25 Interesting Nebraska Facts

By James Israelsen, Associate Writer

Published May 23, 2023

"Nebraska" is the Native Otoe word for the Platte River and means “flat water.”_[11]
Nebraskans were the first to celebrate Arbor Day, in 1872. The citizens planted trees in an effort to beautify the state._[11]
Lifelong Nebraskan Clifton Hillegass created his Cliffs Notes® series while working for the Nebraska Book Company in the 1950s._[2]
Nebraska is the only state in the entire United States to have a unicameral legislature, meaning that legislation only has to be ratified by one body of elected officials to become law._[12]
Although Nebraska’s official state nickname is “The Cornhusker State,” state license plates issued between 1956 and 1965 said “The Beef State” instead, because of the state's many cattle ranches._[13]

The rock's unique shape made it a valuable landmark

for pioneers heading West

There was a minor controversy among Nebraskans when the US Mint featured Chimney Rock on their state quarter. Opponents argued that the landmark, a feature of the Oregon Trail, represented people passing through Nebraska rather than settling there._[12]
In 2020, over 100 bison on a feedlot in southern Nebraska escaped after stampeding. The herd managed to spread itself out across 140 square miles of the state before they were all recaptured._[15]
The recipe for runzas—yeast dough bread pockets filled with a hash of cabbage and ground beef—originated in Nebraska._[19]
Nebraska’s state capitol building was the first in America that wasn’t designed to look like the US Capitol in Washington, DC._[13]
Nebraska's capital city, Lancaster, was renamed "Lincoln" in 1869, in honor of Abraham Lincoln, who was assassinated four years earlier._[7]
Nebraska's state motto is "Equality Before the Law."_[3]
L. Ron Hubbard started life as a Nebraskan before becoming the founder of Scientology._[6]

An unusual way to dispose of old automobiles

"Carhenge," a popular tourist site in Alliance, Nebraska, was built to resemble England's Stonehenge, but it is made of cars instead of monolithic stones._[1]
Kool-Aid® is Nebraska's official state drink, in honor of the fact that it was invented there in 1927._[8]
The Ogallala Aquifer, a vast underground reservoir used by farmers in eight mid-Western states, is being rapidly depleted—except for the part of the reservoir lying under Nebraska, where it has either undergone little substantial change or has even risen in some places._[10][16]
The University of Nebraska State Museum has the world's tallest fossil Columbian mammoth skeleton on display, a 14-footer named Archie._[17]
In an annual survey about which state tourists most wanted to visit, the state of Nebraska came in at last place every year between 2014 and 2018._[4]
In Nebraska, some old laws that are still on the books include a prohibition against people with venereal diseases marrying, and permission for law enforcement to arrest a parent if their child burps in church._[18]

Brando became one of the most celebrated actors of his generation

American celebrities Marlon Brando, Henry Fonda, and Fred Astaire were all native Nebraskans._[11]
A 2003 record-setting storm in Aurora, Nebraska, delivered hailstones with a circumference of almost 19 inches._[7]
Bruce Springsteen's hit song "Nebraska" is about two real-life teens from Lincoln, Nebraska, who went on a 10-person killing spree in 1958._[5]
Up to 14,000 train cars pass through Nebraska's Bailey Yard daily. The eight-mile train yard is the largest in the world._[7]
In 2018, the Nebraska Tourism Commission joked about the lack of visitors with the slogan "Honestly, it's not for everyone."_[4]
Nebraska's state animal is the white-tailed deer, the state bird is the meadowlark, and goldenrod is the state flower._[14]
Nebraska's largest crop is corn, and the state ranks third in the nation in corn production, after Iowa and Illinois._[9]