15 Fun Facts About St Louis

Every city gives its own unique gifts to the rest of the nation. St. Louis is a city full of rich history and firsts. Here are 15 facts about St. Louis you never knew were true:

Pork steaks were invented in St. Louis. People outside of Missouri don’t even know what a pork steak is!

Artizone/flickr

Built in 1897 by Louis Sullivan, the Wainwright Building at 709 Chestnut in downtown St. Louis was one of the first skyscrapers in the world at just 10-stories high.

Tom Bastin/flickr

Peanut Butter was invented in St. Louis during a visit from George Carver.

Brian Cantoni/flickr

The first kindergarten in the United States was invented by Susan Blow in St. Louis.

henskechristine/flickr

St. Louis offers more free major visitor attractions than any place outside of the nation’s capital.

Susan Smith/flickr

At the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair the ice cream cone was invented when an ice cream vendor ran out of cups and asked a waffle vendor to help with rolled up waffles! (It’s so St. Louis to run out of food!)

Josh Liba/flickr

Iced tea was also invented at the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904 when Richard Blechyden served tea with ice in it.

Flickr/TheCulinaryGeek

And…at the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904 Dr. Pepper and 7 Up were invented! What a busy year for awesome beverages!

Thomas Hawk/flickr

St. Louisans’ consume more barbeque sauce per capita than any other city in the United States.

Anna Majkowska/flickr

In 1917 Clara Bell Walsh threw the first cocktail party at her father-in-law’s house.

kaicho20/pixabay.com

The Anheuser-Busch Clydesdales were originally a gift from August Busch to his father to celebrate the end of prohibition.

wikimedia/Matthew Varga, U.S. Air Force

St. Louis Union Station was once the largest and busiest passenger rail station in the world.

Pete/flickr

13 The St. Louis Muny is the first and largest outdoor musical theater in the United States.

Patrick Giblin/flickr

An independent taste test commissioned by the U.S. Conference of Mayors declared that the Gateway City has “The Best Tasting Tap Water in the Nation.”

pixabay.com

The St. Louis Zoo has won the 2017 USA Today Readers’ Choice for “Best U.S. Zoo.” In 2016, USA Today named the zoo “Best Free Attraction” in the United States.

stlzoo.org

In St. Louis we take many attractions for granted that hold extraordinary stories and are rated number one in the United States. Do you know any other facts about St. Louis we missed?