Vermont State Facts - Vermont History Firsts

Catch up on your state trivia with these Vermont history firsts and interesting fun facts about the state.

Official Name Vermont
Capital Montpelier
Location
Region		 44.26648 N, 072.57185 W
Northeast
Constitution Ratified 1793
Statehood March 04, 1791
14th state
Number of Counties 14 Counties in Vermont
Largest County
(by population)		 Chittenden County
146,571
539 sq. mi.

Vermont History Firsts & State Facts

  • 1609 - The area which is today Vermont was first explored by Frenchman Samuel de Champlain in 1609, when he claimed it for his home country.
  • 1775 -
    • Revolutionary soldier to shed British blood at the Battle of Lexington, April 19, 1775 was Solomon Brown from New Haven, Vermont, who thus fired the first effective shot in the Revolutionary War.
    • Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys won one of the first important American victories of the Revolutionary War by capturing Fort Ticonderoga and Crown Point.
  • 1777-
    • Constitution to outlaw slavery was Vermont's in 1777.
    • Stars and stripes flag to lead American armed forces on land was the Bennington Flag used at the Battle of Bennington on August 16, 1777.
    • Constitution to provide for a system of public school education was Vermont's in 1777.
  • 1785 -
    • Marble quarry was started at East Dorset in 1785 by Isaac Underhill.
    • Copper cents minted by a state were authorized by the Vermont General Assembly in 1785 and made by Reuben Harmon, Jr. at Rupert.
  • 1789 - U.S. congressman elected who had served time in jail was Matthew Lyon of Vermont (1789). Jailed under the terms of the Alien and Sedition Acts, later declared unconstitutional, Lyon was re-elected to Congress while still in jail.
  • 1791 - State admitted to the Union after the ratification of the Constitution was Vermont on March 4, 1791.
  • 1792 - Morgan Horse, owned by Justin Morgan, was brought to Randolph in 1792.
  • 1793 - Copper mine was opened in Strafford in 1793.
  • 1799 - Seeding machine patent was issued to Eliakim Spooner in 1799.
  • 1804 - Educational society was established in Pawlet in 1804.
  • 1813 - Globe factory was established in 1813 by James Wilson of Bradford for the manufacture of geographic globes. Wilson made the first artificial globe in America in 1799.
  • 1814 -
    • School for higher education of women was established by Emma Willard at Middlebury in 1814.
    • Steel carpenter's square was invented by Silas Hawes of Shaftsbury in 1814.
  • 1819 - Private military college was established at Norwich in 1819 by Capt. Alden Partridge. At that time, it offered the first Civil Engineering course. The college was later moved to Northfield.
  • 1823 - Normal school exclusively for the preparation of teachers was established by S. R. Hall in 1823 in Concord. Hall also wrote the first textbook on teaching and was the first person to use the blackboard in the classroom.
  • 1830 -
    • Platform scale was built by Thaddeus Fairbanks at St. Johnsbury in 1830.
    • Fishing spoon lure was invented in 1830 by Julio Buel of Castleton.
  • 1834 - Sandpaper was invented by Isaac Fisher at Springfield in 1834.
  • 1837-
    • Electric railway (1837), printing press, piano, and motor (1834) were built by Thomas Davenport of Brandon. He was also the editor of the first electrical journal.
    • Marble cutting saw was invented by Hiram Kimball of Stockbridge in 1837.
  • 1844 - Laughing gas was discovered by Gardner Colton of Georgia. Horace Wells of White River Junction was the first person to use laughing gas as an anesthetic for pulling teeth in 1844.
  • 1800's - Toy carts, violin cases and guitar cases sold in America were invented by Joel A. H. Ellis of Springfield in the mid 1800s. Ellis also invented doll carriages and jointed dolls.
  • 1846 -
    • Postage stamp used in America was made in Brattleboro in 1846.
    • Steam-heated factory was the Burlington Woolen Company in 1846.
  • 1862 -
    • Agricultural land grant college act, proposed by Senator Justin Smith Morrill of Vermont, was signed by President Lincoln in 1862.
    • 1862 - Find out more about the Vermont State Coat of Arms
  • 1869 -
    • Agricultural society for dairymen, the Vermont Dairy Association, was organized in 1869 in Montpelier.
    • Pulp paper mill was established in 1869 by William A. Russell in Bellows Falls. Russell later became the first president of the International Paper Company.
  • 1872 - US President Calvin Coolidge was the only president born on the fourth of July. Born in Plymouth 7/4/1872.
  • 1881 - 23rd President of the United States
  • 1890's - Rudyard Kipling, living in Vermont in the 1890's invented the game of snow golf.
  • 1891 - Flat turret lathe, a basic industrial tool, was invented in 1891 by James Hartness of Springfield.
  • 1892 - American Morgan Horse register published in Middlebury in 1892, establishing first American breed of horses.
  • 1894 - Red clover (Trifolium pratense) was designated as Vermont State Flower
  • 1895 - Successful photographs and measurements of snowflakes and raindrops were made by Wilson A. "Snowflake" Bentley in 1895.
  • 1896 - State absentee voting law was enacted in 1896 by Vermont.
  • 1903 - Person to cross the entire United States by automobile was Dr. H. Nelson Jackson, a Burlington physician, who traveled from San Francisco to New York City in 1903.
  • 1907 - Horse farm operated by the United States government was established in 1907 at Middlebury.
  • 1909 -
    • Morgan Horse Club founded in 1909 at White River Junction.
    • Boy Scout Club was organized in Barre in 1909 by William F. Milne, a Scottish immigrant.
  • 1919 - 300 mile endurance horse race was from Burlington, Vermont to Camp Devens, Massachusetts, in 1919.
  • 1923 -
    • Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States
    • Find out more about the Vermont State Flag
  • 1933 - Woodstock in central Vermont became the site of the nation's first ski tow.
  • 1934 -
    • Air Traffic Regulations course was set up in 1934 at Norwich University in Northfield.
    • Commercially viable ski tow in the U.S. was operated in Woodstock on Clinton Gilbert's farm in 1934.
  • 1935 - State symphony orchestra was organized in 1935, with Alan Carter of Rutland as its conductor.
  • 1937 -
  • 1940 -
    • Beneficiary of monthly Social Security payments was Ida M. Fuller of Ludlow who received check #000-000-001 for $22.54, January 31, 1940.
    • Chairlift was used on Mt. Mansfield in 1940.
  • 1941 -
    • Wind turbine used to generate power for an alternating current power system was operated at Grandpa's Knob in Castleton in 1941.
    • The Hermit thrush (Catharus guttatus) is designated as the Vermont State Bird
  • 1946 - United States Ambassador to the United Nations was Warren R. Austin of Burlington(1946). Before that, Austin was a United States Senator.
  • 1949 - The Sugar maple (Acer saccharum) is designated as Vermont State Tree
  • 1952 - Woman to win Olympic gold medals in skiing was Andrea Mead, of Rutland, in 1952.
  • 1954 - Woman elected Lieutenant Governor was Consuelo N. Bailey in 1954.
  • 1961 - Morgan horse (Equus caballus) is designated as Vermont State Animal
  • 1965 - Head Start Program (1965), used to prepare disadvantaged preschool children for elementary school, was started in East Fairfield with 12 children.
  • 1976 -
    • American gold medal in the Olympic three-day individual equestrian event was won by Tad Coffin of Strafford in 1976.
    • American medal in an Olympic nordic skiing event was won by Bill Koch of Guilford in 1976.
  • 1977 - Honeybee (Apis mellifera) is Vermont State Insect
  • 1978 - First Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream store opened in Burlington.
  • 1983 - Milk Vermont State Beverage
  • 1985 - Tunbridge soil series designated as Vermont State Soil
  • 1987 - The Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is adopted as the Vermont State Butterfly
  • 1992 -
  • 1994 -
  • 1996 - Until 1996, Vermont was the only state without a Wal-Mart.
  • 1998 - Northern leopard frog (Rana pipiens) was designated as Vermont State Amphibian
  • 1999 -
  • 2000 - "These Green Mountains," comoposed by Diane Martin, arranged by Rita Buglass become Vermont State Song
  • 2006 - Randall lineback breed of cattle (Bos primigenius) is designated as Vermont State Heritage breed of livestock
  • 1978;2012 -
  • 2012 - Skiing and snowboarding Vermont State Winter sports
  • 1993;2014 - White whale fossilized skeleton (Delphinapterus leucas) is designated as Vermont State Fossil Marine fossil
    2014 -
    • The Mount Holly mammoth tooth and tusk is designated as Vermont State Terrestrial fossil
    • Governor Aiken bucktail streamer  is designated as the Vermont State Fly-fishing fly

