Vermont State Facts

Catch up on your trivia with these Vermont history firsts and fun facts.

Northeast

Vermont History Firsts - Vermont State Facts

• 1609 - The area which is today Vermont was first explored by Frenchman Samuel de Champlain in 1609, when he claimed it for his home country.
• 1775 - Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys won one of the first important American victories of the Revolutionary War by capturing Fort Ticonderoga and Crown Point.
• 1872 - US President Calvin Coolidge was the only president born on the fourth of July. Born in Plymouth 7/4/1872.
• 1881 - 23rd President of the United States 
• 1890's - Rudyard Kipling, living in Vermont in the 1890's invented the game of snow golf.
• 1923 - Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States 
• 1933 - Woodstock in central Vermont became the site of the nation's first ski tow.
• 1978 - First Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream store opened in Burlington .
• 1996 - Until 1996, Vermont was the only state without a Wal-Mart.

More Vermont History Firsts - Vermont State Facts

• Vermont was the first state admitted to the Union after the thirteen original colonies.
• Montpelier, with 8247 residents, has the smallest population of any state capital.
• With a population of fewer than nine thousand people, Montpelier, Vermont is the smallest state capital in the US
• Montpelier, Vermont is the only US state capital without a McDonalds.
• In ratio of cows to people, Vermont has the greatest number of dairy cows in the country.
• Montpelier, Is the largest producer of maple syrup in the US
• Vermont's largest employer isn't Ben and Jerry's, it's IBM.
• Until recently, the only way a Vermonter could get a drivers license with their photo on it was to drive to Montpelier.
• Vermont was, at various times, claimed by both New Hampshire and New York.
• Vermont's state capitol building is one of only a few to have a gold dome. A statue of Ceres sits atop the dome.
• Vermont was the first state after the original 13 colonies to join the United States.
• In ratio of cows to people, Vermont has the greatest number of dairy cows in the country.
• Vermont makes more maple syrup, marble and monument granite than any other state.
• Vermont's largest employer is IBM.
• Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream company gives their ice cream waste to the local Vermont farmers who use it to feed their hogs. The hogs seem to like all of the flavors except Mint Oreo.
• Vermont does not sell alcohol to out of state licenses, you must have a liquor ID in order to purchase alcohol at liquor stores and grocery stores. This doesn't apply to bars, but can affect those traveling through the state.
• Vermont's state capitol building is one of only a few to have a gold dome. Atop the dome is a statue of Ceres.