Ratified in 1788, and with a current estimated population of over 8.5 million, Virginia is the 10th US state. Below are some interesting facts about the area, from local legends to state beverages.
Vanity
Virginia has the highest concentration of vanity plates in the US. Vanity plates are customized license plates that are applied for through and then checked by the DMV. About 1 in every 10 come from Virginia. In the state alone in 2018, over 1300 potential vanity plates were rejected by the DMV for various reasons, including profanity and the promotion of illegal activities.
Nursing
Virginia is home to one of the top ten metropolitan areas with the highest employment of registered nurses. There is an average of 4,500 job vacancies for nurses every year, and this is expected to increase. If you’re looking for a career in nursing, this may be the place for you. You can begin training right now with these accelerated nursing programs in Virginia, building on skills you already have to complete your chosen course quickly and efficiently.
The Virgin Queen
Queen Elizabeth I, also known as the ‘Virgin Queen’, was the Queen of English from 1558-1603. The state was named after her by Sir Walter Raleigh in her honor. The daughter of Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII, Elizabeth was born in London and was the last of the Tudor monarchs. During her lifetime, she never married, hence the nickname, and had no recorded children. However, a man named Arthur Dudley controversially claimed to be her son, though modern-day scholars believe this was impossible.
The Mothman Legend
Technically stemming from West Virginia, the legend of the Mothman dates back to 1966 when several people reported seeing a strange bird/man hybrid in Point Pleasant and Clendenin. A year later, the Silver Bridge in Point Pleasant collapsed, tragically killing 46 people. Some believe that the Mothman’s appearance forewarns of an impending disaster and that the reported sightings were a warning. However, the bridge was built when cars were lighter, and the rush hour traffic caused the bridge to weaken and collapse. Sceptics also believe that the supposed Mothman was nothing more than a sandhill crane, which may have been deformed due to leaking toxic materials from an old nearby WWII munitions plant.
Mother of Presidents
Virginia has several nicknames, one of them being the ‘Mother of Presidents’. Eight presidents of the US were born in the state: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, William Henry Harrison, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, and Woodrow Wilson. This makes Virginia the state to have produced the most US presidents, closely followed by Ohio, with 7. There even used to be a sculpture park and museum in Virginia, called President’s Park, which featured giant busts of all the presidents (up to 20ft tall), but this closed in 2010.
American Dogwood
Virginia is one of two states to have the same plant as its state flower and tree. American dogwood is a flowering tree that usually produces white, but sometimes red or purple, petals, and yellow and red berries. Historically, different parts of the tree have been used as dyes, malaria treatment, mallets and jewelry boxes. Furthermore, it was also used to treat mange, a skin condition in dogs, which may have been where it got its name. In floriography (flower symbolism), dogwood flowers mean strength, durability and affection.
Milk
Not all states have a drink, but of the 29 areas that do, 22 of them are milk. Milk has been the state beverage of Virginia since 1982 and is hailed as an almost perfect food due to its nutritional content. Virginia has a positive history of milk production. In 1998, Virginian dairy farms produced over 200 million gallons of milk, and the following year the state was home to almost 1000 Grade A dairy farms.
Bridge to Terabithia
Katherine Paterson’s 1977 novel, and subsequent 2007 movie, about the friendship between two lonely children, is set in the fictional town of Lark Creek, in Virginia. The book and movie received critical acclaim, with Paterson winning the 1978 Newbery Medal. The book is studied around the world but made the top 10 in the American Library Association’s Top 100 list of most frequently challenged books in 1990-2000. The movie, starring young Josh Hutcherson and Anna Sophia Robb, was a critical and commercial success and was adapted for the screen by Paterson’s real-life son. The original story was actually inspired by events in her son’s childhood, after the death of his friend. Despite being set in Virginia, the movie was actually shot in New Zealand in 2006. Another screen adaptation was made in 1985, as a made-for-TV PBS movie.
Chapstick
Charles Browne Fleet, from Lynchburg, invented Chapstick in the 1880s. The original product was handmade and wrapped in tin foil, and wouldn’t take off until over 30 years later, when another Virginian, John Morton, bought the rights for $5. In 2019, original Chapstick sold over $100 million worth of product, coming in second only to Burt’s Bees. Charles Browne Fleet was a pharmacist, and also invented laxatives. He founded C. B. Fleet, a pharmaceutical company which is still in operation today.
Roy Sullivan
Also known as the ‘Human Lightning Rod’, Roy Sullivan holds the world record for being hit by lightning and surviving the highest number of times. Mr. Sullivan had been hit by lightning a total of 7 times between 1942-77 and survived each time. Born in Greene County in 1912, he was a park ranger in Shenandoah National Park. The odds of being struck by lightning 7 times are 4.15 in 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, and in 1977 the Guinness Book of Records recognized Mr. Sullivan as the record holder. A bolt of lightning consists of several hundred million volts of electricity, and Mr. Sullivan suffered burns and injuries to his shoulders, ankle, legs, stomach and chest. According to NOAA, the odds of being struck by lightning in your lifetime are 1 in 12,000, making Mr. Sullivan’s experiences either incredibly unlucky of being struck or lucky for having survived them all.
