Happy 220th Birthday Ohio

Happy 220th Birthday Ohio

Ohio got its name from the Iroquois word “OYO” meaning “great river”.

The state of Ohio officially became the 17th state on February 19, 1803. However the Ohio General Assembly did not meet until March 1, 1803 when it had its inaugural meeting and conducted its first official state business.

Columbus is the capital of the state today but the first capital of Ohio was Chillicothe. Zanesville was also the capital of Ohio for a brief two year stint in 1810, before moving back to Chillicothe. At the time Columbus did not exist, but by 1812 Columbus was founded and in 1816 the capital was moved to Columbus due to it being centrally located within the state.

Ohio was formed out of the Northwest Territory, before it become a state the first settlement in the territory was Marietta in 1788. Marietta sits at the confluence of the Ohio and Muskingum Rivers, and is filled with history dating back as far as 100 B.C. when the Hopewell and Adena Indian cultures claimed the territory. The Americian Indian Tribes such as the Delaware, Mingo, and Shawnee had villages and made the region their home up until approximately 1850.

There have been eight presidents elected from Ohio with seven of them born in Ohio. William Henry Harrison (born in Virginia but living in Ohio when elected), Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, William H. Taft, and Warren G. Harding.

Ohio has been called the Buckeye State due to the numerous amount of Ohio Buckeye trees in the state. In 1953 the Ohio legislature designated the Ohio Buckeye tree as the official state tree. The Buckeye tree got its name from the nut it produces witch has the resemblance to the shape and color of a deer’s eye. Ohioans have referred to themselves as Buckeyes since at least 1840 when Ohio resident William Henry Harrison won the presidency. Harrison’s supporters carved souvenirs out of Buckeye wood to show their support for their fellow Ohioan.

Ohio has produced a lot of famous people though out history, some of them are:
Thomas Edison, Neil Armstrong, William Tecumseh Sherman, Jack Nicklaus, Randy Savage, Orville Wright, Dean Martin, Katt Williams, Arsenio Hall, Guy Fieri, Stephen Curry, Annie Oakley, Drew Carey, Martin Sheen, Clark Gable, Katie Homes, Simone Biles, Halle Berry, Steven Spielberg, Paul Newman, Cy Young, Pete Rose, Jonathan Winters, Luke Grimes, Jim Lovell, Roger Staubach, Roy Rogers,
Jamie Farr, George Armstrong Custer, Ambrose Bierce, Tecumseh, Catherine Bach, Ted Turner,
Don King, Ryan Blaney, Zane Grey, Gene Haas, and many many more people.

Ohio is know for the Birthplace of Aviation, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Pro Football Hall of Fame, inventions such as the phonograph, gas-powered automobile, cash register, Lifesavors candy, Quaker Oatmeal, the hot dog, golf balls, and Superman, and dont forget Ohio had the first person to walk on the moon Neil Armstrong. Ohio was also the home of the first truly professional baseball team, the Red Stockings from Cincinnati in 1869.

In its 220 years Ohio has played a huge part in the history of the United States. Happy Birthday Ohio.