You may think you know everything about Oklahoma, but we're going to test your knowledge. Join us as we explore a list of Oklahoma state facts that will expand your knowledge.
1. The world's first parking meter was installed in Oklahoma City on July 16, 1935. Carl C. Magee filed the patent for a "coin controlled parking meter."
2. A tornado in Ponca City once lifted a man and wife while in their house. It tore off the roof and walls, but the floor remained safe until they landed back on the ground.
3. The only truly authentic Indian City in the U.S. is located in the Washita river valley in southwest Oklahoma.
4. There is a life-size statue of Astronaut Thomas P. Stafford in Weatherford.
5. Choctaw is the oldest town in Oklahoma. It was chartered in 1893.
6. The National Cowboy Hall of Fame is situated in Oklahoma City.
7. The capital was originally in Guthrie but it was moved to Oklahoma City after a vote was taken from the people.
8. Tahlequah, Oklahoma is the Tribal capital of the Cherokee Nation.
9. The first electric guitar was invented by Bob Dunn, a musician from Beggs, in 1935.
10. Garth Brooks was born in Tulsa and grew up in Yukon. Today he's a major country singer.
11. The first radio station to be transmitting from the west of the Mississippi River was WKY Radio.
12. The state motto is Labor Omnia Vincit which is Latin for "Labor Conquers All Things."
13. There is a National Lighter Museum in Gurhrie that houses 20,000 lighters. It is the only museum of its kind.
14. Oklahoma was used as the setting for the tornado movie "Twister."
15. Air Force Captain Robert C. Miller and Major Ernest J. Fawbush were able to predict a tornado that struck in 1948 and as such saved many lives and military equipment. This forecast started a focus on predicting and preventing damage and death from natural hazards.
16. Oklahoma is one of only two states with the name in the capital. Here it is Oklahoma City, and the other is Indianapolis, Indiana.
17. The YIELD sign was first designed by Clinton Riggs and tested in the city of Tulsa.
18. There are more man-made lakes in Oklahoma than any other state.
19. Over 50,000 people surged into the state when homesteading was permitted in 1889. The people who tried to beat the starting gun were known as Sooners, which is where the state's nickname comes from.
20. The Oklahoma City National Monument honors the people who suffered either directly or indirectly as a result of the bombing in 1995.
These Oklahoma state facts outline some of the heritage that the state has, along with interesting tidbits of information to benefit your knowledge.