June 15th: Arkansas

Arkansas Admission Day: Arkansas became the 25th state on this day in 1836.

1. The official nickname of Arkansas is The Natural State. This is based on the fact that it has over 600,000 acres of lakes and 9,700 miles of streams and rivers, six national parks, seven national scenic byways, three state scenic byways, and 50 state parks. There are two-and-a half million acres of national forests, and 18.8 million acres of forested land in total, which is more than the area of the entire country of Switzerland. The population of Arkansas is less than that of New York City.
2. The name Arkansas means “south wind” and is derived from 'akansa', a word used by some Native Americans to describe the Quapaws, an early tribe in the area. When talking about Arkansas be careful to pronounce the name of the state correctly, because it is illegal to say it wrong. “Ar-kan-saw” is the right way, with the final S silent. The pronunciation was determined by the General Assembly of 1881, based on the French custom of not pronouncing a plural s.
3. Other wacky laws in Arkansas include: no flirting on the street or walking a cow down Main Street after 1pm on a Sunday or keeping an alligator in your bath or keeping Squirrels as pets except in October, November and December. It is legal for men to beat their wives once a month. Even mother nature can fall foul of the law. Dogs mustn't bark after 6pm in the capital of Little Rock, and the Arkansas River may not rise higher than the Main Street Bridge in Little Rock.
4. Mount Magazine is the state's highest point at 2,753 feet above sea level, and the lowest point is along the Ouachita River and is 54 feet above sea level.
5. It's a good place for minerals. The Magnet Cove region contains 102 varieties of minerals alone, and the state is also home to the US's only active diamond mine (although there have only aver been two, the other being in Colorado). The Arkansas diamond mine produced the three largest diamonds ever found in the US including the Strawn-Wagner, found in 1990 by Shirley Strawn. This diamond is considered to be the first perfect diamond ever discovered. The mine is now a tourist attraction where visitors can try their hand at mining their own diamonds and can view the Strawn-Wagner, which is on permanent display there.
6. Naturally the diamond is the official state gem of Arkansas; it also has an official state mineral (bauxite) and an official state rock (quartz crystal). Other official symbols include a state bird (mockingbird), a state flower (apple blossom), tree (pine tree), insect (Honey Bee), butterfly (Diana Fritillary Butterfly), fruit (vine ripe pink tomato), mammal (White-tailed Deer), beverage (Milk) and musical instrument (fiddle). The state motto is Regnat populus (the people rule).
7. Talking of ruling, Arkansas has produced one president so far - Bill Clinton. Other famous people who come from there include Johnny Cash, General Douglas MacArthur, Scott Joplin and John Grisham. Freeman Owens, the first person to successfully add sound to film, and Hattie Caraway, the first woman to be elected to the U.S. Senate in November 1932 are also Arkansas natives. The first Walmart supermarket opened here in 1962.
8. Arkansas produces more Rice than any other state, and Pine Bluff is known as the world centre of archery bow production. Alma claims to be the Spinach Capital of the World, and Hope the Watermelon Capital of the World.
9. Arkansas has its own Bigfoot monster - the Boggy Creek Monster or the Fouke Monster, which is seven feet tall and wanders around the Fouke area killing livestock. While we're in the Twilight Zone, the Ozark Valley is home to a phenomenon called The Dover Lights. These are flickering lights in the sky in various colours above the valley. Nobody knows what causes it, but naturally legend has come up with an explanation - they’re lights carried by the ghosts of Spanish Conquistadors searching for their lost Gold.
10. Annual contests taking place here include the World Cheese Dip Championship in Little Rock and the World Championship Duck Calling Contest in Stuttgart.