With 6,640 miles of coastline, Alaska not only boasts the longest coastline of all U.S. states, but makes up more than 50% of the entire U.S. coastline.

In 1922, William Ross was elected governor of Wyoming by appealing to progressive voters in both parties. However, after little more than a year and a half in office, he died on October 2, 1924, from complications from an appendectomy. The Democratic Party then nominated his widow, Nellie, to run for governor in a special election the following month. Nellie Ross refused to campaign but easily won the race on November 4, 1924, and on January 5, 1925, she became the first female governor in the history of the United States.

While much of the state's history is tied to its mighty rivers, Missouri got its nickname because of the devotion of its people to simple common sense. In 1899, Rep. Willard D. Vandiver said, "Frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I'm from Missouri. You've got to show me."

According to a 2019 study published in Science magazine, an earthquake ripples through Southern California every three minutes, which equates to an astounding 175,000 earthquakes a year. Fortunately, most are so small that they can only be detected by scientific equipment.

As the easternmost state, Maine is the first place in the United States to see sunlight each morning.

Fifty different names, and not one of them contains the letter Q.

The world's first skyscraper was the Home Insurance Building in Chicago, Illinois, erected in 1884-1885. The so-called "Father of the Skyscraper" towered all of 10 stories with its peak at 138 feet, miniature by today's standards but gargantuan at that time.

Other states have official drinks like lemonade, milk, and orange juice. Alabama has Conecuh Ridge Whiskey, marketed as a high-quality aged moonshine which was produced illegally in Alabama during the mid to late 20th century. The brand was legalized by the moonshiner's son Kenny May, and in 2004 it was designated the official "State Spirit" of Alabama by legislative resolution.

In August 1587, a group of about 115 English settlers arrived on Roanoke Island, off the coast of what is now North Carolina. After three months, the colony's governor, John White, made a trip back to England for supplies. When he returned, White found no trace of the colony or its inhabitants, and few clues to what might have happened, apart from a single word--"Croatoan"--carved into a wooden post. The fate of the "Lost Colony" remains unknown.

The United States Bullion Depository, often known as Fort Knox, is a fortified vault building located next to the United States Army post of Fort Knox, Kentucky. The vault is used to store a large portion of the United States' gold reserves as well as other precious items belonging to or in custody of the federal government. It currently holds roughly 147 million troy ounces (4,580 metric tons) of gold bullion, over half of the Treasury's stored gold.