Indiana's flag has a blue background with a torch in the center. The torch is surrounded by nineteen stars: the thirteen in the outer ring representing the original colonies, the five in the inner ring representing the next five states admitted (prior to Indiana), and the one on top of the torch representing Indiana.

Missouri has been called the "Mother of the West" and the "Cave State", but its most famous nickname is the "Show Me State", which appears on its license plates. The origin of the phrase is popularly ascribed to a speech by Congressman Willard Vandiver in 1899, who declared that "I come from a state that raises corn and cotton, cockleburs and Democrats, and frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I'm from Missouri, and you have got to show me."

Minnesota has lots of mosquitoes. In fact, there are over 50 different species of mosquitoes that live in the state. Mosquitoes are so common that they have been called Minnesota's "unofficial state bird."

South Carolinians began boiling peanuts in the 1800's, making use of any surplus peanuts after the crops were harvested and sold. Boiled peanuts can be found throughout South Carolina at roadside stands, festivals, produce stands and stores.

In 1703, 15 years before New Orleans was even founded, French settlers in Mobile, Alabama established the first organized Mardi Gras celebration.

Louisiana is the only U.S. state with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are equivalent to counties.

Commissions for Kentucky Colonels are given by the governor and the secretary of state to individuals in recognition of noteworthy accomplishments, contributions to Kentucky society, remarkable deeds, and outstanding service to a community, state, or the nation.

Connecticut's first European settlers were Dutchmen who established a small, short-lived settlement called Fort Hoop in Hartford at the confluence of the Park and Connecticut Rivers.

Iowa has the most golf courses per capita in the U.S. and is the only state to have less than 10,000 people per course. It has more than 300 courses for a population of just over 3 million.

Billy Bob Thornton's Sling Blade tells the story of an Arkansas man named Karl Childers who has an intellectual disability and is released from a psychiatric hospital, where he has lived since killing his mother and her lover when he was 12 years old. The film won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.