his pectoral.

28). The state of Alabama has just four cities with populations above 100,000 as of the 2020 census - Huntsville, Birmingham, Montgomery, and Mobile. Bryant-Denny Stadium at the campus of the University of Alabama has a capacity of 100,077 which is more than the actual population of the city in which it resides, Tuscaloosa (99,600).

29). Americans own the Major League Baseball records for the youngest player to hit 100 home runs in his career (Mel Ott, 22 years 132 days) and player that needed the fewest games to reach 100 career homers (Ryan Howard, 325 games).

30). The National Dog Show has been held annually in Philadelphia since 1876 when it was established at what was meant to be a one-time dog show for the US Centennial celebration. Since 2000 there has only been one dog to win Best in Show more than once, Claire the Scottish Deerhound who won BIS in 2020 and 2021.

31). Nebraska's college is named the Cornhuskers, Iowa produces more corn than any other state, but it's Dublin, Ohio that has the ultimate homage to undigestible yellow vegetable. Over 100 ears of corn are erected in an Ohioan park in a public art display named "Cornhenge."

32). Tom Meents of Paxton, Illinios is considered the most accomplished monster truck driver of all time, hanging 14 World Finals titles on his mantle as a driver of three different behemoths - Monster Patrol, Goldberg, and Maximum Destruction AKA Max-D.

33). The most famous car-free town in America is Mackinac Island in Michigan, the state that boomed off of and still relies upon the automobile industry. Cars have been strictly banned on the island since 1898 in an effort to protect horses from getting spooked.

34). The title of "Colonel" is given out in Kentucky as the highest civilian honor bestowed by the Governor of the Commonwealth. It recognizes those who exemplify outstanding service to the community, state, or nation. Some notable Colonels actually born in the Bluegrass State include Jim Beam, Sturgill Simpson, and Hunter S. Thompson. And yes, Colonel Sanders was a real person.

35). Jack Dempsey, an Irish/Cherokee/Jewish man from East Colorado who was baptized into the Church of Latter-day Saints, was a world heavyweight boxing champion for a full decade from 1916-1926 and is considered one of the greatest punchers of all-time. Dempsey ran away at 16, riding the underside of trains as a hobo to different mining towns to get odd jobs and in fights. He was the main draw in a 1921 fight against Georges Capentier that generated boxing's first ever million-dollar gate.

36). Eight of the 45 U.S. Presidents were left-handed: James A. Garfield, Herbert Hoover, Harry S. Truman, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama. At 17.78% of presidents, this vastly overrepresents that general population of 10% lefties.

37). The Louisiana Purchase remains the biggest fleecing in a trade deal in the history of ever (besides getting Jaylen Brown for Paul George), with the US of A forking up $15 million to the French in exchange for 828,000 square miles of land - a rate of 3 cents per acre.

38). Colin O'Brady from Olympia, Washington is one of America's greatest modern explorers. In 2018 O'Brady completed the first solo, unsupported crossing of Antarctica, trekking 932 miles over 54 days while pulling a sled full of his goods. A year later, he served as first mate for a six-man team that accomplished the first fully man-powered crossing of the treacherous Drake Passage, traversing 700 miles across 13 days in a 30 foot boat.

39). True Wasabi root only grows in a few parts of the world, primarily exclusive to Japan, far east Russia, and the Korean Peninsula, and a majority of what we eat in restaurants is horseradish with green dye. There are three places in the United States that you can find real, pure Wasabi, though: the Oregon Coast into northern California, the Big Island of Hawaii, and the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina/Tennessee.

40). Incorporated originally as "Clark," DISH, Texas - a town an hour northwest of Dallas - gained its name in 2005 when the town of ~200 people at the time agreed to name their town DISH in exchange for Dish Network supplying every resident with 10 years of free basic cable and a digital video recorder.

41). Frankenmuth, Michigan is home to Bronner's Christmas Wonderland, the largest Christmas store in the world. The building itself covers almost 3 acres of land and garners over two million visitors per year. They sell enough garland and light cords annually to stretch from Philadelphia to New York and back...4 times.

42). The Shady Maple Smorgasbord in Blue Ball, Pennsylvania - a suburb of Lancaster - is the largest buffet restaurant in North America. What started as a farm stand under the shade of a large maple tree has evolved into a 200 foot long buffet with seating for 1,200 patrons. Cuisine from the local Pennsylvania Dutch is regularly served and in 2024 USA Today named SMS the best buffet in the country.

