Since Louisiana was founded we’ve been home to many firsts–in industry, music, and even making history with the first African-American governor! Read on to find out some of the most amazing facts about our wonderful state!

 

1) The Louisiana Hayride stage show and broadcast helped support the career of such icons as Elvis Presley, Hank Williams, and Johnny Cash.
BKP / Wikimedia
Some say Elvis Presley caught his big break by performing on this show.
2) The longest bridge over a body of water in the world is across Lake Pontchartrain and is 24 miles long.
By Glenn from Houston / wikicommons
Legend says Huey P. Long built it that way on purpose, just to break the record.
3) In Louisiana, you can get a $500 fine if you order a pizza for a friend and didn't tell them about it first.
PINKE / flickr
Do you think it's illegal if it is a delivery dog?
4) Louisiana produces 24% of the nation's salt, the most in the country.
Kosher Salt / Flickr
It is also home to the oldest salt mine in the United States, on Avery Island.
5) Ponchatoula is a derivative of the Indian words for "falling hair."
terin. / Wikimedia
Ponchatoula, LA, is now the home of the Louisiana Strawberry Festival.

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6) More than one-half of the species of birds in North America are residents of Louisiana or spend a portion of their migration here.
billtacular / flickr
At the migratory bird festival of Grand Isle, LA birdwatchers come from around the world to catch a glimpse of birds like the Scarlet Tanager.
7) One of the earliest patents in Louisiana was Tabasco Sauce, patented by Edmund McIlhenny in 1870.
0xym0r0n / Wikimedia
Bottles of Tabasco are still modeled after the original bottles from the late 19th century.
8) P.B.S. Pinchback was the first African American governor in the U.S., who served Louisiana for just 2 weeks during reconstruction.
Library of Congress
He was also the first African American elected to Congress from Louisiana but wasn't allowed to serve because of political complexities of the Reconstruction era.
9) The first Tarzan movie, Tarzan of the Apes, was filmed in Louisiana.
Nesnad / Wikimedia
A silent film, the filmmakers chose the swamp outside of Morgan City, LA to represent the jungle.
10) The first opera performed in America took place in 1796 in the French Quarter of New Orleans, LA.
infrogmation / wikimedia
This is a postcard of the old French Opera house in the French Quarter, which burned down in 1919.

These are just a few of the surprising things that make Louisiana unique. What do you think should be on our list? Tell us in the comments below!

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