As part of our ongoing series on the 50 states, this POST will cover the state of Rhode Island, which was the 13th state to formally ratify the United States constitution, following North Carolina and just ahead of Vermont.

On May 4, 1776, the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was the first of the Thirteen Colonies to renounce its allegiance to the British Crown, and it was the fourth state to ratify the Articles of Confederation, doing so on February 9, 1778. The state boycotted the 1787 convention, which drew up the United States Constitution and initially refused to ratify it; it was the last of the original 13 states to do so, on May 29, 1790, becoming the 13th state to officially ratify the constitution.

From its infancy during the Revolutionary War to its present day technology, the United States Navy has been a part of Narragansett Bay. Until the last two decades of the 19th century, a sailor learned most of his trade on the job. In the 1880s, a new concept of shore-based training for officers and enlisted personnel was developed, and the Navy turned to Narragansett Bay.

Newport is the Navy’s premier site for training officers, officer candidates, senior enlisted personnel and midshipman candidates, as well as conducting advanced undersea warfare and development systems. Having spent time being stationed there, I can attest to the amazing history and scenic beauty of the state, not the Naval base !! As the saying goes, I spent a year there, one month ! Awaiting orders for my next duty station.

Rhode Island is nicknamed the Ocean State and has a number of oceanfront beaches. It is mostly flat with no real mountains, and the state’s highest natural point is Jerimoth Hill, 812 feet above sea level.

Rhode Island is also home to many tourist attractions, including the former “Summer Homes” aka: Mansions of the industrial age tycoons, including the Breakers, owned by the Vanderbilt family.

Facts about Rhode Island.

• Rhode Island has the longest official name of any state, the “State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.”
• It is said that “the cradle of American industry began at the place of rushing water”. This happened in 1793 when Samuel Slater built a …
• Rhode Island is the smallest state in the nation while Alaska is the largest. It could be fitted into Alaska 425 times.
• Rhode Island is nicknamed the “Ocean State” because one can get to the ocean from anywhere in the state in less than an hour’s drive – the state is only 37 miles wide and 48 miles long
• The American straw hat industry was launched by a 12-year-old Betsey Metcalf in 1798 when she started making inexpensive straw hats

• Portsmouth, RI is the first town in America to be established by a woman: – Anne Hutchinson.
• The first NFL game at night was hosted in Rhode Island
• With more than 1,000 manufacturers, Rhode Island is a leading jewelry producer. Rhode Island is also the 46th biggest exporter overall in the country.
• America’s first Jazz festival was held in Newport in 1954.
• Founded in 1922, WJAR was the state’s first radio station.

• With twelve colleges and universities, higher education is one of the state’s major industries.
• One of those universities, Johnson and Wales, boasts a world renowned culinary arts curriculum

That’s it for now…..we hope you enjoy reading about some our 50 States, and their fun facts. Please feel free to place a “Comment” under this POST, should you have any of your own experiences, having either visited or heard about the little state of Rhode Island.

73 Kevin N1KL