43). The Red Maple is the most commonly found tree in the United States of America.

44). Alaska has far and away the highest population of bald eagles in the country, but the state with the second densest population of our nation's bird is Florida which hosts 10% of breeding population in the lower 48 states.

45). Flo Rida's 2007 smash hit "Low" (featuring T-Pain) has sold over 12 million copies worldwide, while The Beatles' beloved 1868 classic single "Hey Jude" has sold just over 8 million copies worldwide. Another point for America.

46). The borders of Michigan touch every Great Lake except for Lake Ontario. And the Canadian province Ontario's borders touch every Great Lake except for Lake Michigan.

47). There is a city in the middle of Washington state amidst the Cascade Mountains that is modeled entirely after a Bavarian village. In the 1960s Leavenworth, WA saw their economy start to decline as a drying up timber town so local officials made the call to remodel the town's buildings in an effort to drum up tourism to the area.

48). German chocolate cake?? Not German. The first known recipe for the rich and decadent dessert appeared in a 1956 Dallas newspaper submitted by Daisy Pearce who got the recipe from her daughter Francis Beth.

49). The Snuggie was invented in America, hell yeah. On March 5, 2010, fans at the Cleveland Cavaliers set a world record with 22,500 people wearing the sleeved blanket at the same time. In March 2018, though, owners of the Snuggie brand were fined by the FTC for deceptive marketing.

50). The United States of America is the greatest country in the world no matter who wants to tell you what. Appreciate every day you're not living under British rule. Do your part to make things better, smile, be chill, enjoy your day.

250 Funnest Facts for USA's 250th Birthday - Part 4: Olympics & the World Cup

'Twas the night before the Fourth
and all through the States,
Not a single Canadian
was winning Gold on ice skates. 

The sparklers were lit
with reckless abandon,
While my uncle swigs a Bud heavy
and yells "Let's go Brandon."

In hopes that Uncle Sam
would win the World Cup,
While "Free Bird" blares from
the speakers of a Ford pick-up truck.

Part four of five, 250 Funnest Facts for 'Merica's 250th birdday: the Olympics & the World Cup. Let's dive into how much we dominate other loser countries...

1). Despite their pompous air of superiority around the sport, England has the same amount of Top 3 World Cup finishes as the United States of America (1).

2). Tug of War was an official Olympic sport in each of the five Olympiad held from 1900-1920. USA competed three times in 1904, 1908, and 1920, medaling only in 1904 St. Louis when Milwaukee Athletic Club won Gold by defeated South African Boers, a church group from St. Louis, and the New York Athletic Club.
    - This isn't a fun fact list about those perverts in England but it's kind of cool that the London Police Force won the 1908 gold medal in Tug.

3). The US Women's National Soccer Team once went 51 consecutive matches without conceding a loss from December 8, 2004 (my mom's birthday) until September 22, 2007. The streak started with a 5-0 win over Mexico after dropping their previous friendly 3-1 to Denmark and ended with a 4-0 loss to Brazil.

4). The United States holds Olympic records in 15 of 35 swimming events: eight men's, six women's, and the mixed 4x100 medley relay. Caeleb Dressel is the only American man and Katie Ledecky is the only American woman who holds multiple solo Olympic records.

5). The United States has had three athletes act as flagbearer at Olympic opening ceremonies multiple times:
    - Jim Bickford: Bobsledder that carried the flag at 1952 Oslo and 1956 Cortina d'Ampezzo who was known by one of two nicknames, "No Brakes Bickford" for his fearless riding style and "Smiling Jim" for his jovial demeanor
    - Pat McDonald: A burly shotputter that presented the Stars & Stripes at 1920 Antwerp and 1924 Paris and worked as a traffic cop in Times Square when not hurling weights
- Norman Armitage: A fencer, patent lawyer, and chemical engineer who competed in six Olympic Games but walked out our national banner at both of 1952 Helsinki and 1956 Melbourne

6). Rafer Johnson, a decathlete from suburban Dallas, was the first African American athlete to play flagbearer for the United States at a Summer Olympic Games at 1960 Rome. Janice Romary, a fencer from Palo Alto, was the first female to do so at 1968 Mexico City and Dawn Staley, a hooper from Norf Philly, was the first athlete from a team sport to introduce the Stars & Bars at 2004 Athens.

