220 Facts About Rhode Island You didn't Know

220 Facts About Rhode You didn't Know

Rhode Island is the smallest US state.
In Rhode Island, you cannot race a horse down a highway.
Rhode Island’s capital building has the fourth-largest self-supported marble dome in the world. Ours is gold coated and supports a statue of “The Independent Man.”
The state shell is a Quahog, a hard-shelled clam native to the east coast. When you drive by Rhode Island’s shallow coastal waters, you will likely see people clamming for them.
One of the foods that you should try when you are in Rhode Island is the stuffed Quahog, called a stuffie. It is often stuffed with Portuguese sausage, chorizo.
There is even a fictional town on The Family Guy named Quahog.
Although I have never heard of a six-year-old being charged, cap guns are illegal in Rhode Island.
Until 2020 it had the longest state name. That award now goes to Massachusetts.
Despite its diminutive size, Newport has over 400 miles of coastline.
Rhode Island is one of the original US colonies. It was the last colony to become a state.
Rhode Island is surrounded by Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York. The border with New York is a water border.
This year, a Providence high school senior, Ben Perry, set the Guinness World Record for marathon cooking, working for 40 hours straight.
Rhode Islanders are great at growing pumpkins, setting and resetting the world record for the largest pumpkin several times in the last decade. Though Ron Wallace’s 2,009-pound pumpkin was topped by some Californian’s this year, there’s no doubt Rhode Island will soon be back on top.
You’ll get fined if you throw pickle juice on a trolley in Rhode Island.
In Newport, it’s illegal to smoke a pipe after sunset.
Now popularly called badminton, Rhode Island is often credited with holding the first lawn tennis championship in 1899.
The first U.S. National Championship was also held in Rhode Island in 1881 at the Newport casino. It’s still an annual event today, making it America’s oldest tennis tourney.
Rhode Island wasn’t the first Rhode Island. In fact, it’s named after a Greek island called Rhodes.
1657: Newport operated the first ferry service in the nation.
1673: The White Horse Tavern is built, the oldest tavern building in continuous use in the United States.
1687: Newport was the first city to pass a traffic ordinance.
1699: The Quaker Meeting House is built, Rhode Island’s oldest house of worship.
1716: Schoolhouse in Portsmouth is built, and today is the oldest schoolhouse in the United States.
Newport has the oldest military unit in continuous service under its original charter from 1741.
America’s first circus was hosted in Newport. Performed on May 23, 1774, the visitors paid $0.25 to see Christopher Gardener ride a horse—while standing on his head!
The first National Lawn Tennis Championship (the precursor to the U.S. Open) was held in Rhode Island in 1899. The state is also home to the Tennis Hall of Fame.
The first NFL game at night was hosted in Rhode Island.
Reader’s Digest named Rhode Island one of the “10 Nicest Places in America.”
Rhode Islander Gilbert Stuart was the artist behind the George Washington portrait featured on the dollar bill.
Buying your kid a toy gun? Remember, cap guns are illegal in Rhode Island.
The big Kodiak sculpture in Providence known as “Indomitable” is 11 feet tall and weighs more than three tons.
Thank Governor Ambrose Burnside for the popularity of the sideburn.
It’s said a carnivorous tree digested the decomposing body of Rhode Island founder Roger Williams. The tree wasn’t charged with any crime and is still on display.
Rhode Island is not zombie friendly. There’s actually a statewide law against biting off another person’s leg. And you thought this was a free country, sheesh!
Over 400 Rhode Islands can fit inside of Alaska, and almost 4,000 can fit in America.
In 1993, the official drink of Rhode Island became Coffee Milk.
Blake Rodgers of Cranston, R.I. once held the record for most high-fives in a 24-hour period, able to get 3,131 at the Dunkin’ Donuts center. Unfortunately he was beaten by an Australian who received 14,607 in the same time.
1745: The Redwood Library & Athenaeum is established, the oldest circulating library in continuous use in the United States.
1750: Newport was the site of the first duplex house, located at 57 Farewell Street.
1758: The Newport Mercury was founded, the oldest newspaper in continuous operation in the United States. (EDIT: Closed)
1759: Touro Synagogue built in Newport, the oldest in synagogue the United States.
1774: Newport hosted the first circus in the country.
