Prelims.qxp 5/27/2009 12:05 PM Page i The All American Book of Lists Prelims.qxp 5/27/2009 12:05 PM Page ii Prelims.qxp 5/27/2009 12:05 PM Page iii The All American Book of Lists A unique compendium of bizarre and fascinating facts from Alabama to Wyoming Julian Ashe Prelims.qxp 5/27/2009 12:05 PM Page iv A Oneworld Paperback Original Published by Oneworld Publications 2009 Copyright © Julian Ashe 2009 The right of the Julian Ashe to be identified as the Author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 All rights reserved Copyright under Berne Convention A CIP record for this title is available from the British Library ISBN 978–1–85168–672–8 Typeset by Jayvee, Trivandrum, India Cover design by D. R. Ink Printed and bound in Great Britain by Bell & Bain, Glasgow Oneworld Publications 185 Banbury Road Oxford OX2 7AR England www.oneworld-publications.com Learn more about Oneworld. Join our mailing list to find out about our latest titles and special offers at: www.oneworld-publications.com Prelims.qxp 5/27/2009 12:05 PM Page v Contents Acknowledgments x Introduction xi 1 Politics and Government 1 USA Fast Facts 1 Ten Fascinating Facts 2 Presidents 4 Political Records 7 The Constitution 8 The Senate and Senators 9 Elections 11 Barack Obama 12 Civil War Veterans who Became President 13 Last Words 14 Burial Places 15 Presidential Quotes 18 The White House 21 Symbols 22 Dollar Bills 23 Washington DC Memorials and Landmarks 25 Want to be an FBI Agent? 28 2 States 30 Ten Fascinating Facts 30 Physical Features 31 CONTENTS v Prelims.qxp 5/27/2009 12:05 PM Page vi Extreme Weather 32 Highest Mountains 33 Longest Rivers 34 River Trivia 34 Largest States (by area) 35 Largest States (by population) 36 Time Zones 36 Origin of State Names 37 State Mottos 42 State Nicknames 44 Most Populous Cities 47 City Firsts 47 Most Self-satisfied Town Names 48 Towns Worth Avoiding? 49 Towns You Could Eat? 50 Animal Town Names 51 3 Lifestyle, Work, and Culture 52 Social Characteristics 52 Ins and Outs 53 1900 to 2000 54 Population by Ancestry 55 Most Common Surnames 56 Ten Most Popular Boys’ Names 57 Ten Most Popular Girls’ Names 57 Seniors 58 Family and Society 59 Women by Numbers 60 Ten Largest Native American Tribes 61 Winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature 61 Mark Twain Quotes 62 vi CONTENTS Prelims.qxp 5/27/2009 12:05 PM Page vii Food 63 Success 64 4 History 66 Brief History 66 Inventions, Firsts, and Beginnings 70 The Great Depression 73 War and Peace 74 Military Engagements Authorized by Congress 75 Failed Constitutional Amendments 76 Independence Day – July 4 76 Civil War Firsts 77 Civil War Mascots 78 Nicknames of Civil War Generals 79 Popular Songs of the Civil War 80 Civil War Generals’ Civilian Occupations 81 Commemorative Stamps 82 5 Tourism 83 Ten Fascinating Facts 83 The Hotel Industry 84 World Heritage Sites 85 Top Ten City Destinations 88 Most Visited States 88 Disneyland 89 Weird Tourist Attractions 90 The Statue of Liberty 91 Ellis Island 92 Best Beaches 94 Federal Holidays 94 Important National Days 95 CONTENTS vii Prelims.qxp 5/27/2009 12:05 PM Page viii 6 Sports 97 Ten Fascinating Facts 97 National Football League Records 98 National Basketball Association Records 99 Major League Baseball Records 100 Record Holders 100 Sporting Firsts 101 Tidiest Sports Stats 102 Memorable Sporting Uniform Numbers 103 Olympic Host Cities 104 The Olympics 104 Famous Sporting Quotes 104 Football Quotes 106 Baseball Quotes 107 Basketball Quotes 108 7 Music 110 Brief History 110 Songs that Debuted at Number One in the Billboard Singles Chart 112 Artists with the Most Consecutive Number One Hits 113 Best-selling Artists 114 Best-selling Albums 114 Longest Broadway Runs 115 Most Successful Concert Tours 116 Origins of Band Names 116 Band Names which Feature Places 117 Musicians Killed in Airplane Crashes 118 Artists with Posthumous Number Ones 119 viii CONTENTS Prelims.qxp 5/27/2009 12:05 PM Page ix Ten Fascinating Facts about Elvis Aaron Presley 120 Elvis Quotes 121 8 Film and Television 123 Films with the Highest Box Office Returns 123 Top Television Broadcasts since 1964 124 Top Product Placement Brands 125 Top Programs for Product Placement 126 Real Names 126 Actors Known by their Middle Names 127 Funny Television Quotes 128 Most Memorable Catchphrases 129 Longest-running Series 130 The Emmys 131 The Oscars 132 Bob Hope Quotes 133 Stars who Worked in Soap Operas 134 Former Professions 134 Television Pets 135 Iconic Movie Quotes 136 CONTENTS ix
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