The Sooner State take in its nickname from the settlers who went just alittle fleck earlierthan they were hypothesize to for take the territorial dominion ’s fresh - uncommitted land . From Girl Scout cookies to parking meters , Oklahomans have had a long history of notable start ever since . Here are 25 remarkable fact about the panhandle land .
1.Located at the westerly - most tip of Oklahoma ’s panhandle , Cimarron Countyholds the distinction of being the only county in the U.S. to border four other Department of State ( Kansas , Texas , Colorado , and New Mexico ) .
2.In 1983 , native OklahomanGordon Matthewspatented his " interpreter substance exchange " whichForbesdescribed at the time as " a computerized telephone message store and retrieval organization with dandy capacity than a taping registrar and a novel power to reroute and copy messages . " Today we get laid make out it as voice mail .
3.Okies are so proud of the Rodgers and Hammerstein melodious bearing their country ’s name that “ Oklahoma ! ” is theofficial state song . But this choice was n’t fit without opposite — when the bill to exchange the commonwealth call was introduced in 1953 , an older legislator answer by walking up to the podium , softly tattle the previous country song “ Oklahoma — A Toast , ” and breaking into binge . The house responded with a roar of clapping . To forestall that , the legislator behind the new bill assembled a consort from the Oklahoma College for Women and returned later to give a interpretation of his own . The performance was so telling that the bill was pass through .
4.Girl Scout cookies were first sold by theMistletoe Troopof Muskogee , Oklahoma , in 1917 .
5.Appropriately , it was an Oklahoma City Girl Scout by the name ofKatie Franciswho shatter the organization ’s late records when she sold over 20,000 boxes of cookies in 2014 . After involve possible customers if they were concerned in buying , her scheme was to tug on their heartstrings by perform an impromptu Sung and dance act .
6.Collectively , Oklahomans spend about3.5 million days huntingeach twelvemonth .
7.Thefirst - ever shopping cartswere introduce to Oklahoma City ’s Humpty Dumpy supermarket chain in 1937 . While they were initially a collapse amongst shopper , they gain popularity after the discoverer hired models to press them around his shop .
8.The town ofBeaver , Oklahoma , congratulate itself on being thecow chip throwing capitalof the world . Every year it hosts the World Championship moo-cow Chip Throwing Contest where participants contend to see who can thrust their dried cow dab the farthest . The winner of the 2014 competition cleared149 feet 10 inches .
Mike Petrucci , Flickr//CC BY - SA 2.0
9.Located along the infamous Tornado Alley , Oklahoma is themost tornado - prone regionin the country . Over3500recorded storm touched down in the state between 1950 and 2014 .
10.The state Capitol Building building in Oklahoma City is the only Capitol Building located directly above anactive oil well .
11.Oklahoma ’s prescribed state poem is titled“Howdy , Folks!”It was penned by Oklahoma aboriginal and cowpoke iconWill Rogers .
12.Visitors to Oklahoma City can agree out theAmerican Pigeon Museum . In addition to providing an extensive account of the bird ’ roles in both World Wars I and II , the museum also includes pigeon - theme paintings , carving , and even live flight shows .
13.Whaling isillegalin Oklahoma . There is at least one hulk located in the land - locked commonwealth , but the Route 66 attracter known as theBlue Whale of Catoosais made of cementum .
Ayleen Gaspar , Flickr//CC BY 2.0
14.Despite its length from the ocean , Oklahoma boasts approximately55,646 mile of shoreline . Much of this is made up by its over200 manmade lakes — more than can be find in any other state .
15.Oklahoma has been located above water for the major part of the past 300 million years , making it anideal spot for fossil discovery . Since 2000 the land ’s official fossil has been the 50 - foot - long predatorSaurophaganax maximus , whose name means“greatest male monarch of reptile feeder . ”
16.During World War II , Boise City was the only U.S. town to havea bomb dropped on them via plane . What made this showcase even more noteworthy was that the culprit were n’t German or Nipponese forces but American troops who had botched a training exercise . Though several building were damage in the town ’s center , gratefully no citizens were harm . In line with the patriotic climate of the clip , the mayor go forth a statement the follow morningpraising the bombersfor their accuracy .
17.The world’sfirst parking meterwas installed in Oklahoma City in 1935 .
18.Computer pioneerEdward Robertsattended Oklahoma State University to study electrical engine room . He eventually abandoned his college career and instead get going on to spring up the Earth ’s first personal data processor in the mid-’70s .
19.Bluegrass and folk fans , take note : TheAmerican Banjo Museum , which hosts the large collection of the instruments on public exhibit in the world , is located in business district Oklahoma City .
20.Oklahoma is home to the Will Rogers World Airport and the Wiley Post Airport . The two notable Oklahomansboth diedin the same plane crash .
21.On the grounds of the Oklahoma governor ’s mansion is apanhandled swimming poolin the chassis of the state ’s boundary lines .
Google Maps
22.Oklahoma City is the site of the historicNational Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum . Notable items let in art object donate from the personal assemblage of John Wayne , who was a member of the museum’sboard of trusteesfrom 1968 till his last in 1979 .
23.Oklahoma boasts thehighest density of indigenous languagesin the U.S. There are over 40 trenchant aboriginal American languages spoken in the state .
24.Oklahoma is the only state that produces iodine — animportant elementused in various types of medicine . It ’s a by-product of the province ’s natural gas well , which draw up iodin - rich saltwater water from the salinity deposits deep beneath the surface . They produce so much of it that the U.S. is third behind onlyChile and Japanin terms of iodine production .
25.Oklahoma’sofficial state mealis truly a catgut - broncobuster : it consists of squash , Indian corn kale , fried okra plant , barbecue pork , grits , biscuits , sausage and gravy , maize , strawberries , Gallus gallus - fried steak , grim - eyed peas , and pecan pie .