7). With three Golds as a player at 1996 Atlanta, 2000 Sydney, and 2004 Athens and a Gold as a coach at 2020 Tokyo, Dawn Staley is the only American to win an Olympic gold medal both on the court and the sideline. She's also the only person to win the Naismith Award as both a coach and player.

8). The only other time that the United States has hosted the World Cup was in 1994 when a record was set for highest total attendance at a World Cup at a few ticks over 3.5 million attendees. That record remained unbroken until this year's Cup despite the expansion of competition from 24 to 32 teams from '94 to '98. The '94 Final between Brazil & Italy was played in front of 94,000 onlookers at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

9). In order for the United States to host the 1994 World Cup, FIFA imposed a condition that they must establish a Top Division professional soccer league. Major League Professional Soccer was chosen at the time which led to the founding and creation of Major League Soccer (the MLS) as a 10-team league that started play in 1996.

10). Shaun White is the lone American snowboarder to compete in five different Olympics and win three gold medals. Before the Olympic and X Games fame, before meeting Tony Hawk at a skatepark when he was 9 years old, White had to make it through a pair of open-heart surgeries before the age of one to mend a tetralogy of Fallot.

11). The USA has hosted the Summer & Winter Olympics four times each. Summer: 1904 in St. Louis, 1932 &1984 in LA, and 1996 in Atlanta; Winter: 1932 & 1980 in Lake Placid, NY, 1960 in Squaw Valley, CA, and 2002 in Salt Lake City. The 2028 Summer Olympics are set to be hosted in Los Angeles and 2034 Winter Games will return to SLC in 2034.

12). The United States has never finished lower than third in gold or total medal counts at any Summer Olympics. We've won the most gold medals 19 times and the most total medals at 17 Games, including each of the last eight. America has led the Summer Games in both golds and total medals 16 times, including each of the last four and each of the four times we've hosted. 

13). The Red, White & Blue's most impressive showing at the Olympics, in terms of medal count, was the 1984 Games in Los Angeles. Keeping 83 Golds, 61 Silvers, and 30 Bronzes, the USA won more bronze medals than any other country won Golds (Belgium 2nd most, 20) and more silver medals than any other nation won total medals (West Germany 2nd most, 59).

14). Over 11,000 athletes have won the Stars & Stripes at the Summer Olympics and The most athletes that the USA sent to any single Summer Games was 646 at 1996 Atlanta. The fewest we've ever sent was 14 at 1896 Athens, the first modern olympiad. Those 14 athletes took home 20 total medals, pretty high hit rate.

15). Herb Drury holds the American hockey record for most Olympic goals scored with 28 which trails just Harry Watson (37 for Canada) for most goals among all countries. He scored 6 goals at 1920 Antwerp and 22 goals at 1924 Chamonix and his Olympic goal count was more than he scored in his 15-year domestic amateur & professional career (24).

16). The United States has won Gold in baseball at the Olympics just once in Sydney 2000, winning eight of their nine games with a +33 run differential. Tommy Lasorda managed the squad to a gold medal win over Cuba 4 to zip with Milwaukee Brewer legend and future Hall of Pretty Gooder Ben Sheets spinning a complete game shutout, striking out 5 Cubans without a walk and only allowing 3 hits across 9 toiling innings.

17). Baseball wasn't an official Olympic sport until 1992 when Nomar Garciaparra, Jason Giambi, and the Americans finished 4th behind Cuba, Chinese Taipei, and Japan. However, the US had an 11-2 record in Olympic "demonstration matches," beating Sweden at 1912 Stockholm, Australia at 1956 Melbourne, Japan at 1964 Tokyo, then going 4-1 at each of 1984 LA and 1988 Seoul.

18). There have been seven athletes in Olympic history to win medals at both the Summer and Winter Olympics, three of which are American:
    - Eddie Eagan: Gold medal boxer at 1920 Antwerp // Gold medal winner in bobsled at 1932 Lake Placid
    - Lauryn Williams: Gold + Silver medal winner in track & field at 2004 Athens and 2012 London // Silver medal winner in bobsled at 2014 Sochi
    - Eddy Alvarez: Silver medal winner in speed skating at 2014 Sochi // Silver medal winner in baseball at 2020 Tokyo

19). USA has made it to each of the five gold medal games in Olympic Softball history, winning each of the first three in 1996, 2000, and 2004 and taking home silver in 2008 and 2020 (lost to Japan both times).

