Whether you’re a proud Mississippian or you’re planning a trip to the magnolia state, anyone can enjoy learning a few fun facts about Mississippi. Check out these ten fascinating state facts.
Most people assume that the Mississippi River was given its name because it runs through the state of Mississippi, but it was actually the other way around - the state was named after the river. The Mississippi River’s name comes from the word “messipa,” the French pronunciation of the Ojibwa tribe’s word for “big river.”
“The King,” Elvis Presley, was a native of Mississippi. He was born in Tupelo in 1935.
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Lung transplants are commonly performed today, and we largely have Mississippi to thank for it. The first human lung transplant was performed by Dr. James Hardy in 1963 at the University of Mississippi Hospital.
This may not come as a surprise to those who live in Mississippi, but the state has been deemed to be the most religious of any state in the US. A Gallup poll categorized people as “very religious” based on certain factors and found that Mississippi had the highest percentage of its residents in the “very religious” category: 59%. Utah came in second at 57% followed by Alabama at 56%.
When people think of cacti, they think of states like Arizona and New Mexico. Edwards, Mississippi, though, is home to what is believed to be the world’s only cactus plantation.
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While there are a few other cities that have vied for the title, Belzoni, MS claims to be the Catfish Capital of the World thanks to its abundance of catfish farms. In fact, about 60% of all farm-raised catfish in the US are raised in Belzoni or within 65 miles of the town.
Mississippi has been hailed as the birthplace of the legendary Kermit the Frog because it’s the state where Kermit’s creator Jim Henson was born. Henson was born in Greenville, MS, and his company later created the Birthplace of Kermit the Frog Museum in Leland, MS.
If you’re a fan of Barq’s, you have Mississippi to thank. Edward Charles Edmond Barq, Sr. invented Barq’s root beer in Biloxi in 1898. This wasn’t the first root beer, though - the first version of this popular drink was invented in 1875 by Charles Hires.
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Ridgeland, MS is the proud home of a unique cell tower that was made into a replica of the Washington Monument. While it’s smaller than the original monument, of course, it’s a far more picturesque alternative to the traditional ugly cell tower.
Mississippi has more forests than most people realize. In fact, about 65% of the state is covered in forestry.
