Each of the 50 U.S. states has a unique history behind it, and this one is no different. Let's check out some Delaware state facts so you can see what makes this one stand out!
1. Delaware ratified the U.S. Constitution on December 7, 1787. It was the first state to do so.
2. The first steam railroad began in New Castle in 1831.
3. A United States battleship, the U.S.S Delaware, was brought into service in 1910.
4. Delmar is known as the town that is "too big for one state." It has a portion in both Delaware and Maryland.
5. The Barrat's Chapel east of Frederica is the most history site in the town. It is where the Methodist Church of America was first created in 1784.
6. The original inhabits of this area were the Nanticoke Indians. There are still roughly 500 descendants left who celebrate each year in a large Indian Pow Wow.
7. Log cabins, a symbol of frontier life, originated in Finland and was brought to Delaware in the mid-1600s. One of the original cabins is preserved and on display at the Delaware Agricultural Museum in Dover.
8. The official bird is the Blue Hen chicken, noted for its ability to fight well.
9. The official state insect is the Lady Bug.
10. Delaware is one of the smallest states, ranked 49th actually. It is 1,982 square miles in area, and 96 miles in length.
11. The Fenwick Island Lightouse is 87-feet high and was painted in 1880. The total cost back then was a low $5.00.
12. The state is known for Fisher's popcorn which is a coastal caramel corn that has been ordered from places as far away as Vietnam and Indonesia.
13. The first colony on Delaware soil was the New Sweden colony, founded in 1638.
14. There is an 80-foot dune in the Cape Henlopen State Park in Lewes. It is the largest of its kind in the state.
15. Horseshoe crabs, a prehistoric species, can be found in large numbers up and down the Delaware coast in May.
16. Du Pont Laboratories first built a nylon plant in Seaford, which earned the town the honor of being the Nylon Capital of the World.
17. The official state colors are Colonial blue and buff.
18. The state's name comes from Lord de la Warr, the first governor of Virginia.
19. The Indian tribes in Delaware were some of the most advanced tribes in the U.S.
20. There was a frying pan created for use at the Delmarva Chicken Festival in 1950 that was 10 feet in diameter and holds 180 gallons of oil and 800 chicken quarters.
There you have it, Delaware state facts that prove that size doesn't matter. It may be a small place, but it has a lot of big things going on within it.