May 4, 1776: Newport, the colonial capital of Rhode Island, was the first of the thirteen colonies to declare its independence from England.
Block Island wind farm is the first commercial offshore wind farm in the United States. It is located 3.8 miles from Block Island, Rhode Island in the Atlantic Ocean.
Did you know that there is an island called “Rhode Island” in the state of Rhode Island? The island in the state is also known by the name – Aquidneck Island. The island occupies an area of 44 square miles. It is on this island that the two town Portsmouth and Middletown, and a city, New Port is located.
The state also has the nation’s oldest one-room schoolhouse. It is in Portsmouth. The school house was built in 1716.
The American straw hat industry was launched by a 12-year-old Betsey Metcalf in 1798 when she started making inexpensive straw hats.
Bristol is home to the oldest continuous 4th of July parade known as “Bristol Fourth of July Parade,” or “Bristol Fourth of July Celebration.” It started in 1785.
1854: The first New York Yacht Club Regatta, the oldest sailing regatta in the country.
1857-1911: Ida Lewis, the first female lighthouse keeper, operated the Lime Rock Light. Her many saves were legendary and she was visited by President Ulysses S. Grant and Vice-President Schuyler Colfax.
1866: Newport was the site of the first public roller skating rink in the United States, housed inside a see-and-be-seen resort hotel, the Atlantic House.
Providence has the most number of donut shops per person in the US. I know my family enjoyed its Rhode Island Donut Road Trip.
Some might say former mayor Buddy Cianci is the reason that Providence is the vibrant town that it now is. He cleaned up the waterfront, beautified the city, brought in a hockey team and the wonderful moving art installation, Waterfire. He also served prison time for running a corrupt enterprise and racketeering conspiracy between his first and second terms. That means that the people of Rhode Island voted a convicted felon back into office. I should mention that I am vaguely related to Buddy, but most Italians in this small state are.
1781: Newport held the first notable celebration of George Washington’s birthday, hosted by Count De Rochambeau of France.
1803: The first gas-illuminated streetlights in United States were lit on Newport’s Pelham Street.
1819: BankNewport founded, the oldest mutual savings bank in the United States.
1866: Newport had the first photograph taken by electric light.
1886: Newport was home to the first International Polo Match.
1884: Newport is home to the oldest US Naval War College.
1895: Newport hosted golf’s first Amateur Championship at Newport Country Club.
Another explanation about the name of the island is that explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano compared the land he found to the Greek island of Rhodes. This inspired colonist Roger Williams to name the colony “Rhode Island.”
Roger Williams the founder of the colony of Rhode Island left Massachusetts where he believed people did not have enough freedom for the expression of their religion. He along with his followers settled on Narragansett Bay, where they purchased land from the Narragansett Indians and established a new colony. He founded the Providence Plantations. He believed that God’s Providence had led him safely there, and so the place was named.
The state’s shoreline on Narragansett Bay in the Atlantic Ocean runs for 400 miles. Narragansett Bay almost divides the state into two parts. The bay which is between 3 and 12 miles wide receives Taunton, Providence, and Sakonnet rivers.
Rhode Island has the longest official name of any state, the “State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.” In 2009, a referendum proposed eradicating the latter half of the name. However, people voted to keep the name intact. Despite the name, Rhode Island is not an island. It is composed of many of them.
It is said that “the cradle of American industry began at the place of rushing water”. This happened in 1793 when Samuel Slater built a water-powered cotton spinning machine. His mill was the U.S.’s first successful cotton mill that helped Rhode Island became a leader in textile production in the 1800s.
Speaking of horses, Newport was the location of the first polo field in the US, The Westchester Polo Club. You can still catch matches of the Newport International Polo Series in Portsmouth. It is great fun to grab some friends and a grill and watch the ponies.
Jackie and John F. Kennedy got married in St Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in the colonial city of Newport. Jackie’s childhood was spent summering in Newport.
Her wedding reception took place at Hammersmith Farm, which you can ride by on a bike ride along Ocean Drive in Newport.
Fort Adams in Newport is the largest fort on the US’ east coast.
Apropo to its name, Rhode Island has a few islands. The largest island is Aquidneck Island, which is covered by the towns of Portsmouth, Newport, and Middletown. It is the “island” in Rhode Island and lies in Narragansett Bay.