20). Perhaps the most dominating team effort in Summer Olympic history was the 2004 USA Softball squad who won all 7 of their matchups by a total score of 41 runs to zero. Lisa Fernandez went 4-0 (including both knockout round wins), Jennie Finch & Cat Osterman went 2-0, and Lori Harrigan went 1-0, shutting out every opponent along the way.

21). The United States has won two medals ever in men's soccer at the Olympics, a Silver and a Bronze that were both won at the 1904 St. Louis Games. Three teams competed in those Games:
    - Galt FC from Ontario, Canada who won 7-0 and 4-0 to be named default Gold Medal winners
    - Christian Brothers College from St. Louis who won the Silver Medal game 2-0 over...
    - St. Rose Parish also from St. Louis who didn't score a single goal in four matches but took home Bronze

22). The US Women's National Team has finished Top 3 at eight of nine Women's World Cups that have been held, with four World Championships in 1991, 1999, 2015, and 2019.

23). There have been three Americans to win the Golden Ball for best overall player at the Women's World Cup: Carin Jennings (1991), Carli Lloyd (2015), and Megan Rapinoe (2019). And there have been two Americans to win Golden Boot for top goalscorer at the WWC: Michelle Akers (10 goals in 1991) and Megan Rapinoe (6 in 2019).

24). American goalies have won the Golden Glove for top goalkeeper at the Women's World Cup three times: Briana Scurry (shared title in 1999) and Hope Solo (twice in 2011 & 2015). Scurry allowed just 3 goals in 6 matches, putting together four shutouts. Solo allowed 3 goals across 7 matches in each of the 2015 and '19 tournaments, shutting out the entire group stage and Final in 2019.

25). The US Women's National Soccer Team has won 613 of its 781 international matches in organization history since its first match against Italy in 1985, an ungodly 78.5% winning percentage.

26). America has won the gold medal in women's soccer 5 times and has medaled seven times in eight Olympic tournaments. The only two-time gold medal-winning American captain is Christie Rampone and the team's overall goal differential is +50 in all Olympic play.

27). Abby Wambach holds the American record for top international goalscorer with 184 net-finders in 255 career caps for the USWNT and Mia Hamm has the title for most goals accounted for, scoring 158 herself and assisting on 147 more for a total of 305.

28). The US Men's & Women's National Basketball Teams have medaled in all 32 Olympic Games in which they've competed. The Men's team has won 17 Golds, 1 Silver, and 3 Bronzes while the Women's team has won 10 Golds, 1 Silver, and 1 Bronze.

29). Kevin Durant holds the record for most career points (518) and rebounds (137) in American Men's Olympic history while LeBron James has the most assists (139). Lauren Jackson has the most points scored (581) and rebounds recorded (285) in American Olympic basketball history and Teresa Edwards holds the record for most assists (143).

30). USA's most dominant basketball effort in a single Summer Olympics by the Men's team was the 1956 team led by collegians Bill Russell & K.C. Jones when we won all 8 games with a +428 point differential. The women's best tournament was 1996, winning all 8 games by a total of 590 points with a team led by Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes, and Dawn Staley.

31). America has won 265 Golds and 607 total medals in swimming events at the Olympic Games, by far the most of any country in both. USA has more gold medals in swimming than the next six countries combined (Australia, 76; China, 40; East Germany, 38; Hungary, 30; Japan, 24; Great Britain, 21 [248 altogether]).

32). Own goals by opponents account for 10% of the United States'  total goals scored at the Men's World Cup. They've scored 50 total goals and opponents own goals account for 5 of those.

33). USA hasn't had an Olympic gold medalist in boxing since 2016 when Claressa Shields of Flint, MI won her second consecutive middleweight gold medal; she's America's only two-time gold medalist in boxing. The last men's Gold came in 2004 when Anthony Ward from San Fran took home the light heavyweight championship. Neither boxer lost a fight in their career, Shields 18-0 and Ward 32-0.

34). Set to square off again on Monday, USA and Belgium played against each other in the very first match held in World Cup history. The US came out on top 3-0 on that Uruguayan July afternoon in 1930.

35). There are six Olympic sports that the USA has never medaled in, one in the Winter: biathlon; five in the summer: badminton, handball, table tennis, rhythmic gymnastics, and trampoline gymnastics.

36). The United States has won the most medals in Athletics at the Summer Olympics in 27 of the 33 Games its competed in and has won 100+ track & field athletes compete in each of the last 10 iterations of the Summer Games.

