Whether you want some Nebraska fun facts to use for a project or you want to impress people with your knowledge of the Cornhusker State, we’ve put together some facts about Nebraska that cover everything from weird laws to natural wonder to strange history.
Nebraska has plenty of history, natural views, and charming small towns, and these interesting facts about Nebraska are a real tribute to all of the fun Nebraska facts to be found (we could have kept going, but kept it to the 51 best ones!).
Keep reading for weird facts about Nebraska, amazing facts about Nebraska, cool facts about Nebraska, and plenty of fun Nebraska facts to keep you guessing (or help you put together an awesome Nebraska trivia quiz!)
Nebraska Fun Facts
1. The state is home to Archie, the biggest mammoth on display in the country.
2. The Nebraska Cornhuskers’ football stadium holds more than 90,000 people.
3. Arbor Day started in 1854 with a pioneer named J. Sterling Morton.
4. Nebraska’s official state soft drink? Kool-Aid.
5. The Carhenge, a replica of the historic English Stonehenge, is located just north of Alliance, Nebraska and is made up of 38 old automobiles that have been arranged the same way as the original Stonehenge.
6. The name “Nebraska” originated with the Otoe Indians. The word “Nebraska” means “flat water” and refers to the Platte River that flows throughout the state.
7. Malcolm X was born in Omaha, Nebraska in May, 1925.
8. Nebraska is the only state in the United States with a unicameral legislature (meaning a single legislative chamber).
9. Almost all (91%) of Nebraska is farmland. 1 in 4 jobs in Nebraska are related to agriculture.
10. After Nebraska became the 37th state in 1867, the town of Lancaster was made the capital and was later renamed Lincoln in the honor of Abraham Lincoln.
Interesting Facts about Nebraska
11. You can still see evidence of Oregon Trail travelers – if you look close enough, the wagon roadbed is still visible at Scotts Bluff National Monument.
12. The Lied Jungle is America’s largest indoor rainforest, located at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha.
13. Nebraska doesn’t have an official state food, but if it did, Runzas would take the crown. Runza is a fast food chain who is known for ground beef and cabbage.
14. It’s a landlocked state, but Nebraska does, in fact, have a Navy, which was commissioned in 1931 by Lt. Governor T.W. Metcalfe.
15. On April 18, 1945, a Japanese balloon bomb exploded in the sky over Dundee, a section of Omaha.
16. Home to the the largest hand-planted forest in the United States, The National Forest at Halsey spreads across more than 90 thousand acres of land!
17. Omaha, Nebraska, is home to one of the most famous billionaires in the world, Warren Buffett.
18. In Nebraska in 1986 for the first time ever two women ran against each other for governorship of a state.
19. Nebraska is a popular place with refugees, who move to America from impoverished and war torn countries.
20. Before Nebraska became a state in the U.S. union, it passed the Homestead Act in 1862.
Weird Facts about Nebraska
21. There’s a six-foot-tall statue of Chef Boyardee in Omaha.
22. The state of Nebraska is nowhere near an ocean. However, there is a lighthouse that stands along the road in Ashland, Nebraska.
23. In the late 1800s, a law created in Lehigh, Nebraska forbid merchants from selling donut holes.
24. The world’s largest stamp ball can be seen at the Leon Myers Stamp Center at Boys Town in Nebraska.
25. The University of Nebraska in Lincoln is home to the largest weight room in the United States.
26. The nation’s smallest city hall is in Maskell, Nebraska, being home to about 70 residents since 1930s.
27. Until 1945, Nebraska was known as the “Tree Planter’s State.”
28. All owners of bars in Omaha are required to sell beer while they prepare soup.
29. Ten mammoth fossils are buried under an average square mile of land in Nebraska.
30. There is only one person living in Monowi, Nebraska.
Random Facts about Nebraska
31. Nebraska is in the bottom third of the United States most populated states, having a total population of about 1.8 million people.
32. Many celebrities call the Nebraska home, such as, Fred Astaire, Marlon Brando, Gerald Ford, and Nick Nolte.
33. The amount of land used to produce corn and livestock in Nebraska is greater than in any other state in the U.S.
34. With a diameter of 7 inches, a hailstone which fell in Aurora, Nebraska, during a June 22, 2003 storm was one of the largest hailstorms in the U.S. history.
35. Lincoln City has the mildest maritime climates.
36. Omaha is renowned to be the home for a 3000-foot bridge.
37. Hastings was named in honor of Col. Thomas D. Hastings, a prominent railroad contractor.
38. Kearney is one of the cities in Nebraska that were formed thanks to the construction of America’s railroads.
39. Bellevue is the oldest town in Nebraska, it was established in 1822 for fur trading.
40. The Nebraska Crane Festival puts a spotlight on the sandhill crane migration in Kearney.
Amazing Facts about Nebraska
41. Omaha has been the home of the College World Series since 1950.
42. Reuben Kulakofsky, a grocer from Lithuania who lived in Omaha, supposedly invented the sandwich roughly between the years 1920 and 1935.
43. At the age of 15, Evelyn Sharp became the youngest female pilot in the United States.
44. A natural geologic formation, designated the Chimney Rock National Historic Site, is one of the most famous landmarks for pioneer travelers on the Oregon Trail.
45. Lincoln is the one of the best destinations for lovers of surfing and kiting.
46. On April 10th, 1872, more than a million trees were planted in Nebraska.
47. Omaha has played host to the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials for three consecutive trials.
48. North Platte was named after the eponymous river that flows through it.
49. The town of Norfolk was settled by German Lutherans in 1865.
50. The city of Fremont was named to honor the American explorer and politician John C. Fremont.
51. Lincoln City has a memorial statue of Abraham Lincoln on the NE 22nd Street.
Hey! Want more fun facts about the states? Check these out!
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