1. The Nebraska Cornhuskers are one of only seven schools to land a spot in the 800 all-time win club.
2. The Huskers have had five undefeated seasons in which they were not the national champions: 1902, 1903, 1913, 1914 and 1915.
3. Go Big Red! Memorial Stadium has been home of the Nebraska Huskers since 1923. When full the stadium holds more people than live in Bellevue. Official capacity is listed at just over 87,000, but the crowds regularly exceed 91,000 bright red fans.
4. The Huskers’ sellout streak has been going strong for over 50 years. It began on November 3, 1962 during a homecoming game against Missouri with a crowd of 36,501 fans.
5. The Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity House was built in 1928 and lands on the National Historic Register as being the only original Greek chapter House at Nebraska Wesleyan University that still retains historic integrity.
6. The United States government designated Lincoln as a refugee-friendly city during the 1970s due to its stable economy, school systems, and size. A high amount of Vietnam refugees and others settled here because of its image.
7. Here’s Johnny! The famed late-night talk show host and comedy Johnny Carson is a Lincoln native.
8. Another famous talk show host, Dick Cavett, is from Lincoln, as well.
9. Some of the scenes from the film “Yes Man” starring Jim Carrey were shot at Memorial Stadium, during Nebraska’s loss to Oklahoma State in October 2007.
10. The University Of Nebraska received $10,000 for site location fees for allowing the filming of the Jim Carrey comedy.
11. Before she was a Million Dollar Baby, Academy Award-winning actress Hillary Swank was a Lincoln baby.
12. A machine known as the Cosmo Ray was sold in Lincoln during the 1940s. It claimed to cure a wide array of ailments including warts, ingrown toenails, jaundice, blood pressure problems and even psychological problems by omitting a special ozone. Of course, this was before the FDA really took their jobs seriously.
13. Maroon 5 guitarist, James Valentine, might have gone on to tour the world, but he was a Lincoln boy first.
14. Famed aviation expert Charles Lindberg learned to fly right here in Lincoln.
15. The term “Fortean” began in the early twentieth century at the hands of Charles Fort who cataloged strange worldwide. The Fortean Research Center (FRC) was based in Lincoln from
1982 to 1995. The FRC’s radio program “Exploring Unexplained Phenomena” has been airing weekly on KZUM, 89.3FM, since 1985.
16. Mocked for being a “coward,” Nebraska’s congressman William Jennings Bryan was the odd but true inspiration behind Frank L. Baum’s characterization of the tough-but-tender Cowardly Lion in The Wizard Of Oz series.
17. In 1972, a University of Nebraska professor received a grant from the National Pork Producers Council to create restructured meats. By binding small pieces of meat together in shapes using salt and mechanics, the finished “product” resulted in popular processed food like dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets and that infamous McRib sandwich.
18. Lincoln scored the #1 spot on the Gallup-Healthways list of Happiest & Healthiest Cities in the U.S., with the best well-being in all of America.
19. Lincoln was once nicknamed Church City for the high number of churches in the area.
20. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s weight room is the largest in the country, covering three-quarters of an acre. That’s a lot of muscle.
21. The nation’s first teller machine located off bank premises was developed in Lincoln, located at a grocery store courtesy counter.
22. Come see for yourself! Lincoln was named one of the top Ten Most Welcoming Cities in America by Welcoming American in 2013.
23. The nationwide 911 emergency communication system was developed and first used in Lincoln.
24. Lincoln has the world’s longest Main Street: O Street, which spans a whopping 59 miles.
25. Elephant Hall in Lincoln contains the biggest collection of elephant skeletons in the world.
26. The collection is based in Lincoln because Lincoln County is the origin of the world’s largest Woolly Mammoth elephant fossil.
27. Subsequently, the Research Collections of the State Museum in the University of Nebraska’s Morrill Hall hold more than 1.5 million fossils from all over the state of Nebraska..
28. As of 2014, the Lincoln-Beatrice area ranks as the Cleanest U.S. Cities for Ozone Air Pollution, as state in the American Lunch Association’s State of the Air report.
29. Lincoln is home to the National Museum of Roller Skating which features everything from vintage roller skates to gas powered pairs that go up to 40 miles per hour! I gotta get me some of those.
30. The Frank H Wood Telephone Museum contains replicas of Alexander Graham Bell’s original designs, early operator switchboards, wall phones and candlesticks. There is also a 1929 Chevrolet telephone to view.
31. Sunken Gardens was finally complete in 1931 with 416 trees and shrubs, with a final construction total coming in at $2,500.
32. Lincoln is always a good time, and now it’s a fact. Lincoln was the first city in Nebraska to be named “Playful City” by Playful City USA, a national program sponsored by the Humana Foundation.
33. Rev those engines. Hot Rod Magazine listed the Museum Of American Speed on their list of 101 Car-Guy Things To Do Before You Die.
What’s your favorite fun Lincoln fact? Tell us in the comments below!
