Pennsylvania, the second state to ratify the U.S. Constitution and one of the original thirteen colonies, is, in spite of the disdain and neglect sometimes directed towards it, is a very historically and demographically fascinating state on the American East Coast. Some facts about Pennsylvania are well-known (such as the state’s being the site of the Battle of Gettysburg), but there are also many eye-catching bits of information about Pennsylvania of which most are not aware.

Although Pennsylvania is often thought to trail behind other states in various factors of life, the state (or, as it is officially referred to, the “commonwealth”) leads the nation in many statistics, including the numbers of licensed hunters, covered bridges and pretzel bakeries in one state, as well as sausage production and rural population. Pennsylvania is also home to The Crayola Factory, which produces more than 12 billion crayons a year; six major chip companies (Herr’s, Utz, Martin’s, Bon Ton, Bickel’s and Snyder’s); and  the Chocolate Capital of the United States (Hershey). McDonald’s Big Mac, the creation of which is often attributed to Jim Delligatti, was first served in Uniontown, Pennsylvania in 1967.

Food-related information aside, the interesting facts about Pennsylvania only improve. For instance, readers might be interested to know that Centralia, PA has been on fire since 1962. The blaze started with a garbage fire that spread to the coal mines; it still continues to this day, with ten residents remaining in the municipality according to a 2017 census. Newspapers in Pennsylvania date back to as far as September 21, 1784, when the first newspaper was produced. Pennsylvania’s highest point (Mount Davis at 3,213 feet) is still lower than the lowest point in Colorado (3,315 feet). Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania is Pennsylvania’s only “town” (all other municipalities are technically incorporated as cities, towns, and boroughs).

In the 19th century, Pennsylvania produced more than 75% of the world’s oil, and in 1859, the world’s first purposeful oil well was dug by Colonel Edwin Drake in Titusville. The car company Jeep was first started in Butler, Pennsylvania, and the polio vaccine was created in Pittsburgh in 1955. Fast-forwarding to the present era, Erie, Pennsylvania was the snowiest city in the United States in the winter of 2013-2014, receiving 138.4 inches of snow.

The often-unnoticed and historical state of Pennsylvania has been the breeding ground for many shocking discoveries, and has led not only the United States, but the world as a whole in the production of a collection of things over time. More information about Pennsylvania remains a mystery, but the mind-boggling facts which are known and the objects invented in the state, such as the slinky, bubble gum, street lights, and the ever-popular game of Monopoly, prove that states of small physical size should not be ignored.