We also have an offshore island, Block Island. Block Island has the US’ first offshore wind farm.
1895: Newport hosted golf’s first US Open at Newport Country Club.
1895: Newport was home to the first auto race.
1899: Newport was home to the first National Lawn Tennis Championships.
1904: Newport was the site of the first automobile arrest in the country when the offender was charged with driving 15 miles per hour.
1930-1983: The prestigious America’s Cup, the oldest trophy in international sport, was raced in the waters off Newport.
1975: The Cliff Walk became the first designated National Recreation Trail in New England.
Rhode Island’s state motto is “Hope” and that is shorter than the state motto of any other state.
Coffee milk is the official state drink of Rhode Island.
According to some research, there are more doughnuts shops per capita in the Providence metro area than anywhere else.
America’s first Jazz festival was held in New Port in 1954.
Rhode Island was the last of 13 original colonies to join the Union.
Founded in 1922, WJAR was the state’s first radio station.
With twelve colleges and universities, higher education is one of the state’s major industries.
He established the first Baptist church in the US in Providence in 1638.
We were the first state to abolish slavery!
The Rhode Island state bird is a Rhode Island Red Chicken.
Rhode Island is known as the sailing capital of the world. Many of our children spend summer in sailing camp.
Newport Rhode Island is often a stop on sailings America’s Cup.
The White Horse Tavern in Newport is the oldest operating restaurant in the United States and the 10th oldest in the world.
The US’ oldest carousel sits beachside in Watch Hill. It opened in 1876.
Although Rhode Island never ratified the 18th amendment, which brought about prohibition, you cannot buy alcohol in our supermarkets.
The Blackstone Valley in northern Rhode Island was important in the dawn of America’s industrial age. Slater Mill, one of the first mills in the 1790s, sits on the Blackstone River.
Rhode Island was the first state to declare its independence on May 4, 1776.
Rhode Island was also the first state to make its anti-slavery stance official, passing laws as early as 1652.
At four letters, Rhode Island’s state motto, “Hope,” is shorter than any other state motto.
Pelham Street in Newport was the first gas lit street in America.
Think twice before you take your favorite horse out on 95. They’ll pull you over and ticket you if they think you’re preparing for a race.
Next time you’re in Exeter, visit the graveyard to check out the grave of a suspected vampire, Mercy Brown. It’s said that when her body was exhumed two months after her death, she had moved inside of the coffin and her heart showed no signs of decay. They did the only rational thing. They burned the heart and fed the ashes to her sick brother.
Fore! The first golf open was held in 1895 in Rhode Island.
Providence, R.I. is home to the world’s largest bug, a giant 2-ton, 58 foot long termite. Named “Nibbles Woodaway”, this creature waits for his next feast of wood chips on top of the big blue bug pest control building.
With the defendant flying along at and absurd 15 miles per hour, Rhode Island Judge Darius Baker was the first person to jail a person for speeding in 1904.
Some studies show that there are more doughnut shops per capita in the Providence metro area than anywhere else.
While most people attribute New Orleans with the invention of jazz music, America’s first jazz fest was actually held in 1954 in Newport.
Cumberland is the only place on earth that cumberlandite has been found. It’s high in iron and titanium and very magnetic, often mistaken for debris from a meteor.
1995 and 1996: Newport hosted the first two years of the ESPN X-Games.
Newport was the site of the first airplane passenger line in the United states between Newport and New York City.
Newport is home to the oldest typewriter in America which can be found at the Newport Historical Society.
Trinity Church has the only three-tiered wineglass pulpit in its original location in the United States.
Newport has more colonial homes in use than any other location in the United States
18.9 percent of Rhode Islanders have Italian heritage, making it the most Italian state. Most are concentrated in the north of the state in Johnston, Cranston, and Providence.
Our main Italian section is called “The Hill” on Federal Hill. Along with a plethora of Italian dining choices, there is outdoor dining and a plaza, DePasquale Square, where you can sing along with crooners around an Italian-style fountain.
Since we are a coastal state, we have lighthouses- 21 of them!
The only US lighthouse named after a person is the Ida Lewis Lighthouse in Newport. It is named after the courageous woman who took over lighthouse duties when her father suffered a stroke and saved at least 18 people from the bay.
Though the sport never grew to huge popularity among Americans, the first American outdoor polo match was held in Rhode Island in 1876.