37). The longest standing track & field record at the Summer Olympics is Bob Beamon's 8.90 meter long jump at the 1968 Mexico City Games. Beamon's first jump at the games obliterated the previous Olympic record, beating it by nearly two feet.

38). The USA has only led the Winter Olympics in gold medals once, the 1932 Lake Placid Games, and the Winter Games in total medals twice, 1932 and 2010 in Vancouver. We own the Gold and total medal count title in three Winter sports: figure skating, snowboarding, and freestyle skiing.

39). Paraguay is the only country that the USA men's team has won multiple matches against at the World Cup with a 3-0 win at Uruguay 1930 and a 4-1 win last month in Inglewood. Paraguay is also the only country that USA has scored more than 5 goals against in WC matches.

40). Skeleton was first held at the Winter Olympics in 1928 in St. Moritz and the Gold & Silver were won by a pair of American brothers, Jennison and Jack Heaton of New Haven, Connecticut.

41). Billy Fiske was captain of the first bobsled team to medal for USA at the 1928 St. Moritz Winter Olympics, taking home Gold over another American five-man crew. Fiske then played flagbearer and piloted a four-man gold medal winning bobsled squad at the 1932 Lake Placid Games. Later that decade Fiske became part of a group that founded the original ski resorts in Aspen, Colorado. In 1940, Fiske then hopped aboard a ship to England and convinced the Royal Air Force that he was a Canadian in order to enlist in their World War II effort agains the German Luftwaffe. His Hawker Hurricane aircraft was shot down in the Battle of Britain but Fiske managed to get back to the airbase rather than bail and let the plane crash over residential space. Unfortunately he'd pass in surgery attending to his injuries sustained in the plane.

42). The first American man to medal in figure skating was Dick Button at 1948 St. Moritz when he was 18 years old and he continues to be the youngest men's figure skating champion in Olympic history. He's also the only two-time men's single gold medalist in American history, defending his title at 1952 Oslo. In his first Olympic go-around he was the first person to ever land a double axel in competition which he one-upped by becoming the first to land a triple jump of any kind with a triple loop in '52.

43). It's been over 100 years since the USA won its lone medal in ski jumping when Anders Haugen took home the Bronze at 1924 Chamonix, though it took 50 years for him to earn it. In 1974 a Norwegian ski historian discovered a mathematical scoring error that placed Haugen ahead of Thorleif Haug of Norway.

44). America has had three lugists medal in single's events at the Winter Olympics...
    - Chris Mazdzer: 2018 Pyeongchang Silver Medalist out of Pittsfield, Mass. who competed in season 26 of Dancing with the Stars and season 16 of American Ninja Warrior
    - Erin Hamlin: 2014 Sochi Bronze Medalist out of New Hartford, NY who's favorite book is Angels & Demons by Dan Brown and is a spokesperson for the National Headache Foundation
    - Ashley Farquharson: 2026 Milano Cortina Bronze Medalist out of Sacramento who chose to pursue luge over college softball, crafts friendship bracelets for fellow competitors, and maintains a sourdough starter

45). Six players on the 2026 US Men's National World Cup Team roster have hometowns that are within a 2 hour drive of City Hall in Philadelphia: Matt Turner, Auston Trusty, Christian Pulisic, Brenden Aaronson, Mark McKenzie, and Matt Freese.

46). Chloe Kim is the only American female snowboarder with multiple gold medals, winning at 2018 Pyeongchang and 2022 Beijing. At 17 years old in 2018, she became the youngest woman to land two 1080-degree spins in a row at the Olympics and the youngest gold medalist in the halfpipe, taking the crown from American Kelly Clark (2002 Salt Lake City).

47). Skateboarding entered the Olympics at the 2020 Tokyo Games and remained in competition at 2024 Paris. USA has the most men's medals (4) with Cory Juneau taking Bronze in park-style in 2020, Jagger Eaton taking Bronze in 2020 and Silver in 2024 in street-style, Tom Schaar winning Silver in 2024 park-style, and Nyjah Huston, the only goofy rider of the bunch, taking Bronze in 2024 street-style competition. 

48). American Apolo Anton Ohno's eight medals in short-track speed skating are tied with Viktor Ahn of Russia (formerly Ahn Hyun-soo of South Korea) for most by a male skater in Olympic history. Ohno is the only American to win gold at multiple distances (500m & 1500m) and the only person in the history of Dancing with the Stars to dance to Gwen Stefani in two different seasons ("Cool" in season 4; "What You Waiting For?" in season 15).

