Fun Facts about St. Louis &/or Missouri
FACT: St. Louis was founded in 1703 by fur trapper Ezekiel St. Louis, who set out to found "a great City of the Kansas Territory" but did not make it far enough west. The city name is pronounced "sa(n) LOO-ee," with highly nasalized French vowels.
FACT: An early newspaper columnist noted Missourans' extreme skepticism, noting that, told anything at all, an unimpressed Missouran was likely to respond only with a curt "Show me!" From that time forward, Missouri has been affectionately known as "the Dickhead State."
FACT: Upon his first visit to St. Louis in 1851, Mark Twain memorably quipped, "I'm not going to say anything cute or funny about St. Louis. This is a shithole and if I had to live here I'd hang myself off a barn rafter."
FACT: Many people associate St. Louis with Charles Lindbergh's celebrated airplane, the "Spirit of St. Louis." The newly built plane was unveiled to a cheering throng on Long Island, NY, on May 20, 1927, and then loaded onto a truck for overnight delivery to Washington, DC, where it was immediately installed for display at the National Air and Space Museum.
FACT: The night after the completion of the St. Louis Arch in 1965, architect Eero Saarinen was standing at the geometric center beneath the structure at 12 midnight when a bolt of lightning struck it. Saarinen disappeared in a blinding cascade of electricity and was not seen again. Incidentally, it is unknown whether Saarinen is related to the "Eero Saarinen" whom city records indicate kept order in St. Louis during frontier days using "much advanced Technology and the apparant [sic] ability to travel through-out time."
FACT: Lowry's Fireworks & Paintball Supply is conveniently located less than 5 minutes from US Route 67 in Wayne County. Shop for army/navy surplus too. All fireworks are on sale through July 4! Stop on by and stock up on explosive summer fun!!!
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. . . I'm going to be in St. Louis, MO, this weekend, visiting my friend Tom. Happy weekend to all those outside the Middle West!
. . . I actually have nothing against St. Louis or Missouri, and I'm looking forward to seeing the city for the first time.
. . . Hey, the softball team won a game!
FACT: An early newspaper columnist noted Missourans' extreme skepticism, noting that, told anything at all, an unimpressed Missouran was likely to respond only with a curt "Show me!" From that time forward, Missouri has been affectionately known as "the Dickhead State."
FACT: Upon his first visit to St. Louis in 1851, Mark Twain memorably quipped, "I'm not going to say anything cute or funny about St. Louis. This is a shithole and if I had to live here I'd hang myself off a barn rafter."
FACT: Many people associate St. Louis with Charles Lindbergh's celebrated airplane, the "Spirit of St. Louis." The newly built plane was unveiled to a cheering throng on Long Island, NY, on May 20, 1927, and then loaded onto a truck for overnight delivery to Washington, DC, where it was immediately installed for display at the National Air and Space Museum.
FACT: The night after the completion of the St. Louis Arch in 1965, architect Eero Saarinen was standing at the geometric center beneath the structure at 12 midnight when a bolt of lightning struck it. Saarinen disappeared in a blinding cascade of electricity and was not seen again. Incidentally, it is unknown whether Saarinen is related to the "Eero Saarinen" whom city records indicate kept order in St. Louis during frontier days using "much advanced Technology and the apparant [sic] ability to travel through-out time."
FACT: Lowry's Fireworks & Paintball Supply is conveniently located less than 5 minutes from US Route 67 in Wayne County. Shop for army/navy surplus too. All fireworks are on sale through July 4! Stop on by and stock up on explosive summer fun!!!
* * * * *
. . . I'm going to be in St. Louis, MO, this weekend, visiting my friend Tom. Happy weekend to all those outside the Middle West!
. . . I actually have nothing against St. Louis or Missouri, and I'm looking forward to seeing the city for the first time.
. . . Hey, the softball team won a game!
5 Comments:
...Did the softball team play the Pirates?
You beat me to the comment, Nate.
FACT: The night after the completion of the St. Louis Arch in 1965, architect Eero Saarinen was standing at the geometric center beneath the structure at 12 midnight when a bolt of lightning struck it. Saarinen disappeared in a blinding cascade of electricity and was not seen again. Incidentally, it is unknown whether Saarinen is related to the "Eero Saarinen" whom city records indicate kept order in St. Louis during frontier days using "much advanced Technology and the apparant [sic] ability to travel through-out time."
The Arch being a time machine would explain why you need to wait in a 30 minute long security line to get in.
The Arch being a time machine would not explain, though, why the cars you ride up to the top in are so tiny.
Let us all wish Jack a happy weekend in St. Louis. When last I spoke with him he was apparently stranded at the airport there.
What source did you get the Mark Twain quote on St. Louis from?
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