Apparently Providence has had a problem with risqué outfits in the past, as now it’s against the law to wear see-through clothing.
The state’s full, unabbreviated name, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, is the longest state name.
Fashioned after the Sistine Chapel, Woonsocket’s St. Ann’s Roman Catholic Church is home to one of the largest fresco collections in North America. Members of the congregation were the models for the paintings.
Originally rotated by huge draft horses, the watch hill, R.I. carousel, the flying horse carousel, is the oldest in the country, built in 1850.
You’ll get ticketed in Scituate for driving with beer in your car, even if it’s not open.
The US Open began in Newport, Rhode Island at what is now The International Tennis Hall of Fame. Although that tournament has moved to New York, Newport still holds a tournament in July where you can see tennis greats play of grass from very close for a much smaller cost than the Open.
The oldest synagogue in the United States, Tuoro Synagogue, is in Newport. Rhode Island was founded by Roger Williams when he was expelled from Massachusetts because of his religious beliefs. He started the state to provide religious freedom for all.
Rhode Island has a least one haunted house. The house that inspired the movie “The Conjuring” is in Harrisville, Rhode Island. We also have a vampire buried here. You can still visit Mercy Brown’s grave behind the baptist church at 467 Ten Rod Road in Exeter.
One of Rhode Island’s most recognized icons is a 58-foot long Eastern Subterranean Termite called The Big Blue Bug, or “Nibbles Woodaway” which looms over 95 south. He welcomes people into the capital city of Providence, often dressed in seasonal garb. Right now, he is wearing a mask.
Roger William named Providence for the blessing of escaping the religious persecution of Massachusetts.
The official state drink of Rhode Island is coffee milk. Autocrat has made the syrup since the 1930s, which is added to milk to make the coffee milk. Its origins are unclear but may be a nod to home from our large Italian immigrant population.
The headquarters of Hasbro Toys is in Providence. That is why you may see Mr. Potato Head on some of our license plates.
Many industry magnets from the early 20th century, such as the Asters and Vanderbilts, had “summer cottages” in Newport Rhode Island. These huge mansions can still be toured or seen from a walk along the Cliff Walk.
One such person was the owner of Rough Point, Doris Duke, whose money may have helped her get away with murder. She was the richest woman in the world when she “accidentally” ran over Eduardo Tirella, who was in town to sever ties with Duke. No inquiry was even made into the death, although she suddenly made many monetary donations around town. She had also stabbed a previous lover with a butcher’s knife.
A few famous people that are from Rhode Island are Viola Davis, James Woods, Meredith Viera, Debra Messing, and HP Lovecraft.
There is an HP Lovecraft museum in Providence.
Central Falls is the smallest, most densely populated city in the smallest state. Maybe because of this, 100 percent of its population lives within 10-minutes of a park or green space.
Speaking of green space, 59% of Rhode Island is covered in forest. Pretty impressive for the Ocean State.
By the way, The Ocean State is our nickname.
But the Rhode Island motto is “Hope.”
Rhode Island is the smallest state in the nation while Alaska is the largest. It could be fitted into Alaska 425 times. Rhode Island is the second most densely populated state in the U.S. Alaska has the lowest population density of all the states while New Jersey has the highest.
Dutch explorer Adrian Block named the state “Roodt Eylandt” meaning “red island” in reference to the red clay that lined the shore. However, when the region came under British rule, the name was anglicized.
Rhode Island is nicknamed the “Ocean state” because one can get to the ocean from anywhere in the state in less than an hour’s drive – the state is only 37 miles wide and 48 miles long.
The Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island is the oldest standing synagogue in the U.S. The construction of the synagogue began in 1759 under the supervision of the colonial architect, Peter Harrison.
Behind only St. Peter’s Basilica, the Minnesota state capital, and the Taj Mahal, the state also has the fourth-largest unsupported marble dome in the world.
The Green Animals Topiary Garden, located in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, is the oldest and most northern topiary garden in the United States. The garden has eighty sculpted trees that look like animals.
Portsmouth, RI is the first town in America to be established by a woman – Anne Hutchinson.
The state is also home to St. Mary’s, the church where President John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier married in 1953.
First Baptist Church in America is the country’s oldest Baptist church congregation in Providence, Rhode Island. It was founded by Roger Williams in 1636.
