foundation
Nebraska the beautiful
Interesting Facts
‘Nebraska’ came from an Otoe Indian word for ‘flat water’ referring to the Platte River (50 States)
In 1927, Edwin Perkins of Hastings, Nebraska invented Kool-Aid (50 States)
The Nebraska state insect is the honeybee (50 States)
Nebraska was once called “The Great American Desert” (50 States)
Arbor Day was started in Nebraska City in 1872 by J. Sterling Morton (Legends of America)
Nebraska is the birthplace of the Reuben sandwich (50 States)
Nebraska has more miles of river than any other state and also had the U.S.’s largest aquifer, the Ogalala aquifer (50 States)
The Nebraska state American Folk dance is the square dance (Legends of America)
The University of Nebraska football team has produced more Academic All-Americans than any other Division 1 school (50 States)
Celebrities and important American figures such as Fred Astaire, Johnny Carson, Gerald Ford, Buffalo Bill, Malcolm X and William Jennings Bryan originated from Nebraska (Legends of America)
In Waterloo, barbers are forbidden from eating onions between 7 am and 7 pm (Legends of America)
The Niobrara is one of the top canoeing rivers in the country. It has more than 90 waterfalls (Legends of America)
The Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha has the world’s largest indoor rain forest exhibit (Legends of America)
Fort Robinson, Nebraska City, and Weeping Water, Nebraska were once homes to WWII German Prisoner of War camps (Nebraska State Historical Society)

Official Facts
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Statehood: March 1, 1867 (number 37)
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Area: 77,358 square miles (16th largest state)
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Population: (as of 2010)
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Number of counties: 93
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Highest Point: 5,426 feet (Panorama Point)
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State motto: Equality Before the Law
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State song: Beautiful Nebraska
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State bird: Western Meadowlark
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State mammal: White-tailed deer
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State fish: Catfish
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State fossil: Allen Beermann
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State insect: Honeybee
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State flower: Goldenrod
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State tree: Cottonwood
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State grass: Little bluestem
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State beverage: Milk
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State soft drink: Kool-Aid
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State river: Platte
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State dance: Square dance