49). Landon Donovan has played in the most World Cup matches of any men's player in American history with 12 WC caps. Sergiño Dest and Weston McKennie lead players on the current roster with 8 appearances each and can tie Donovan should the US make this year's Final or 3rd Place match.

50). Art competitions were held at the Summer Olympics every rendition from 1912-1948 with medals awarded in five categories: architecture, literature, music, painting, and sculpture. The only time USA won multiple medals in a single Olympics in art was 1932 Los Angeles winning three Golds including Mahonri Young's "The Knockdown" (pictured) and four Silvers.

250 Funnest Facts for USA's 250th Birthday - Part 3: 50 Facts for 50 States

O beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of graaain

For part 3 of 5 in 250 Funnest Facts for USA's 250th Birthday, we're taking a visit to each of the fifty states and teaching ya something you probably didn't know before...

1). Delaware: There was just one Revolutionary War battle fought on Delware's soil, the Battle of Cooch's Bridge on September 3, 1777. The Battle of Cooch's Bridge is reported to have been the first time that Americans flew the new Stars & Stripes flag into battle.

2). Pennsylvania: Altoona's famous Horseshoe Curve railroad that bends around the Kittanning Resevoir was so vital to the shipment of goods during American World War II production efforts that it was involved in Operation Pastorius, an intelligence mission by Nazi Germany to sabotage the US economy that was intercepted by FBI double agents before it could be carried out.

3). New Jersey: Every baseball used in a Major League game is rubbed over with a particular mud that comes from Lena Blackburne Rubbing Mud, originally based in Palmyra, NJ and now based out of Longport. The mud comes from a tributary of the Delaware River and is the perfect combination of dirt and clay.

4). Georgia: Valdosta High School is home to the winningest high school football program in the nation with an overall record of 1,012 wins, 250 losses, & 34 ties (.781 winning pct). It's the country's second winningest football program behind the University of Michigan (1,022 wins).

5). Connecticut: In 1953 David Mullany invented Wiffle Ball at his home in Fairfield, CT which gained its name naturally from his son referring to strikeouts as "whiffs." In 2011, the Health Department of New York it was included on a list of recreational activities that present a "significant risk of injury" to children before gaining public ridicule and being removed from the list.

6). Massachusetts: Invented by Archibald Query in Somerville, MA in 1917, the fluffernutter sandwich (peanut butter & marshmallow fluff) is the unofficial State Sandwich of Massachusetts, a state with a town even named Sandwich. The fluffernutter has survived a pair of proposals to state legislators to restrict serving fluffernutters in schools because of its lack of nutritional value.

7). Maryland: Despite prohibition being enacted national law from 1920-1933, Maryland was the lone state to have never enforced the ban by never passing a Volstead enforcement act to actually impose punishment for the indulgence of liquor.

8). South Carolina: At the time of the American Revolution, by far the wealthiest city in the colonies wasn't Philadelphia, Boston, or New York but the South Carolinan city of Charleston with its residents earning nearly 5x the pounds per capita than its northern counterparts.

9). New Hampshire: Before it was established as New Hampshire, the province/colony was mapped and named "North Virginia" by Captain John Smith. It was later changed to "New England" by King James prior to its official naming as "New Hampshire" in 1629.

10). Virginia: Edward Davis, John Hinson, and Lionel Wafer were a pirate group that plundered the South Seas and hid out in Virginia before their capture in the Chesapeake Bay by Captain Rowe who imprisoned the trio in the Jamestown colony until trial. King William III decreed the loot would be returned but kept 300 pounds to fund the construction of William & Mary, America's second-oldest college.

11). New York: Kenmore, a suburb of Buffalo, is the only city/village/municipality in the United States without a single "street" in the town's limits. Every public thoroughfare is named as a road, avenue, or boulevard.

12). North Carolina: Trailing only the seemingly obvious Oregon, North Carolina produces the second-most Christmas trees annually of any state in the United States at nearly 4 million Firs per year. About one third of the country's Christmas trees come from either The Beaver State or The Old North State.

13). Rhode Island: At the turn of the century in 2000, Mr. Potato Head was decreed the official "family-travel ambassador" of Rhode Island with the Hasbro headquarters located in Pawtucket. Mr. Potato Head was also the first toy to have been advertised on April 30, 1952.