The East Bay Bike Path is the first multi-town bike path that was built in Rhode Island. The construction of the Bikeway was completed in four phases between 1987 and 1992.
Brown University founded in 1774, was the first American college to accept students regardless of their religious affiliation.
Rhode Island was once known as the Jewelry Capital of the World.
Did you know that Rhode Island’s GDP is about the same as the GDP of Slovenia?
The Scituate Reservoir which is also the source of drinking water for Providence and many other communities is the largest artificial lake in New England.
In 1800s, Rhode Island became America’s first industrialized state. It built steam engines, textiles and jewelry to name a few. Today, tourism, health care, and education are among the leading industries.
The only nuclear explosion to ever happen in the U.S. outside of a controlled environment happened in Wood River, R.I. in 1964 when a worker at United Nuclear Corporation Recovery Systems mistakenly put too much uranium solution in a tank, resulting in an explosion as well as their death. The worker was the only causality.
Traditionally, voting rights were only available to those who owned property in the state, which limited the working class’ influence in the government. However, after the Dorr Rebellion – led by Thomas Wilson Dorr, voting rights were eventually extended to non-property owners with a poll tax of $1.
Pelham Street in Newport was the first gas lit street in America.
With more than 1,000 manufacturers, Rhode Island is a leading jewelry producer. The island is nation’s 46th biggest exporter.
Block Island has its very own ghost ship, which has haunted islanders ever since a deadly wreck there in 1738. Some say the passengers and crew seek revenge against locals who failed to help them as the boat went down. According to legend, a local mass grave contains their bodies.
Mr. Potato Head was named as the official “family-travel ambassador” of Rhode Island in 2000. It makes sense with the Hasbro headquarters located in Pawtucket. He was also the first toy to be advertised on television.
The state of Rhode Island can still technically fine a company for making certain employees work on Sunday. Unfortunately for weekend warriors, it’s only a fine for unnecessary work that’s done, and it’s only a maximum of $10.
In 1774, Newport became home to the country’s first official circus performance.
Glendale claims to be home to the world’s oldest penny arcade, with some games dating back to the 1920s, still operating at their original price.
Rhode Island shores are publically owned.
While most people credit the Boston Tea Party with starting the revolutionary war, almost two years before a group of Rhode Islanders attacked a British warship, burning it and killing one of the leading officers.
Behind only St. Peter’s Basilica, the Minnesota state capital, and the Taj Mahal, the Rhode Island State House is home to the fourth-largest self-supporting dome in the entire world. Plus, it’s topped with an 11 foot tall, 500-pound statue.
Next time you pay with a dollar bill, remember that Rhode Islander Gilbert Stuart was the artist behind the George Washington portrait featured on the bill.
Often credited with starting the Industrial Revolution, Samuel Slater developed the first water-powered cotton mill in 1790 in Rhode Island.
The famous songs “Yankee Doodle Dandy” and “ You’re A Grand Old Flag” were written by Rhode Islander George M. Cohan.
Rhode Island has more shipwrecks per square mile than any other state.
In 1640, Anne Hutchinson became the first woman to establish an American town, Portsmouth, R.I.
Brown University was named after Rhode Islander Nicholas Brown, one of the key leaders in ratifying the Constitution.
Providence is consistently ranked as one of the most exciting mid-sized cities in America, with some of the youngest, most vibrant residents. It helps that they’ve got one nighttime hangout for every 500-or-so residents.
All Rhode Islanders should know that the Rhode Island Red Chicken is the official state bird.
Newport is home to several spooky places, including Belcourt Castle, where haunted chairs are said to buck visitors onto the floor.
Both the first Baptist church and the first synagogue to be built in America were built in Rhode Island.
Rhode Island was one of a few states to not approve Prohibition.
For some odd reason, it’s illegal to sell both toothpaste and a toothbrush to the same Providence resident on Sundays.
If you’re neighbor gets caught having more than 11 permanent vehicles in front of their house, it’s a misdemeanor.
Newport may be home to the oldest standing building in America, the Viking Tower in Truro Park, with some estimates pulling its construction at 1120 AD.
Newport is home to the country’s oldest continually used library, the Redwood Library. It may be small, but it’s been around for a long time. Rhode Island was bound to have a few secrets left.

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