10 Obscure Fact About Ohio That Will Surprise Even Lifelong Buckeyes

Lesser-Known Facts About Ohio

Beyond the buckeyes and the cornfields, Ohio is an incredibly fascinating state. Just check out these 10 facts, for starters.

Ohio Had the First Car Accident in the US

In 1895, Ohio only had TWO cars in the entire state. Somehow, these lonely vehicles managed to find each other… and crash.

Talk about bad luck (or really good aim).This wasn’t just any old fender bender, it was actually America’s first-ever automobile accident.

The driver was John William Lambert, the Ohioan who built the first gas-powered car in the country.

Ohio Wasn’t Actually a State for 150 Years (Sort Of)

Ohio thought it was a state since 1803, but nobody actually made it official until 1953 when President Eisenhower was like ‘Oops, our bad’ and backdated the paperwork.

Turns out, the territorial governor, Arthur St. Clair, threw a fit about Ohio becoming a state, so President Thomas Jefferson had to fire him to make it happen.

The World’s Longest Bar Is in Put-in-Bay

The Beer Barrel Saloon in Put-in-Bay has a 405-foot bar counter, longer than a football field.

With a local population of less than 200 people, that means more bar space than residents. Now that’s what we call priorities.

There Was an NFL Team That Did Dog Shows at Halftime

Meet the Oorang Indians, Ohio’s most unique NFL team ever.

These guys weren’t just playing football, they were also showing off Airedale terriers during halftime. Why? Because the team was created to promote a dog kennel. How cute is that?

Life Savers Candy Was Born in Ohio

Garrettsville resident Clarence Crane invented Life Savers candy in 1912. They didn’t melt like chocolate, so they were called “summer candy.”

Ohio Invented Haunted Houses

During the Great Depression, Ohio parents got creative by setting up the first haunted houses to keep kids out of trouble.

By the 1950s, these spooky attractions were so popular that the Junior Chamber of Commerce started organizing citywide haunted house events.

Cincinnati Had America’s First Professional Fire Department

In 1853, Cincinnati said ‘enough with this volunteer firefighting stuff’ and created the first paid fire department in the U.S.

They were so ahead of their time, they used steam-powered fire engines when everyone else was still relying on hand pumps.

Ohio Has the Largest Snake Mount on Earth

The Great Serpent Mound isn’t your average garden decoration. It’s the largest snake effigy in the world.

This 1,348-foot-long earthwork aligns perfectly with the summer solstice sunset and the winter solstice sunrise, making it an ancient astronomical calendar shaped like a snake.

Ohio Has a Wealth of 9/11 History Artifacts

The largest collection of 9/11 memorabilia outside NYC? Yep, it’s in Ohio. The Motts Military Museum in Groveport has everything from the WTC’s main directory sign to the first police car on scene.

The museum also houses personal stories and artifacts from that tragic day, making it a powerful tribute to American resilience.

The Soap Box Derby Started Here Because… Ohio

Before X Games and NASCAR, there was the All-American Soap Box Derby, born in Dayton in 1933. It’s still going strong in Akron, proving that kids racing downhill in wooden cars never goes out of style.

Fun fact: The first national winner, Bob Turner, got to meet President Franklin D. Roosevelt.