14). Vermont: Despite being surrounded by American colonies on three sides, Vermont operated from January 1777 to March 1791 as an independent state in New England refusing to join a republic that permitted slavery. Vermont's run of independence lasted four years longer than Texas'.

15). Kentucky: Based in Louisville, KY, Omega Mirror Products produces almost 200,000 handcrafted glass mirror disco balls which accounts for approximately 90% of the world's funky orbs.

16). Tennessee: The original Mountain Dew formula was conjured in the hills of Knoxville, TN in 1940 and was created with the intention of using the citrusy concoction as a mixer for moonshine.

17). Ohio: In 1835 & 1836 Ohio and Michigan went to war over the Toledo Strip. Ohio won over the Strip and as a result incorporated the city of Toledo into the state whereas Michigan gained control of the Upper Peninsula.

18). Louisiana: The American Hippo Bill was proposed to Congress by Representative Robert F. Broussard in 1910 to try and import Hippos into the bayous of Louisiana with the intention that the humongous herbivores would consume invasive plant species and could be utilized as a source of meat for Louisianans. Though the bill gained support, it was never passed by the House.

19). Indiana: In 1822 Hamilton County, Indiana was victim to a stampede of thousands of black and gray squirrels who ravaged the county's crops and cornfields causing the equivalent of millions of dollars worth of damage by today's standard.

20). Mississippi: There are four cities in the world that are officially sanctioned to host the International Ballet Competition: Helsinki, Finland; Moscow, Russia; Varna, Bulgaria; and Jackson, Mississippi.

21). Illinois: The Eastern Prickly Pear, Little Prickly Pear, and Big-Rooted Prickly Pear are three cactus species that are all surprisingly native to Illinois and can be found in about half of the counties.

22). Alabama: Despite Mardi Gras being most affiliated with parties in the streets of New Orleans, the first organized Mardi Gras celebration occurred in 1703 when French Catholic settlers threw themselves a bash in Mobile, Alabama.

23). Maine: The easternmost point in the United States is West Quoddy Head in Lubec, Maine which is also the closest geographical point in the US to the continent of Africa at a little over 3,100 miles separation from El Beddouza, Morocco.

24). Missouri: Thirty-two athletes from seven nations competed in the 1904 Marathon held at the Summer Olympics in St. Louis, MO, but only 14 finished the race. The first man to cross the finish line, Frederick Lorz, was later disqualified for having gotten a ride in a car during the competition. Thomas Hicks, the deemed winner, hallucinated the last few miles of the race because his trainers fed him brandy, raw eggs, and rat poison. The fourth-place finisher, Andarín Carvajal, took a nap during the race after eating spoiled apples.

25). Arkansas: You can travel to every state that borders Arkansas by going south somewhere within the state.

26). Michigan: Although deriving its name from Coney Island, NY, "Coney Dogs" were actually first sold in Detroit, MI by Greek immigrant Gust Keros in 1917.

27). Florida: For one minute in 1982, Key West seceded from the Union as a micronation called the "Conch Republic" in protest to a US Border Patrol blockade on US-Route 1 that backed traffic up for miiiiiiles. Mayor Dennis Wardlow was named prime minister and declared war on the United States, only to surrender one minute later.

28). Texas: It takes over 12 hours to drive from Texas' easternmost point bordering Louisiana to its westernmost point bordering New Mexico.

29). Iowa: Fenelon Place Elevator is the world's shortest and steepest scenic railway, climbing 189 feet along a 296-foot track that takes you to one of the highest points in Dubuque, IA and provides views of the Mississippi River and three states.

30). Wisconsin: The clock outside of Lambeau Field, home to the Green Bay Packers, is set 15 minutes early to represent "Lombardi Time" in honor of their legendary coach and general manager who expected everyone to arrive 15 minutes early to meetings and functions. It's not uncommon to find public establishments across Wisconsin that have their clocks set 15 minutes early as well.

31). California: Contrary to popular belief that he originated in the swamps of Scotland, Shrek is actually from Fresno, California.

32). Minnesota: For nearly 100 years Minnesota has ranked #1 among all states in turkey production ever since the formation of the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association in 1939. The state produces nearly 34 million turkeys per year at this point.

33). Oregon: When Europeans arrived at the end of the Oregon Trail in the Williamette Valley, they referred to their settlement as "Stumptown" or "The Clearing." Asa Lovejoy of Boston and Francis Pettygrove of Portland, Maine became the primary landowners of this area and both wanted to name their emerging city after their original hometowns. The dispute was settled with a coin flip and now we know "Stumptown" as Portland, Oregon.

