50 Fun Facts About Nebraska

What is Nebraska's most populous city, sitting on the Missouri River?

The capital moved from Omaha at statehood in 1867 to a village called Lancaster, renamed for the recently assassinated president.

Nebraska became the 37th state on March 1 of which year?

That was two years after the Civil War ended; the territory itself dates to the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854.

The name Nebraska comes from Otoe and Omaha words meaning what?

It describes the Platte River, and Platte itself is French for flat.

What makes the Nebraska Legislature unique among US state legislatures?

Voters abolished the state senate and house in 1934 and the single chamber first met in 1937; its 49 members are still called senators.

How many members does the Nebraska Legislature have, making it the smallest in the country?

They serve four-year terms and, since a 2000 amendment, are limited to two consecutive terms.

Which soft drink, invented in Hastings in 1927, is Nebraska's official state soft drink?

Edwin Perkins removed the liquid from his Fruit Smack concentrate to cut shipping costs; Hastings still holds Kool-Aid Days every August.

What was the liquid concentrate that Kool-Aid was developed from?

The powder was cheaper to ship, and the Kool-Aid Man pitcher became the brand's mascot.

Which holiday was founded in Nebraska City by J. Sterling Morton?

About one million trees were planted in Nebraska on the first one, April 10, 1872, and the National Arbor Day Foundation is still based in Nebraska City.

Roughly how many trees were planted in Nebraska on the first Arbor Day in 1872?

The date has since become a global tree-planting movement, though different countries pick different days.

Nebraska and which other state split electoral votes by district in the 2024 election?

Under a 1991 law, two votes go to the statewide winner and one to the winner of each of the three districts.

Nebraska is split between which two time zones?

The Panhandle and nearby counties keep Mountain Time; the state has 93 counties in all.

Warren Buffett, the 'Oracle of Omaha', paid how much for his longtime Omaha house in 1958?

He was born in Omaha in 1930, the son of a congressman, and Berkshire Hathaway is one of four Fortune 500 companies headquartered in the city.

Which four Fortune 500 companies were headquartered in Omaha on the 2025 list?

More than 40 insurance companies were based in Omaha at the industry's 1960s peak.

Which annual NCAA championship event has made its home in Omaha?

It is played at what was TD Ameritrade Park; the Henry Doorly Zoo is the city's other big draw.

Which of these sandwiches is claimed as an Omaha invention?

Omaha also claims the TV dinner, Raisin Bran, cake mix, center-pivot irrigation and the Top 40 radio format.

Omaha hosted a World's Fair in 1898 under what name?

Gurdon Wattles led the fair celebrating the Midwest's agricultural and industrial growth.

Which US Air Force organisation moved to Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha in 1948?

The move gave the area a major economic boost after the Depression; Offutt remains an active airbase.

Omaha hosted the first official performance of whose Wild West Show in 1883?

Eight thousand people attended; Cody's ranch at North Platte is now a state historical park.

What was the state capital called before it was renamed for the assassinated president?

It remains the seat of Lancaster County, and the University of Nebraska was founded there in 1869.

Nebraska's State Capitol, completed in 1932, ranks where among US capitols by height?

Bertram Goodhue's tower is topped by a statue called The Sower; a Lincoln law caps other buildings below it.

Which Japanese company opened a motorcycle assembly plant in the state capital in 1974?

The plant built bikes for the North American market and still operates.

Which regional fast-food chain, known for its bread-pocket sandwiches, began in the state capital?

Valentino's pizza also started in Lincoln.

How many national championships have the Nebraska Cornhuskers won in football?

They came in 1970, 1971, 1994, 1995 and 1997 under Bob Devaney and Tom Osborne, plus seven unclaimed titles.

Nebraska's record home-football sellout streak at Memorial Stadium began in which year?

The streak began on November 3 of Bob Devaney's first season, a loss to Missouri in front of 36,501 people.

What is Nebraska's football defense nicknamed?

