State symbols are chosen by lawmakers to represent a state's unique characteristics and history. Gabe shares the stories behind some of Ohio's, including tomato juice, red carnations, and Northern Cardinals.
Class Discussion Questions:
1) Choose an Ohio state symbol to change. Which would you change? What would you change it to, and why?
Read the script:
[Gabriel] Do you ever crave a cold glass of tomato juice? If yes, you are definitely from Ohio. Or how about a chocolatey Buckeye treat? Thought so. Tomato juice and Buckeyes are just two of the state's many official symbols, chosen by lawmakers to represent Ohio. Let's take a look at some of them.
First up, that glass of tomato juice. The thick red beverage became Ohio's official drink back in 1965. Tomatoes are grown throughout Ohio, and are historically very important to the economy. A. W. Livingston of Reynoldsburg, Ohio popularized the tomato nationally in the 1800s. Back then, tomatoes were much smaller, and pretty sour. Livingston figured out a way to make them tastier. He developed the Paragon tomato, a larger and sweeter variety of the fruit, much like the ones we eat today. Reynoldsburg now has an annual Tomato Festival to honor both tomatoes and Livingston himself.
No surprise here, tomatoes are our state fruit, although they didn't get the designation until 2009. Nowadays, Ohio is one of the top producers of the crop, harvesting about 6,000 acres per year according to the state government.
Speaking of plants, how about a look at our state flower? The Red Carnation earned the top spot in 1904, one of our earliest state symbols. The story behind this one is somber. Somber means dark, or gloomy. See, the flower was chosen to honor Ohio native President William McKinley, who was assassinated in 1901. McKinley was known to wear a Red Carnation on his jacket for good luck. Ohio also has a state wildflower, the White Trillium, which is grown in all 88 counties.
For our next state symbol, let's turn to the skies. Ohio's state bird is the Northern Cardinal. Wow, we really like red things here in Ohio. Cardinals actually weren't prominent in Ohio when it first became a state because the land was covered with forests, and the scarlet birds like open plains. But, as Ohio continued to develop, settlers cut down many of the trees, making this a much more suitable environment for Cardinals. Now, Cardinals can be found in every county, and they were designated as the state bird back in 1933. Cardinals actually aren't that unique to our state. In fact, seven other states also consider Cardinals to be their official bird.
Finally, we couldn't talk about Ohio's symbols without mentioning probably the most well-known nickname for our state and its residents: Buckeyes. The Buckeye tree became the official state tree in 1953. Buckeye trees are found all over the state, but especially near rivers, streams, and floodplains. And of course, Ohio's official nickname? The Buckeye State. We've got a whole nother Know Ohio all about Buckeyes, so I'll leave it at that. But the next time you see a Cardinal, or a bouquet of red carnations, remember how they represent our great state. Now, if you'll excuse me, my tomato juice is getting warm.