One of the single worst incidents of racial violence in American history happened in Tulsa in 1921. The Greenwood District, the wealthiest black community in the United States, was burned to the ground. An estimated 10,000 African-Americans were left homeless.
In October 2005, an Oklahoma City man was sentenced to 30 years in prison for shooting to kill and robbery. He asked to increase the sentence to 33 years so that it would match Larry Bird's jersey number and the judge granted his request.
The shopping cart was invented in Oklahoma. Sylvan Goldmanowner of the Piggly Wiggly supermarket chain in Oklahoma City, conceived the "folding basket carrier" in 1937 after brainstorming ways for customers to carry their groceries.
Voicemail was patented by a man from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Gordon Matthews created the technology in the 1970s and patented VMX (Voice Mailbox Express) in the 1980s.
After the deadly I-40 bridge collapse in Oklahoma, a person impersonated an Army Captain and took control of the disaster scene for two days, including directing FBI agents
If you're a student at The University of Oklahoma like me, this will make sense. The world's first installed parking meter was in Oklahoma City, on July 16, 1935.
Some Oklahoma towns with interesting names include Hooker, Pink, Slaughterville, Disney, Fort Coffee, Loco, Shady Point Thackerville, Valliant, Yeager.
The first oil well in the United States was completed here in July 1850 in the old Cherokee Nation near Salina. It was in the early 20th century the oil business really began to get underway. Huge pools of underground oil were discovered in places like Glenpool, near Tulsa.
Some Oklahoma born celebrities include James Marsden, Carrie Underwood, Olivia Munn, Brad Pitt, Chuck Norris, Dr. Phil and Kristin Chenoweth.