34). Kansas: Rob Riggle and Paul Rudd went to the same high school, Shawnee Mission South HS in Overland Park, KS, at the same time. Rudd graduated in 1987, Riggle graduated in 1988 and both went to University of Kansas as well, though they joined different frats.

35). West Virginia: The northernmost point of West Virginia along the Ohio River near Lawrenceville is farther north than almost the entirety of Staten Island New York City.

36). Nevada: Las Vegas was originally settled by the Mormons. In 1855, nine years before Nevada became a state, member of the Church of Latter-day Saints built a fort in what is now Las Vegas along the Mormon Road as a stopping point for journeys between Salt Lake City and Southern California. The fort was abandoned two years later.

37). Nebraska: Omaha hosts one of the most highly renown zoos in the world in the Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium which houses the world's largest indoor desert under the world's largest geodesic dome, the world's largest indoor swamp and nocturnal animal exhibit, and America's largest aquarium inside of a zoo that features a 70-foot shark tunnel. There's also a super sick Silverback Gorilla exhibit, a cute baby elephant, and is just a really freakin cool zoo.

38). Colorado: The term "jungle juice" was first used in Fort Collins, Colorado as early as 1909. The local newspapers referred to an area on the outskirts of town where bootlegging and other taboos ran rampant as "the jungle" and hence those bootlegged drinks became "jungle juice."

39). North Dakota: There are no towns, villages, hamlets, or boroughs in North Dakota. Every incorporated community is considered a city regardless of its population, including Ruso, ND which reported a population of 1 in the 2020 census.

40). South Dakota: On January 22, 1943, Spearfish, South Dakota experienced record-breaking temperature fluctuation. At 7:30AM the temperature was reported to be -4°F and then at 7:32AM the temp. had risen to 45°F, a 49° increase in just two minutes. By 9:00AM the temp. had reached 54°F but then at 9:27AM the weather had shifted again with temps dying back down to -4°F, a 58° decrease. The rapid changes caused glass windows to crack all over the city.

41). Montana: Until it closed in April, the oldest Chinese restaurant in the country resided in Butte, Montana. Pekin Noodle Parlor opened its doors in 1911 and held its ground for 115 years before its spring closure.

42). Washington: Though the law was repealed in the 1990s, it used to be illegal to ride an ugly horse through town in Wilbur, Washington, with fines reaching up to $300.

43). Idaho: Sometimes referred to as the "Manhattan of the West," Boise, Idaho holds an annual New Years Eve party where they drop a giant Potato in the middle of downtown a la the disco ball drop in Times Square.

44). Wyoming: With one found in each of the First Interstate Bank and the other in Hilltop National Bank (both in Casper), Wyoming has exactly two public escalators in the entire state.

45). Utah: At 290 feet long, The Landscape Arch in Arches National Park, Utah is the fifth-longest natural arch in the world and the longest non-Chinese natural arch on the planet.

46). Oklahoma: By repealing a law that had stood for 43 years, Oklahoma became the last state in the nation to make tattoos legal in 2006. The original ban was over the concern of dirty needles and the spread of Hepatitis, but by making the act of tattooing unlawful, the state government actually increased the risk of dirty needles being used in "speakeasy tattoo parlors," who would've thought?

47). New Mexico: The state capital of Santa Fe is the oldest state capital in the United States and the earliest European settlement west of the Mississippi River. Having been established in 1610, Santa Fe was founded 10 years before the Mayflower landed at Plymouth Rock. 

48). Arizona: Averaging 4,015 hours - or 167 full days -  of sunlight per year, Yuma, AZ is the sunniest city in the world. The sun shines on Yuma for approximately 91% of available sunlight hours in a given year.

49). Alaska: The only World War II battle fought on American soil took place in Alaska during the 1943 Battle of Attu. Japanese soldiers had landed unopposed on the island of Attu, one of nation's westernmost points, as part of a campaign to dominate the northern Pacific waters. But within 20 days American and Canadian troops were able to recapture the land.

50). Hawaii: There is one state in the country that is entirely rabies-free, Hawaii. The only confirmed case of the disease was April 3, 1991 involving a rabid bat found in a transport container at Honolulu Harbor. The bat was caught before it could escape and the islands remain rabies-free.