Scott BresslerThere is more barbecue sauce consumed per capita in St. Louis than in any other American city.
The 1904 World’s Fair was the site of many firsts. Novelties introduced on those hallowed grounds include Dr. Pepper, the ice cream cone, iced tea, Buster Brown’s children’s shoes and the turnstile.
The act of putting chocolates on hotel pillows started here when actor Cary Grant was a guest at the Mayfair and used chocolate to woo a woman friend.
When it comes to free, major visitor attractions, St. Louis is outdone only by D.C. Some of the wonders located here include the Saint Louis Art Museum, Saint Louis Zoo, Cahokia Mounds, Museum of Westward Expansion, St. Louis Science Center, Missouri History Museum, Anheuser-Busch Brewery and Grant’s Farm.
St. Louis has been home to a slew of renowned musicians, including Chuck Berry, Tina Turner, Nelly, Albert King, and Michael McDonald (the Doobie Brothers).
St. Louis was the first American city to host the Olympic Games (1904).
Charles Lindbergh flew mail routes into St. Louis, then named his plane “Spirit of St. Louis” to thank the businessmen who funded his 1927 solo flight across the Atlantic.
At 630 feet, the Gateway Arch is the nation’s tallest man-made monument.
St. Louis was founded by French fur traders in 1764-in Spanish territory.
Soft drink salesman and general store owner C.L. Grigg introduced the Bib-label lithiated lemon-lime soda in St. Louis in 1929. In 1931 he changed the name of the drink to 7-Up.
The Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis has the largest collection of mosaics in the world.
The Cahokia Mounds World Heritage Site and Interpretive Center features the largest prehistoric Indian city north of Mexico. This historical site is only 10 minutes from downtown St. Louis and spotlights archaeological finds dating from 700 to 1400 B.C.E.
“St. Louis Blues,” written by celebrated musician W.C. Hardy, was written under the Eads Bridge on the Mississippi Riverfront.
Random facts about Wash. U.
The first Olympiad in the U.S. was held on Francis Field in 1904.
Actor Peter Saarsgard, a 1995 graduate, founded the improv comedy group Mama’s Pot Roast that still thrives today.
Wash. U.’s School of Law is the oldest continually operating private law school west of the Mississippi river. It was founded in 1867.
In hopes of avoiding confusion, Wash. U.’s Board of Trustees added the phrase “in St. Louis” to the University’s name in 1976.
Until 1990, the West Campus building actually housed the Clayton branch of the Famous-Barr department store.
The annual Thurtene Carnival is reportedly the largest student-run carnival in the nation.
Cond‚ Nast, founder of Cond‚ Nast Publications, graduated from the WU law school in 1897. CN Publications has introduced magazines like “Vogue” and “Vanity Fair.”
Julian Hill, the co-inventor of nylon, graduated from Wash. U. in 1924.
Pulitzer Prize-winning Wash. U. graduates (and Student Life alums) include Ken Cooper, a former Boston Globe editor, and Mike Peters, creator of the cartoon “Mother Goose & Grimm.”