If you have ever wanted to know just how many movies have been filmed in Ohio or what year your hometown was founded, Dave Hudson, the author of “Ohio Book of Lists,” could probably tell you.

His book, produced by Guardian Express Media, is full of history and trivia about the state of Ohio and the people that come from the Buckeye State. The lists range such diverse subjects as boy bands from Ohio to Ohio’s most common baby names.

The book is available on guardianexpress.com.

Excerpts from “Ohio Book of Lists”:

 

Most Unusual Festivals in Ohio (Pg. 15)

Wooly Bear Festival: Vermillion — Launched in 1972 by a Cleveland television meteorologist Dick Goddard, this annual autumn event Is held in tribute of the tiny wooly-bear caterpillar, which legend claims, can predict the severity of the coming winter. One of the largest festivals in Ohio, it attracts more than 100,000 visitors.

The Buzzard Festival: Hinckley — Held every spring in Medina County, the event draws thousands of spectators who scan the skies for the return of nesting turkey vultures — also known as buzzards.

Tobacco Festival: Ripley — The town of Ripley is the home of the state’s only tobacco market, which serves local farmers who still raise the crop. Events include a tobacco cutting contest, a tobacco spitting competition and cigar and pipe smoking contests.

 

Ten Facts about Superman Creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster

Superman was created in 1934 by a pair of Cleveland teenagers, Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born Joe Shuster.

Siegel may have been inspired to create the Superman character after the sudden death of his 60-year-old father, Michael Siegel, from a heart attack during a robbery at his clothing store in Cleveland. The crime went unsolved.

Joe Shuster employed the Ameritech building on Huron Road as the model for the Daily Planet. Previously known as the Ohio Bell building, the 24-story structure was constructed in 1927.

Siegel and Shuster were paid a one-time sum of $130 by DC Comics for the perpetual rights to Superman.

Superman made his first appearance on June 30, 1938, in Action Comics #1.

 

Largest Football Stadiums in Ohio, by Seating Capacity (Pg. 97)

Ohio Stadium, Columbus, 102, 329
Cleveland Browns Stadium, Cleveland, 73,200
Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, 65,535
Nippert Stadium, Cincinnati, 35,097
Dix Stadium, Kent, 30,520

 

 

Five Facts about the Columbus Zoo’s Jack Hanna (Pg. 205)

A graduate of Muskingum College in New Concord, Ohio, Jack Hanna had previously operated a pet store and managed two small zoos before arriving at the Columbus Zoo.

In 1978, he was hired as the director of the Columbus Zoo.

A frequent quest on The David Letterman Show, Hanna was first invited onto the program in 1985.

He has hosted two syndicated television programs, “Jack Hanna’s Animal Adventures” and “Jack Hanna’s Into the Wild.”

An author of children’s books, Hanna has also penned an autobiography, “Jungle Jack: My Wild Life.”

OSU Heisman Trophy Winners (Pg. 111)

Les Horvath (1944)
Vic Janowicz (1950)
Howard “Hopalong” Cassady (1955)
Archie Griffin (1974)
Archie Griffin (1975)
Eddie George (1995)
Troy Smith (2006)