From Where you can get a crash course on Defense Against the Dark Arts to some of the wild laws in the country, Here are the 20 incredible Virginia facts that you never knew you needed to know.
1-5 Fun Facts About Virginia
1. Virginia has 15.4 million acres of forest land, accounting for 61% of the state’s total land area.
2. If Virginia were a country, it would be sandwiched between Cuba and Bulgaria in terms of land area.
3. Virginia’s state motto, “Sic Semper Tyrannis,” translates to “Thus Always to Tyrants!” and shows the state’s commitment to democracy.
4. Virginia’s official state beverage is milk, making it one of 22 states to share this honor.
5. Virginia has given birth to eight US presidents, earning the state the nickname “Mother of Presidents.”
6-10 Interesting Facts About Virginia
6. The federal government employs one out of every five people in Virginia.
7. The US Army reigns supreme as Virginia’s biggest employer, providing jobs for an impressive 500,000 residents.
8. When it comes to the internet, Virginia is a heavyweight champion. Loudoun County plays host to a large number of data centers that handle a whopping 75% of web traffic, and Ashburn, a town in the county, has even been dubbed “the Data Center Capital of the World.”
9. Due to security concerns at the Central Intelligence Agency’s Starbucks in Langley, Virginia, customer names cannot be called out or written on cups.
10. Author Harper Lee demonstrated her wit and love for literature when she wrote a letter to a Virginia school board that tried to ban “To Kill a Mockingbird” as immoral, asking if the board members were literate and donating money to enroll them in the first grade.
11-15 Surprising Facts About Virginia
11. Liviu Librescu, a Romanian-born Holocaust survivor and professor at Virginia Tech, heroically sacrificed his life during the 2007 campus shooting to save 22 of his 23 students.
12. Two burger chains with nearly identical names, What-A-Burger in Virginia and Whataburger in Texas, had no idea of each other’s existence until 1970 when they sued each other. The court ultimately ruled that customers could tell the difference between burgers from Virginia and Texas.
13. The University of Virginia offers a computer security class called “Defense Against the Dark Arts,” inspired by the Harry Potter book series.
Read More: 44 Magical Harry Potter Facts That Every Muggle should know
14. In a bizarre case, a Virginia inmate sued himself for $5 million for violating his civil rights by getting drunk and getting arrested. The judge dismissed the case but praised the man’s innovative approach to civil rights litigation.
15. Local tax collection per capita in Virginia in 2016 was $4,560, which puts it at 23rd overall of all the states.
16-20 Weird Facts About Virginia
16. Virginia has its fair share of peculiar laws that are still on the books. For example, if you’re in Norfolk, don’t even think about spitting on a seagull, or in Richmond, flipping a coin to decide who’s buying the next round of coffee could get you in trouble. And if you’re in Culpeper and need to clean your mule, don’t do it on the sidewalk!
17. But that’s not all – tickling a woman or hunting on Sundays (unless it’s for raccoons) are also illegal in Virginia.
18. And if you’re a woman planning to drive up the main street in Waynesboro, make sure your husband is walking in front of the car waving a red flag, or you could find yourself on the wrong side of the law.
19. Furtherly, if you’re having a heated phone conversation with someone, be careful not to let curse words slip out, as it’s considered a Class 1 Misdemeanor in the state.
20. Believe it or not, until 2013, Virginia law even prohibited unmarried adults from cohabiting or engaging in sexual relations. Although the law hasn’t been enforced since the ’90s, it’s still on the books!
That’s it for this post guys, I hope you had fun while reading 20 Awesome Virginia Facts For Kids.
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