Information and history of the state of Ohio

First explored for France by Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle, in 1669, the Ohio region became British property after the French and Indian Wars. Ohio was acquired by the U.S. after the Revolutionary War in 1783.

On February 19, 1803, US President Thomas Jefferson signed an act of Congress that approved Ohio's boundaries and constitution. However, Congress had never passed a resolution formally admitting Ohio as the 17th state. When the oversight was discovered in 1953, Ohio congressman George H. Bender introduced a bill in Congress to admit Ohio to the Union retroactive to March 1, 1803, the date on which the Ohio General Assembly first convened.

Ohio is one of the nation's industrial leaders, ranking third in manufacturing employment nationwide.

Some Ohio Symbols

1. State Bird	2. State Mammal	3. State Flower	4. State Fossil	5. State Insect
6. State Tree	7. State Beverage	8. State Fruit	9. State Reptile	10. State Gemstone

1. Northern Cardinal - Ohio designated the northern cardinal as official state bird in 1933.
2. White-tailed Deer - The Ohio General Assembly designated the white-tailed deer official state animal in 1988.
3. Red Carnation -Ohio designated the red carnation as the official state flower in 1904.
4. Isotelus - Ohio designated the Isotelus trilobite as the official state fossil in 1985. Isotelus is an extinct arthropod that lived in Ohio about 440 million years ago.
5. Ladybug - Ohio designated the ladybug as the official state insect in 1975.
6. Ohio Buckeye Tree - Ohio Buckeye was designated the official state tree of Ohio in 1953.
7. Tomato Juice - Tomato juice was designated the official state beverage of Ohio in 1965.
8. Tomato - Tomatoes became the Ohio state fruit in 2009.
9. Black Racer - Ohio designated the black racer snake as the official state reptile in 1995. Black racers are common snakes that can be found in a variety of habitats.
10. Ohio Flint - Ohio flint was designated the official state gem stone of Ohio in 1965.

Did you know?

• Ohio's state flag is a pennant design. It is the only state flag of that design in the United States.
• Seven United States presidents were born in Ohio. They are: Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, William H. Taft, and Warren G. Harding.
• Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon. He was from Wapakoneta.
• Cleveland boasts America's first traffic light. It began on Aug. 5, 1914.
• Cleveland is home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
• Cleveland became the world's first city to be lighted electrically in 1879.