10 Random Facts About St. Louis
Whether you are moving to St. Louis or want to learn something new about your city, here are 10 random facts about St. Louis.
Home to the first World’s Fair, Washington University and the Gateway Arch, St. Louis is the where past and present meet – and Illinois meets Missouri. Whether you are moving to St. Louis, want to learn something new about your city or are interested in scoring well during a St. Louis trivia night, here are 10 random facts about St. Louis, according to the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Bureau.
· The 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis introduced the hot dog, ice cream cone and iced tea.
· Lafayette Park, created in 1836, was the first public park west of the Mississippi River.
· On their return trip to St. Louis in 1806, Lewis and Clark spent a night at Fort Belle Fontaine, the first military installation west of the Mississippi River.
· Noted St. Louis surgeon Dr. Evarts Graham performed the first lung cancer operation in St. Louis in 1933.
· The first United States kindergarten was started in 1873 by Susan Blow in St. Louis.
· St. Louis was the site of the first major horse show in the United States.
· In 1891, Louis Sullivan designed the Wainwright Building, considered by some to be the world’s first skyscraper.
· The first International Balloon Race was held in St. Louis in 1908.
· The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis (New Cathedral) features what is considered to be the finest and largest collection of mosaics in the world, 100 million pieces of stone and glass in the artworks that line the interior.
· The first successful parachute jump from an airplane took place at St. Louis’ Jefferson Barracks in 1912.