Stately Knowledge: Facts about the United States & the District of Columbia

Welcome to Stately Knowledge!

These web pages will help you find out the basic facts about any US state, including Washington, D.C. Need to know the capital of Alabama? Want to know which hockey teams are in California? How about the size of Montana? All that information is here—and more!

A colorful of the US that displays all the sates and their marks their capital cities.

A map of the USA with their capital cities and Washington, D.C.

If you’re interested in state rankings—for example, you want to know the third largest state—check out the Stately Knowledge Charts below.


Ten Interesting Facts about America

  • The United States of America was the first country to gain independence from a European nation.
  • While English is the most widely spoken language in the country, the USA does not have an official language at the federal level.
  • The oldest city in America is St. Augustine in Florida. It was established in 1565.
  • Eleanor Roosevelt was the first First Lady to hold a press conference on her own, to which she invited only female reporters.
  • The US continues to use the imperial system of measurement. It is one of only three countries in the world that have not switched to the metric system.
  • More Americans have been awarded the Nobel Prize than citizens of any other country.
  • The modern American flag was designed by a high-school student, Robert Heff, as part of a school project in 1958.
  • The Bay Psalm Book is believed to be the first book ever to be printed in the US.
  • Independence Day is celebrated on July 4 because that is the day the Declaration of Independence was approved by Congress. Complete independence from Great Britain had been declared two days earlier, on July 2, 1776.
  • The first president of the United States, George Washington, never lived in the White House. He selected the site of the building, but its construction was completed only after his death.

Stately Knowledge Charts: Simplified State Facts

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