23 Crazy Missouri Facts

By Karin Lehnardt, Senior Writer

Published October 30, 2023Updated January 31, 2025

At the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, Richard Blechyden formally introduced iced tea._[10]
Missouri and Tennessee border 8 states, which is more than any other state._[10]
The word "Missouri" is from a Sioux dialect and means "people with wooden canoes."_[10]
Missouri's Gateway Arch is the United States' tallest monument, at 630 feet. The Arch is 75 feet taller than the Washington Monument and over twice as tall as the Statue of Liberty._[2]
St. Joseph, Missouri, was the starting point of the Pony Express, which made its inaugural trip on April 3, 1860._[5]

The most famous fountain in Kansas City is the J.C. Nichols Memorial Fountain

With 200 registered fountains, Kansas City, Missouri, has more fountains than any other city in the United States, hence its nickname: the "City of Fountains."_[3]
The first kindergarten in the United States opened in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1873._[9]
With over 6,400 caves, Missouri is also known as "The Cave State."_[12]
Missouri has a state grape: the Norton grape, also known as the Cynthiana grape. This variety is the oldest grape in the United States and has been grown in Missouri for nearly 200 years._[8]
Famous people from Missouri include Eminem, Mark Twain, John Goodman, Maya Angelou, Don Cheadle, Dick Van Dyke, George Washington Carver, Josephine Baker, Evan Peters, Harry S. Truman, and many more._[4]

In Missouri, where I come from, we don't talk about what we do—we just do it. If we talk about it, it's seen as bragging.

- Brad Pitt

The Missouri River is the longest river in the United States._[10]
Gateway Arch National Park in St. Louis, Missouri, is the smallest national park in America, at only 192 acres. Hot Springs National Park and the National Park of Samoa round out the top three smallest._[11]
During the Civil War, Missouri contributed soldiers to both the North and the South because of its location as a border state. It contributed more soldiers to the war than any other state._[10]

Missouri was a border state and contributed soldiers to both the North and South

There are six Native American tribes in Missouri: the Missouria, Otoe, Sauk, Osage Nation, Ioway, and Meskwaki._[6]
Missouri was the first state to ban abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022._[1]
Missouri is home to Union Station, the second-largest working train station in the United States, after New York's Grand Central._[10]

Kansas City has over 100 barbecue restaurants

Kansas City, Missouri, is the barbecue capital of the world._[7]
At 69,709 miles squared, Missouri is about the size of Cambodia._[6]
People from Missouri are called Missourians._[6]
The Missouri flag features two grizzly bears, which represent bravery, and 24 stars, because Missouri was the 24th state._[6]
Even though the Missouri state flag features two grizzly bears, the species has never lived in the state._[10]
Missouri is known as "The Show-Me State," which is based on a Congressman's claim that Missourians don't fall for "frothy eloquence," just facts. Other nicknames include "The Lead State," "The Bullion State," "The Ozark State," "The Mother of the West," "The Iron Mountain State," "The Pennsylvania of the West," and "The Cave State."_[6]
The largest animal in North America lives in Missouri: the bison._[6]