- Did you know today was National Utah Day?
National Utah Day is every May 31st and today’s the day! Here are a bunch of facts about the state of Utah.
- Philo T. Farnsworth was born in Beaver, Utah. He was known for inventing a prototype of the first all-electric television.
- It’s illegal to cause a catastrophe in Utah.
- Coal has been the State Rock since 1991. It’s also where Carbon County got its name and how a lot of electricity was brought to the people of Utah.
- The nation’s leading manufacturer of rubber chickens is in Salt Lake City, Utah. Since it’s National Utah Day, this is a fun fact to to share!
- Utah is ranked third with the most national parks of any state, after Alaska and California.
- Utah has the only state capital that is three words long. There was a time that it was even longer, as it was first called the “Great Salt Lake City”because of its closeness to the Great Salt Lake. Still, they dropped the “Great” in 1868.
- On average, Utah has about 300 sunny days every year and it’s the second-driest state in the United States, next to Nevada.
- The Bonneville Cutthroat is the cutthroat of Utah. They have a characteristic red-orange slash under their jaw with black spots that get more concentrated closer to the tail. Native Americans and early Mormon settlers had Bonneville cutthroat as an important food source for them. Without National Utah Day, you may never have known this Utah fun fact!
- Lagoon is the oldest amusement park in the American West that’s still in operation. It’s located in Farmington, Utah. They also have “Old Woodie,” the original roller coaster and the 3rd oldest in the nation.
- The first European explorers to reach Utah were Spanish.
- Utah was named after one of the Native American tribes of the state.
- More than half of Utah’s population is Mormon.
- There are more than 2,000 natural sandstone arches in Utah.
- The man given credit for creating the Frisbee was Walter Frederick Morrison. He was born in Richfield, Utah. After throwing cake tins on the beach, he said that’s where he got the idea of “Pluto Platter.”
- Utah is home to the most charitable people in the country, according to WalletHub. Utah is first in volunteer rates by residents, first for donated income and first in median contribution to charities. Would you have known this if not for National Utah Day?
- Historical data points to January 13th as the golden winter day. It’s known as the perfect day for skiing in Utah. This highest likelihood of snow happens on this day, so mark your calendars and plan on snow!
- The state gem of Utah is the topaz. This semiprecious
gem is found in Beaver, Juab, and Tooele counties. It can be pink, yellow, blue or colorless and as an aluminum florisilicate, it can be almost as hard as diamonds. The shape is the same as stubby sharpened pencils. - In the state of Utah, every county contains some part of the national forest.
- The nation’s first department store came out of Utah. The Zions Cooperative Mercantile Institution, or ZCMI was founded by Brigham Young, a Mormon leader, in 1868. It lasted for 130 years before finally shutting down in 1999, when the Mormon church sold the store to the Macy’s corporation.
- The official insect of Utah is the Apis mellifera, and has been since 1983.
- There is a town in Utah called “Levan” which is “navel” backwards. Levan is a city in the center of Utah, or the “navel.”
- Utah is bordered by Wyoming, New Mexico, Nevada, Idaho, Colorado and Arizona.
Did you know these fun facts shared about National Utah Day? There’s going to be a part two, so watch for that, and let me know what you think of all these facts in the comments!