While exploring the rabbit hole also known as the internet, we came across this article on Mental Floss. Considering how long we’ve lived here, we’re amazed by some of these facts that we never knew – and thought you might enjoy them, too!
Did you know …
1. The name Tampa is believed to come from the Calusa phrase ‘Sticks of Fire.’ Say what?!
2. ‘Sticks of Fire’ was probably born of the nasty lightning each summer, which, incidentally, is how the Lightning got its name.
3. It took the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 25 years to return a kickoff for a touchdown. Oh, Buccaneers …
4. Babe Ruth hit his longest home run during an exhibition game in Tampa — it sailed 587 feet!
5. The Salvador Dali Museum in nearby St. Petersburg tested the strength of its freestanding staircase by having two rugby teams dance on it — to disco, no less. Dali would have been proud.
6. During Prohibition, Tampa was one of the top sellers of illegal liquor in the country.
7. In the 1980s, the city was widely considered the death metal capital of the music world.
8. Tampa’s number-one export? Phosphate.
9. Farmers love Tampa because all that phosphate is invaluable for fertilizer production.
10. Back in the day, our number-one export was probably cigars — we’re still known as the ‘Cigar City.’
11. In 1929, the factory at Ybor City rolled approximately 500 million cigars.
12. It can get hot in Florida — this is decidedly not news — but the temperature in Tampa has never hit 100 degrees. We honestly find this one a little hard to believe.
13. In 1851, Tampa native John Gorrie invented the first mechanical refrigeration system — paving the way for air conditioning. No wonder he had a local elementary school named after him!
14. The delicious Cuban sandwich? Not Cuban. It was likely invented in Tampa.
15. Want to visit Cuba without leaving Florida? Visit Jose Marti Park. It’s technically Cuban soil.
16. Each year, ‘pirates’ attack Tampa during the Gasparilla Pirate Festival — which is also why our football team is named after pirates.
17. The world’s first scheduled passenger flight flew from St. Petersburg to Tampa in 1914.
18. And tickets for that flight cost only $5!
19. Tampa Bay may be Florida’s biggest port, but the waterway is surprisingly shallow — only 12 feet deep.
20. Man-made channels were dredged to allow ships in.
21. When Theodore Roosevelt and his Rough Riders were waiting to ship out for the Spanish-American War in 1898, they were stationed in Tampa. He also had a local elementary school named after him!
22. Roosevelt wasn’t the only big name who came to Tampa during the conflict. Clara Barton — who founded the American Red Cross — arrived in town to help organize medical relief efforts.
23. Tampa is home to the world’s longest continuous sidewalk, Bayshore Boulevard. It’s 4.5 miles long!
24. Tampa is also home to Big Cat Rescue, an accredited sanctuary for big cats.
25. Tampa’s MacDill Air Force Base may be the second-most important government building outside of the Pentagon. It’s home to U.S. Central Command, which oversees U.S. action in the Middle East.
How many of those did you know? And how many did you not?
While we knew some, there were definitely some we didn’t. And now, at your next dinner party or social gathering, you’ll have some pretty fascinating nuggets of interesting information to impress your friends and family.
At DeLeon Sheffield, we don’t want to just sell you a house. We want to find you a place to call home right here in (now even more) incredible Tampa Bay!
Because at DeLeon Sheffield Company, ‘We’re More Than Realty; We’re Family.’
