1. There’s a skull at the Indy Children’s Museum that’s from a dragon-esque dinosaur. The newly discovered dino’s name pays tribute to Harry Potter, the dracorex hogwartsia.
2. If you’re under 14, you can be fined $3 per swear word in Indianapolis, with a maximum of $10 worth of fines per day.
3. Residents of Indianapolis may not eat their own severed limbs on Fridays.
4. If you went out every night in downtown Indy, it would be a year before you were forced to go to the same place twice.
5. Astronaut and Naptowner, David A. Wolf, was the first American to cast a voting ballot from space.
6. Over 1,700 Naptownians hold the world record for the most people simultaneously performing the “stop, drop, and roll” fire safety technique, set in 2011.
7. Next time you have a sandwich, think of Naptown. After all, Wonder Bread of Indianapolis was the first company to widely commercialize the best invention ever, sliced bread.
8. It’s illegal to ride your horse in Indianapolis at more than 10 mph.
9. Food won in Carmel when Adam Richman of “Man vs. Food” failed to eat four of their “Big Ugly” burgers, a 6-pound challenge. He almost finished three. Stephen Sulimro, a 145 pound young man from Indonesia finished all four burgers in less than two hours.
10. More role-playing game fans attend Indy’s Gen Con than any other event in the nation, attracting over 56,000 people.
11. The first event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was a helium-filled balloon competition in 1909.
12. If an Indy resident is likely to kiss people on a regular basis, there are local laws in the books forbidding them to grow a mustache.
13. Hubba hubba! Indianapolis is the most sexually satisfied city in the country according to “Men’s Health” magazine, closely followed by Fort Wayne.
14. Sorry ladies but Indianapolis is also ranked as one of the worst cities with over 500,000 residents to meet single men.
15. 14,000 gallons of booze are consumed every Indy 500 race day at the track.
16. More than $5 billion has been invested into the downtown Indianapolis area since 1990. That’s $250,000 per person that lives there.
17. It’s technically illegal to take a bath between the months of October and March in Indianapolis.
18. Jay Stokes of Indianapolis holds the Guinness World Record for most skydives in 24 hours at 640 jumps.
19. It was once illegal for a building in Indianapolis to be taller than the Solders’ and Sailors’ Monument, an ordinance changed in 1962.
20. Said to be the “World’s Largest Christmas tree,” Indianapolis’ “Circle of Lights” is donned with almost 5,000 bulbs.
21. Indianapolis is the largest city in the country to not utilize a major body of water, as the White River proved impossible to navigate.
22. Original city transportation in Indianapolis consisted of mule-drawn cars holding up to 14 passengers each. The mule cars’ noisy trips earned the system the nickname of the “Klip Klop Commute.”
23. Naptown is home to the third largest cemetery in America, Crown Hill Cemetery.
24. “Take Me Out To The Ball Game” was written by an Indianapolis native, Albert Von Tilzer.
25. The Indy 500 favorite, “Back Home Again In Indiana” was sung on the spot by Jim Nabors when track owner Tony Hulman asked him to sing only moments prior to the opening ceremonies in 1972.
26. Indiana is called the “Crossroads of America” because Indianapolis has more interstate legs than anywhere else in the U.S. with six interstate highways cutting through the city.
27. Downtown Indy was home to Elvis’ last concert at Market Square Arena in June of 1977.
28. With over 400,000 people attending the Indy 500, it could be considered the country’s 45th most populous city for a day.
29. The figures on the Solders’ and Sailor’s Monument underwent a makeover when it was determined that the first designs looked “too German.”
30. Indianapolis has eight sister cities around the world, in Taiwan, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, China, Brazil, the U.K., and India.
31. Indianapolis hosts the country’s largest half-marathon with over 35,000 runners.
32. Bullets from the Al Brady and John Dillinger gangs are still embedded in the walls of Indy’s Slippery Noodle Inn.
33. While the 8 mile long Cultural Trail cost $63 million to build, it has been estimated to bring $864.5 million to the city.
34. Indianapolis Colts player, Matt Hasselbeck, is the oldest player in the NFL at the quarterback position.
35. The inventor of the Gatling gun, Richard Gatling, was born in Indianapolis.
36. Since 1976 Keep Indianapolis Beautiful has planted over 40,000 trees in Naptown.
37. Indianapolis holds the record for the largest pickup truck parade, with 386 revved up participants.
38. The Indy Scream Park Haunted House currently holds the title of the best haunted house in the nation.
39. With over 500 restaurants nationwide, Steak N’ Shake is headquartered in Indianapolis.
40. Marcella Gruelle of Naptown invented the Raggedy Ann doll in 1914.
41. Famous for books like “Cat’s Cradle” and “Slaughterhouse-Five,” Kurt Vonnegut was born in Indianapolis.
42. The Children’s Museum in Indy is the largest in the world spanning 500,000 square feet and housing over 100,000 items.
43. While it’s often debated, the name “Naptown” is a reference to the early 1900s when Indianapolis was nothing more than a nighttime stopping point for travelers through the state.
44. Indianapolis has the second most monuments and memorials in the nation with 33, behind only Washington D.C.
45. Carmel, Ind. is the fifth richest city in the nation with over 58 percent of households pulling in at least $100,000.
46. The founder of Angie’s List calls the Indianapolis region her home.
47. The Indiana Medical History Museum in Naptown has a room full of pickled brains.
48. The Indy airport is regularly voted the most secure in the country.
49. Known in the industry as “the King of Cool,” actor Steve McQueen was from Indianapolis.
50. Not only is the Indy 500 the largest single-day sporting event in the world, the Brickyard 400 comes in second.
51. The Lucas Oil Stadium roof only takes eight minutes to open. That’s pretty impressive for the largest retractable roof in the NFL.
52. Indianapolis Motor Speedway was originally paved with 3.2 million bricks, earning it the name “Brickyard.”
Feature Image Source: Flickr user americaspower
What’s your favorite fun fact about Indianapolis? Tell us in the comments below!
