1. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim baseball team has set five Guinness world records for the largest gathering of people wearing cowboy hats, luchador masks, blanks, wigs, and Santa hats.
2. Disneyland’s original Tinker Bell was a 70 year old Hungarian circus performer who was the first to fly over Sleeping Beauty’s Castle as part of the park’s fireworks show.
3. The name of Anaheim peppers comes from farmer Emilio Ortega, who brought the seeds to the Anaheim area in the early 1900s.
4. From groundbreaking to opening, Disneyland was built in only 365 days.
5. However, Disneyland’s opening day was a complete disaster. Among other problems, rides and attractions broke down, Fantasyland was temporarily closed due to a gas leak and Main Street’s freshly-poured asphalt, softened from the heat, caused visitors’ shoes to get stuck in the street.
6. Rudolph Boysen, who lived in Anaheim, created the boysenberry by grafting together raspberries, blackberries and loganberries.
7. Anaheim is home to the original Carl’s Jr restaurant.
8. The Carl’s Jr was also initially named Carl’s Drive-In Barbecue, and its founder, his wife and his 12 children lived in a house next door to the restaurant.
9. Anaheim’s Helena Street is named after the famous Polish actress, Helena Modjeska, who settled in the city with her husband.
10. Anaheim’s annual Halloween parade is one of the largest Halloween parades in the U.S.
11. Anaheim’s name is composed of “Ana,” after the nearby Santa Ana River, and “heim,” a German place name compound originally meaning “home.”
12. However, to its Spanish neighbors, the initial settlement of Anaheim was known as Campo Aleman.
13. During Anaheim’s 1985 Skyfest Celebration, thrown in honor of Disneyland’s 30th anniversary, over 1 million balloons were released in the sky. The balloon launch nearly tripled the previous world record of 384,800 balloons.
14. Stephen Hillenburg, the creator of SpongeBob SquarePants, grew up in Anaheim.
15. The Palm Lane fire of 1982 was one of the worst disasters in Anaheim’s history. Electrical lines sparked flames that were fanned by the Santa Ana winds, causing one square block of apartment complexes to be burned to the ground.
16. The Anaheim Ducks ice hockey team is indeed named after the team from the popular movie, “The Mighty Ducks.”
17. Anaheim was the first city of Orange County.
18. In 1963, comedian Jack Benny and TV host Johnny Carson were active participants in the dedication of the Anaheim Police Department building.
19. In 1924, Ku Klux Klan members were elected to reform the politics of Anaheim.
20. Seal Beach, near Anaheim, has the second longest wooden pier in California.
21. Seal Beach has also been the site of films like “American Pie 2,” “Apollo 13,” and “As Good as it Gets.”
22. It was comedian Jack Benny’s radio show’s catchphrase, “Anaheim! Azusa! And Cucamonga!” that first gained Anaheim national exposure in the 1940s.
23. In the 1950s, comedian and actor Steve Martin worked at Disneyland, first selling guidebooks and later at the magic shop.
24. Apparently working at Disneyland was a trend for more than one American celebrity. Amongst others, actress Michelle Pfeiffer also worked at the theme park, portraying Alice (of “Alice in Wonderland”) in the Main Street Electrical Parade.
25. Pearson Park was originally named City Park, but its name was changed to honor former Anaheim mayor Charles Pearson.
26. Knott’s Berry Farm, just outside of Anaheim, has a cactus garden of cactuses originally planted by Rudy Boysen, the inventor of the boysenberry.
27. Anaheim’s Honda center is ranked as one of the world’s top 10 arenas of the decade by Venues Today magazine.
28. The Los Angeles Kiss football team, who plays in the Honda Center in Anaheim, is owned by Kiss members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley.
29. While grape growing and winemaking was the primary objective of Anaheim’s original settlers, most were mechanics, carpenters, and craftsmen who had no experience in winemaking.
30. The Anaheim Amigos, a now defunct basketball team, was the first professional team to self-identify as being located in Anaheim. The Angels baseball team also played in the stadium at that time, but wouldn’t use Anaheim in their name until the 1990s.
31. The Anaheim Convention Center is the largest convention center on the West Coast.
32. Anaheim began in 1867 as a small colony founded by 50 German families.
33. The Mother Colony House in Anaheim was built by the city’s founder, George Hanson, and is the oldest museum in Orange County that’s still open to the public.
34. Popular singer-songwriter Gwen Stefani attended high school at Loara High School in Anaheim.
35. World War II was especially hard on residents of Anaheim, a city founded by Germans. During the time, residents minimized their cultural heritage and traditions so as not to give the impression of being Nazi sympathizers.
36. However, not all Anaheim locals wanted to erase their German culture. 15 people formed the Phoenix Club to try to restore their community and preserve their language and customs. What started as a small group, soon grew to be a popular haven for people of German descent.
37. The Disneyland Resort is, by far, Anaheim’s top employer.
38. Anaheim Hills, a master-planned community in the city, is home to several sports stars.
39. In the early 1950s, even before Disneyland existed, Disney Studio artists helped design parade floats for Anaheim’s annual Halloween Parade.
40. Singer-songwriter and guitarist Jeff Buckley called Anaheim home.
41. The Angel Stadium of Anaheim is the 4th oldest active Major League Baseball stadium.
42. The location of Disneyland was formerly 160 acres of orange and walnut trees. Some of these trees still remain inside the property today.
43. The Stoffel House, a Victorian mansion who was originally occupied by early pioneer residents, served as a local Red Cross until the 1990s.
44. The City National Grove of Anaheim music venue has hosted famous performers like Bob Dylan, Julio Iglesias, and Boz Scaggs.
45. Orange County’s oldest sculpture is located at Pearson Park in Anaheim.
What’s your favorite Anaheim fun fact? Tell us in the comments below!