More Vermont History Firsts & State Facts

  • Vermont was the first state admitted to the Union after the thirteen original colonies.
  • State to offer troops in the Civil War was Vermont.
  • Montpelier, with 8247 residents, has the smallest population of any state capital.
  • With a population of fewer than nine thousand people, Montpelier, Vermont is the smallest state capital in the US
  • Montpelier, Vermont is the only US state capital without a McDonalds.
  • In ratio of cows to people, Vermont has the greatest number of dairy cows in the country.
  • Montpelier, Is the largest producer of maple syrup in the US
  • Vermont's largest employer isn't Ben and Jerry's, it's IBM.
  • Until recently, the only way a Vermonter could get a drivers license with their photo on it was to drive to Montpelier.
  • Vermont was, at various times, claimed by both New Hampshire and New York.
  • Vermont's state capitol building is one of only a few to have a gold dome. A statue of Ceres sits atop the dome.
  • Vermont was the first state after the original 13 colonies to join the United States.
  • In ratio of cows to people, Vermont has the greatest number of dairy cows in the country.
  • Vermont makes more maple syrup, marble and monument granite than any other state.
  • Vermont's largest employer is IBM.
  • Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream company gives their ice cream waste to the local Vermont farmers who use it to feed their hogs. The hogs seem to like all of the flavors except Mint Oreo.
  • Vermont does not sell alcohol to out of state licenses, you must have a liquor ID in order to purchase alcohol at liquor stores and grocery stores. This doesn't apply to bars, but can affect those traveling through the state.
  • Vermont's state capitol building is one of only a few to have a gold dome. Atop the dome is a statue of Ceres.
County Information and County History

Addison,  Bennington,  Caledonia,  Chittenden,  Essex,  Franklin,  Grand Isle,  Lamoille,  Orange,  Orleans,  Rutland,  Washington,  Windham,  Windsor

State Facts & History Firsts
State Fun Facts - History Firsts