Starting defenders wear black jerseys in practice; the stadium itself is called the Sea of Red.

Which three Cornhuskers have won the Heisman Trophy?

Crouch's "Black 41 Flash Reverse" touchdown against Oklahoma was the iconic play of his 2001 Heisman season.

The 1971 Nebraska-Oklahoma clash, won by top-ranked Nebraska, is remembered by what name?

Johnny Rodgers's punt return highlighted it; the two schools shared the Big Eight title 33 times in its last 36 years.

Chimney Rock, a landmark on the Oregon Trail, rises how far above the North Platte valley?

It was taller when pioneers first saw it and has been whittled by erosion, lightning and reportedly cannon fire; it appears on Nebraska's state quarter.

What is Carhenge, near Alliance?

Jim Reinders and about 35 relatives built it from 39 vehicles and dedicated it at the 1987 summer solstice.

How many cars make up Carhenge's circle?

The circle is about 96 feet across, and three foreign cars are buried on site under a mock epitaph.

The Sandhills of north-central Nebraska are the largest what in the Western Hemisphere?

They cover just over a quarter of the state and sit on the Ogallala Aquifer, whose spring-fed lakes dot the valleys.

The Ogallala Aquifer, named for a Nebraska town, lies beneath how many states?

It covers about 174,000 square miles and has been heavily drawn down by centre-pivot irrigation since World War II.

Which bird makes the central Platte River valley its most important migration stopover each spring?

Hundreds of thousands roost on the river near Kearney in March, one of the great wildlife spectacles in North America.

Bailey Yard in North Platte holds what world record?

Union Pacific runs it; the transcontinental railroad was built west along the Platte.

Which 1854 act of Congress created the territory, drawing its southern line at the 40th parallel?

It set the 40th parallel as the line between the two territories and reopened the fight over slavery's expansion.

For a few months in 1860-61, which famous mail service ran through Nebraska along the Platte?

The Lincoln Highway, the Union Pacific main line and Interstate 80 all later followed the same Platte Valley corridor.

Which Illinois-born politician represented Nebraska in Congress and ran for president three times?

The "Great Commoner" delivered his Cross of Gold speech in 1896 and later served as Secretary of State.

Which future US president was born in Nebraska but moved away shortly after birth?

He was born in Omaha in 1913; the city also produced Malcolm X, Fred Astaire and Marlon Brando.

As of the 2020 census, roughly how many people lived in the state?

It ranks 38th in population and eighth-least dense, with most people in Omaha and Lincoln.

Which outdoor retailer had its national headquarters in Sidney, Nebraska?

Bass Pro bought the company, and The Buckle clothing chain is based in Kearney.

Where did the first US Army post west of the Missouri River stand, established in 1819?

Lewis and Clark had recommended the site on their 1804 journey up the Missouri.

Where is one traditional marker for where 'the West' begins in Nebraska?

Other candidates include the Missouri River, the 100th meridian and Chimney Rock.

Nebraska holds which unique geographic distinction among US states?

You must cross at least three states or provinces to reach an ocean, gulf or bay from Nebraska.

How many counties does Nebraska have?

The Panhandle observes Mountain Time while most of the state is on Central Time.

How high is Panorama Point, Nebraska's highest point?

It sits in the Great Plains region, which also contains the Sandhills, Pine Ridge and Wildcat Hills.

Grand Island, Hastings and Kearney are known collectively as what?

Their combined population is about 174,530.

Who invented the Vise-Grip locking pliers in Nebraska in 1924?

The tool was made in De Witt until the plant closed and production moved to China in late 2008.

Which Sandhills cattle operation is one of Nebraska's oldest and largest?

Nebraska is a major producer of beef, pork, wheat, corn, soybeans and sorghum.

Nebraska's name, meaning 'flat water', refers to which river?

The river is formed by the confluence of the North Platte and the South Platte and runs through the state's centre.

How many US states share a border with Nebraska?

South Dakota, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado and Wyoming surround it.