The American state of Minnesota is known by different names. Some call it the ‘Gopher State’, others call it the ‘North Star State’. For some, it’s the ‘State of Hockey’ while for a few others, it’s the ‘True North’. On May 11, 1858, it became the 32nd state to join the United States. Minnesota is America’s 22nd most populous state.
It’s bordered by the states of Michigan, South Dakota, Iowa, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. The capital city of Minnesota is Saint Paul, located in the south-eastern part of the state. These are some of the facts that you probably know. Now, let’s tell you some of the astonishing facts about Minnesota that you probably don’t know:
1. The state is the birthplace of many globally renowned authors
Two of the total number of Americans who have been awarded the Nobel Prize in literature are from Minnesota. Sinclair Lewis was the first author from the United States to win the coveted prize. He was a famous novelist from Minnesota’s Sauk Centre. Bob Dylan became the most recent Nobel laureate in literature from the state. He is a talented lyricist from Hibbing, located on the Iron Range.
Another author worth mentioning here is F. Scott Fitzgerald. He was from St. Paul. Fitzgerald wrote some of the world-renowned works, such as The Great Gatsby. Although he didn’t win the Nobel Prize, he is considered one of the greatest authors.
2. Minnesota tops the American states for most professional hockey players
More number of NHL players are from Minnesota than any of the other American states. Apparently, the people of Minnesota love hockey a lot. Kids from the state begin playing hockey at a young age. Many of the universities here have Division I hockey programs for men.
Schools allow students to watch the high school hockey tournaments. So, it doesn’t come as a surprise that so many pro players in hockey come from Minnesota.
3. Pioneers of shopping malls
Yes, you read it right. The nation’s first climate-controlled, fully-enclosed mall was the Southdale Center in Edina. So, it won’t be wrong to say that the Minnesotans are the pioneers of shopping malls in the United States. The biggest mall in the country for several years was Bloomington’s Mall of America.
This mall has over 500 stores, an indoor amusement park, and an aquarium. The state is so famous for malls that Eden Prairie Center became the setting for the movie Mallrats. This mall was chosen by Kevin Smith for the film.
4. The ex-governor of the state is a tough guy
Jesse ‘The Body’ Ventura had served a term as the governor of Minnesota. Despite this, the professional wrestler turned governor never moved into the Governor’s Mansion. This happened in 1998, which was many years before Arnold Schwarzenegger became the governor of California.
He wanted to decriminalize prostitution and even bragged about doing shots with president Clinton. Another interesting fact is that he and Schwarzenegger were co-stars in the movie Predator.
5. Gathering of the zombies
Minneapolis holds the world record for the ‘largest gathering of zombies’. Of course, this honor has gone to other cities every now and then, but Minneapolis has held it twice. Every October, people become undead-for-a-day and bar-hop in the city’s downtown. This happens during the annual Zombie Pub Crawl.
