happy delaware day. delaware day is the day that delaware ratified the constiution, on december 7, 1787, making it the first state in the united states. (this is also the anniversary of the pearl harbor bombing.) to celebrate delaware day, i have compiled some facts on our state. unfortunately, most people have no education on delaware. this can be taken in a literal sense; in one survey done to see what people associate with delaware, about a third of the people didn't come up with an answer. another 40% responded that they think of i-95 when delaware is mentioned.
anyway, here is some info on delaware.
state seal: the coat of arms with symbols of a farmer, a militiaman, an ox, wheat, and corn. a militiaman represents the duty of citizens to defend their country. the blue above the ox stands for the delaware river. the ship represents new castle county's shipbuilding industry and the coastal commerce of the state.
state motto: "liberty and independence"
state tree: american holly
state flower: peach blossom
state bird: blue hen chicken
state bug: ladybug
state butterfly: tiger swallowtail
state fish: weakfish
state marine animal: horseshoe crab
sweden originally colonized delaware. the swedih colony stretched from just south of new castle, delaware, to around chester, pennsylvania. the colony lasted for almost 40 years before being taken over by the dutch in 1655. this is sweden's only attempt at colonization in the new world.
delaware was once a part of pennsylvania. if you look at a pictuer of the "join or die" printing done by ben franklin, you will notice that there is no recognition of delaware. this is because delaware was a part of pennsylvania at the time. delaware was known as "the three lower counties" of pennsylvania. the "three lower counties" had their own assembly despite being part of pennsylvania. in 1776, cultural , economic, and political differences lead to the three lower counties permanently separating from pennsylvania.
the original capital of delaware was new castle. in accordance to popular belief, part of the reason the capital was moved to dover was because of dover's central location; however, the main reason is because state officials were afraid the british would capture new castle as they made their way to philadelphia from elkton, maryland.
the population of wilmington within the city limits is arounf 75,000. the population of te wilmington metro area is around 630,000. the wilmingotn metro area includes new castle county, delaware, and parts of cecil county, maryland, as stated by the u.s. census of 2000. the u.s. census also recently added parts of chester county, pennsylvania, and salem county, new jersey, into wilmington's metropolitan statistical area.
the wilmington metropolitan statistical area, as defined by the u.s. census, has a population of around 630,000. the wilmingon msa includes small parts of maryland, pennsylvania, and new jersey. the wilmington msa is part of the philadelphia consolidated metropolitan statistical area. the philadelphia cmsa includes the philadelphia msa, wilmington msa, trenton msa, atlantic city msa, and in general the delaware valley. wilmington is not "just another suburb of philadelphia", as many people would like to believe. wilmingon is a city in it's own right and has its own radio stations, public transportation, suburbs, and other things metro areas have.
delaware is the only state that issues flat license plates for all their license plates. other states perforate the numbers on the plates. some states are now switching some plates to flat.
delaware is the only state that issues license plates that are not the standard 6" by 12" plates. "throwback" plates (not what they are officially called, but it's an easy explanation) are the same size as delaware license plates of 1942: 5.25" by 9.5"
low number license plates are extremely desireable items in delaware. delaware plate #9 was sold for $182,500 in 1994, and plate #170 sold for $115,000 in 2005. many four-digit plates go for over $10,000.
log cabins wee first introduced to the new world in delaware. the concept was brought here by the swedes, who were the first to settle the area.
many products were invented in the state of delaware. one of the most famous products invented in delaware is nylon, which was invented at the world-famous dupont experimental station just outside of wilmington.
the northernmost cypress swamp in north america is located in sussex county.
the delaware memorial bridge , which connects delaware to new jersey, is the longest twin suspension bridge in the world.
the state of delaware has more phd's as a percentage of the population than any other state.
delaware has the highest rate of patent awards per person of the 50 states.
wilmington is known as "the chemical capital of the world", "the credit card capital of the world", and "the corporation capital of thw world".
seaford is known as "the nylon capital of the world".
rehoboth beah is known as "the nation's summer capital". it got this name for two main reasons: it was the premier beach destination in the early 20th century, and it is also the most popular place for senators and representatives to go on a summer vacation.
the first beauty pageant was held in rehoboth beach in 1880. the winner was crowned "miss united states". this beauty pageant later evolved into the miss america pageant.
more fortune 500 companies are incorporated in wilmington than the rest of the world combined.
around 60% of all the fortune 500 companies are incorporated in delaware.
over half of all publicly traded companies in the united states are incorporated in delaware.
methodism, a form of protestantism, was begun in delaware in 1784 at barrett's chapel, near the town or frederica.
the nation's first scheduled steam railroad, the frencthtown railroad, began in new castle.
delaware is the only state in the country with no site in the national park system (includes national parks, national seashores, national monuments, national historic sites, national battlefields, and national memorials).
tradition holds that betsy ross's american flag was first flown at the battle of cooch's bridge just south of newark, the only revolutionary war battle (more of a skirmish) in the state of delaware.
the quaker in the book "uncle tom's cabin" is believed to be modelled after thomas garrett, a wilmington abolitionist who lost is life savings in court for helping slaves on the underground railroad.
the first breakwater built in the western hemisphere is the delaware breakwater in cape henlopen state park.> |
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