The figure on top of the dome at the State Capitol building in Jefferson City is Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture.
Missouri's nicknames are the Show-Me State, the Bullion State, the Cave State, and the Ozark State.
The Missouri state folk dance is the Square Dance, which goes along well with the state instrument, the fiddle.
The city of Chillicothe is known as the "Home of Sliced Bread" because the Chillicothe Baking Company was the first to sell sliced bread in 1928.
Missouri's state insect is the Honeybee.
Missouri and Iowa nearly went to war over a boundary dispute in 1839 in an incident known as "The Honey War."
The Missouri state motto is "Salus Populi Suprema Lex Esto," which is Latin for "The Welfare of the People Shall Be the Supreme Law."
At 630 feet, the St. Louis Gateway Arch is the tallest monument in the United States.
Every holiday season, volunteers from the city of Noel, nicknamed the "Christmas City," put special stamps on Christmas cards sent from all over the world.
Missouri's state aquatic animal is the Paddlefish, not to be confused with Missouri's state fish, the channel catfish.
The city of Mansfield has an annual festival celebrating the life and writings of famous children's author and former resident, Laura Ingalls Wilder.
"Missouri Day" is celebrated each year on the third Wednesday of October to reflect on the state's past and on important accomplishments by Missourians.
Missouri's state mineral is Galena, the main ore containing lead, but the state rock is Mozarkite, which can be cut and polished to make jewelry.
New Madrid experienced earthquakes in the winter of 1811-1812 that destroyed the city and shook buildings as far away as New York City and Washington, D.C.
Missouri's state animal is the Missouri Mule.
The city of Marshall was named after the United States Supreme Court Chief Justice John Marshall.
Missouri became the 24th state in the United States of America on August 10, 1821.
Missouri is a leading producer of lead in the United States.
Kansas City is nicknamed "The City of Fountains" because it has more fountains per person than any other city in the world except for Rome, Italy.
The Dr. Pepper soft drink became famous at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis.
In the Civil War, Missouri was one of four slave states to stay in the Union.
The Missouri River, nicknamed "The Big Muddy" due to a high level of silt, is the longest river in North America.
It is illegal for first cousins to marry in the state of Missouri.
Missouri, known as "The Cave State," is second only to Tennessee in its number of caves. Perry County has the most caves in Missouri.
The Arabia Steamboat Museum in Kansas City has the largest collection of pre-Civil War artifacts in the United States.
The Bonne Terre Mine in Bonne Terre, Missouri, is the largest freshwater dive resort in the world.
Marceline has an annual Toonfest celebrating the life and work of native son Walt Disney.
Excelsior Springs is known as the "Home of the World's Greatest Grouping of Mineral Waters," because of the four distinct types of water in its twenty springs.
The city of Peculiar got its name after its citizens asked the postmaster general to give them a peculiar name that was not being used by another city - he did as they asked.
The tombstone at the grave of Linnie Crouch at Oak Hill Cemetery in Butler, Missouri, is the world's smallest cemetery stone.
The Cave Restaurant in Richland is built inside a cave on the site of an early 20th century dance hall.
The city of Marionville is known as the "Home of the White Squirrel" because it has a large population of white-haired, pink-eyed, albino squirrels.
Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla has a partial reconstruction of Britain's famous Stonehenge monument.
Six Missourians are inducted each year into the Missouri Walk of Fame at the annual Cherry Blossom Festival in Marshfield.
The water towers of the city of St. Clair are labeled "HOT" and "COLD."
Missouri is bordered by eight states: Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Illinois.
The state of Missouri has had four constitutions. The different versions were written in 1820, 1865, 1875, and 1945.
The city of Osceola was looted and burned during the Civil War by an army under the command of U. S. Senator Jim Lane from Kansas.
KSD-TV, the first commercial TV station in Missouri, began broadcasting out of St. Louis in 1947.
The first bridge made completely from steel was the Glasgow Bridge spanning the Missouri River in the city of Glasgow.
The Missouri Waltz became the state song on June 30, 1949.
Columbia is nicknamed "Collegetown, U.S.A." because it is home to Columbia College, Stephens College, the University of Missouri, and several thousand college students.
The city of Linn started a new newspaper around the time of the Civil War titled the Unterrified Democrat.
Both of Missouri's National Football League teams, the Kansas City Chiefs (1970) and the St. Louis Rams (2000), have been Super Bowl champions.
Sinners Union Church, founded in 1871 in Dade County, got its name because none of the major contributors to the church's construction were professed Christians.
The Missouri School of Journalism, started in 1908 at the University of Missouri in Columbia, is the world's first journalism school.
The St. Louis Cardinals played in the second-shortest game in major league history (55 minutes) in 1926, and the game with the second-most innings (25) in 1974.
The city of Hermann claims to be the "Sausage Capital of Missouri," and holds an annual sausage celebration called the Wurstfest.
The World's Shortest St. Patrick's Day Parade is held annually in the city of Maryville.
