Random American History Facts

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During our excursions visiting America's historic towns, oldest towns and oldest places we uncovered some interesting American history facts. 

* The differences of the oldest towns / cities in America. Hudson, NY is the first city in America to be incorporated after the thirteen colonies became the United States. Lewes, DE is the first town in the first state after the thirteen colonies became the United States. Albany, NY is one of the oldest surviving European settlements from the original thirteen colonies and the longest continuously chartered city in the United States. St. Augustine, FL. is technically the oldest continuously occupied settlement in the United States. Jamestown, VA is sometimes called America's oldest town, but that is not accurate because it was abandoned for some time and is now currently a National Historic Site. Read more about the details of these differences on our oldest towns page.

* America is the 4th largest country in the world with land mass (when including bodies of water) or 3rd largest when counting just land. It shares the world’s longest land border with its northern neighbor, Canada, at over 5,500 miles. America spans just over 3.5 million square miles with 50 states. Follow our tracker page to see how many of the 50 states we visited so far. 

* According to the US Census Data, there are an estimated 19,500 incorporated cities, towns and villages in the United States. About 76% of these 19,500 places have fewer than 5,000 residents in population. And almost half, 47%, have fewer than 1,000. Many of these are considered historic towns. See the latest list of towns we have visited so far.

* Rhode Island witnessed the beginning of the American Revolution. Newport, the colonial capital of Rhode Island, was the first (of the 13) colonies to declare its independence from England. Rhode Island is also the smallest state in America and has the fewest acres of federal land at 5,157 acres. But Newport currently has the highest concentrations of colonial homes in the nation. View our Newport, Rhode Island page. 

* America initially consisted of originally 13 states that had been British colonies until their independence in 1776. The 13 original states are Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Virginia. So far we have visited 6 of the 13. 

*  The small city of Hudson has the distinction of being the first city in America—that is, it was the first city to be incorporated after the thirteen colonies became the United States.  See our Hudson, NY page content from our visit there. 

* America is the oldest democracy in the world. It has been governed by representatives elected by the people since 1776. Philadelphia, PA is where the U.S. Constitution was written and signed, in the Assembly Room of the Pennsylvania State House, now known as Independence Hall. This was the same place the Declaration of Independence was signed. Check out our Philadelphia page. 

* The French Quarter (port town of New Orleans, LA) has the second most registered historic houses per capita in America with over 10,500. See our French Quarter page.

* America is only 1 of 3 countries in the world (along with Liberia and Myanmar) that does not use the metric system as the official system of measurement. Speaking of measurements see our photos of the America's, and world's, longest elevated pedestrian bridge 

* The first modern lottery in America was in New Hampshire with the debut of the New Hampshire Sweepstakes, now known as the New Hampshire Lottery. The original game was based on the results of a horse race, and the first tickets were sold March 12, 1964. See photos and more from our team's visit to New Hampshire while exploring the historic town of Portsmouth. 

* The U.S. state that has the most tree/forest coverage is Maine at 89% coverage. Maine is also the only state with just one other state on its border (New Hampshire). And Maine is the most easternmost state in the US both in its extreme points and in its geographic center. Maine is also home to the first ever federal execution when Thomas Bird was hanged in Portland, Maine. We will be visiting Maine's oldest town, Kittery. Stay tuned for our Kittery, Maine photos

* The Battle of Gettysburg was not only the largest battle of the Civil War, it remains the largest battle ever fought in North America. Our team took a tour in the The Gettysburg National Military Park where the battle took place in July of 1863 with more than 40,000 casualties. Also Jennie Wade was the only civilian to die as a direct result of the fighting during the Battle of Gettysburg. Check out our Gettysburg page. 

* America's (and the world's) first true penitentiary was the Eastern State Penitentiary built in 1829 in Philadelphia, PA. Today it is a museum that also hosts tours and special events. Our photos of this Eastern State Penitentiary during a trip to Philadelphia. 

*  America is home to more lighthouses than any other country. See our photos of the oldest lighthouse in America, The Sandy Hook Lighthouse in New Jersey.

*  Salem Maritime in Salem, Massachusetts is America's First National historic site which was established on March 17, 1938. Our photos of Salem Maritime

* Mystic, CT is home to the largest maritime museum in America. See photos of Mystic during our visit there.

*  The state of New York has both the highest number of National Historic Landmarks and historical markers in America. In total New York state has nearly 280 historical landmark sites and an estimated 1,000 historical markers. See photos of our several New York excursions on Historic Towns, Oldest Places and notable mentions pages.

*  Thomas Mundy Peterson of Perth Amboy, New Jersey was the first African-American to vote in an election. His vote was cast on March 31, 1870. Peterson voted in a local election held at Perth Amboy City Hall.  Perth Amboy City Hall is also the site of the first ratification of the United States Bill of Rights. Our photos of Perth Amboy City Hall. 

*  In 1662, Hartford, CT (30 years before the infamous Salem witch trials) the first ever witch trials took place, resulting in seven total trials and four executions. The executions included Alse Young being the first recorded instance of execution for witchcraft in colonial American history. The first Witchcraft was one of 12 capital crimes decreed by Connecticut’s colonial government in 1642. Photos of our Hartford, CT visit. 

* Brotherhood Winery located in Washingtonville, NY is the largest underground wine cellar in the United States. Our photos of Brotherhood Winery

* America is also the 3rd most populated country in the world with an estimated 330 million people. Although the 3rd most populated, America has a relatively low population density of 36/km² ( 92/mi²) ranking 174th most dense country in the world. New York City is most populated city in America with an estimated 8.2 million people. It also has the highest population density in America. And has most streets named after past presidents. Check out our photos of NYC on our Notable Mentions page and other pages.

* New York City has the highest number of skyscrapers in the US with over 250. The One World Trade Centre, built in 2013, is the tallest building in America with 104 floors and standing at 1,776 feet tall. See our pics of the tallest building in America.

*  America is the only country in the world that has all of the earth’s five climate zones. Dry, tropical, temperate, continental, and polar climates. We have visited all 5 climates. See all the towns we visited

* America is second in the world (behind China) with the most miles of highways. The oldest highway in America is Kings Highway. See our Kings Highway page for photos and more.