As previously posted, we will be featuring information about our 50 States. As a Worked All States net, it may be interesting to refresh our memories about the states we hear and/or work on the net. This week we will focus on the state of Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania is the 5th most populous, the 33rd most extensive, and the 9th most populated state. It is located in the northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. Pennsylvania attained statehood on December 12, 1787, becoming the 2nd state to join the union.
Pennsylvania (nicknamed: the Keystone State) has 67 counties. The state’s capital is Harrisburg. Pennsylvania is the second state, after Delaware, to ratify the Constitution of the United States of America. The Liberty Bell, an iconic symbol of American Independence, is located in Pennsylvania. The bell can be seen in the Liberty Bell Center in Independence National Historical Park. The bell was commissioned from London in 1751 by the Pennsylvania Provincial Assembly. The bell was rung at the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence.
Before the establishment of Washington D.C. as the permanent capital of the United States of America; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was the nation’s capital between 1790 and 1800s. Did you know that on September 27, 1777, Lancaster, Pennsylvania served as the country’s capital for just one day?
PENNSYLVANIA FIRSTS:
The first computer in the world–The Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer–was invented at the University of Pennsylvania in 1946.
The first Zoo in the U.S. was opened in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 1, 1874.
The first public library was founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1731 in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia is also the place where the first American Flag was sewn in 1777 by Betsy Ross.
These are just a few of the interesting facts about Pennsylvania. Have fun working PA as you pursue your W.A.S. or any of the GERATOL Awards and endorsements, that reuire Pennsylvania.