Voting Station

Pennsylvania

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State

The Resume

    (December 12, 1787- )
    2nd state to join
    Nickname: Keystone State
    Capital: Harrisburg
    Size: 45,333 square miles (ranks 33rd)
    Motto: Virtue, Liberty And Independence
    Bird: Ruffed Grouse
    Flower: Mountain Laurel
    Tree: Hemlock

Why Pennsylvania might be annoying:

    Police in Sunbury Penn issued an edict requiring women to wear skirts (March 6, 1921).
    The Pennsylvania Turnpike pioneered the toll thruway (October 1, 1940).
    Temperatures range from -42ºF (-41.1ºC) (January 5, 1904) to 111ºF (44ºC) (July 10, 1936).
    1 inch of snow fell in June in Northern Pennsylvania (June 15, 1918).
    2,209 perish in the Johnstown Flood (May 31, 1889).
    130 died and Oil City and Titusville, destroyed by an oil tank explosion (June 4, 1892).
    11 strikers were killed in a riot at Connellsville (April 5, 1894).
    Police shot at striking mine workers, killing 20 (September 10, 1897).
    Hundreds of people have died in many different mine explosions.
    200 died in a TNT explosion in an Oakdale chemical factory (May 18, 1918).
    A race riot in Chester kills three African Americans and two whites (July 25, 1918).
    Of the original sixteen baseball clubs, the Phillies were the last to win a World Series (1980).
    They had an American League baseball team named the Philadelphia Athletics (1901-54), who won 5 World Series (1910-11, 13, 29-30), moved to Kansas City and are now in Oakland.
    They had an NBA basketball team named the Philadelphia Warriors (1946-62) who moved to San Francisco in 1962.
    20 died & 6,000 fell ill due to smog in Donora (October 30, 1948).
    The first US large scale nuclear power plant opened (December 2, 1957).
    Floods in Johnstown killed 76 (July 19, 1977).
    Penn prison guard George Banks killed 13 (5 were his own children) (September 25, 1982).
    Ashland Oil storage tank spilled 3.8 million gallons of oil (January 2, 1988).
    Pennsylvania restricted abortions after Supreme Court gave states ok (November 18, 1989).

Why Pennsylvania might not be annoying:

    Escaping religious persecution, Quakers established a colony under William Penn (1681).
    Promising religious freedom and attractive land deals, Penn attracted a well mixed racial and religious group to Pennsylvania.
    Pennsylvania was extremely passive and did not wish to participate in The French and Indian War (1754-1763), but years later, it was one of the strongest proponents of the American Revolution.
    William Penn signed a friendship treaty with Lenni Lenape Native Americans it is the only treaty 'not sworn to, nor broken' (June 23, 1683).
    William Penn began monthly meetings for African-Americans advocating emancipation (May 7, 1700).
    They were the first state to abolish slavery, for new-borns only (March 1, 1780). Quakers in Pennsylvania emancipate their slaves (January 1, 1788).
    It was called the 'Keystone State' because it was centrally located among the 13 original colonies.
    Benjamin Franklin was significant in Pennsylvania's involvement in the revolutionary war.
    They were the second state to join and thus actually made the United States.
    It is the home of the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.
    A foxhound gave birth to a record litter of 23 puppies in Ambler.
    Martha Graham, Charles Bronson, Alan Freed, Anne Jackson, George Blanda, Carroll Baker, Lou Christie, Teller and Daryl Hall were born in Pennsylvania.
    Edward Acheson, patents an abrasive he names 'carborundum' (February 28, 1893).
    Pennsylvania voters overturned the blue law, by permitting Sunday sports (November 7, 1933).
    A 500 ton meteorite landed near Pittsburgh (June 24, 1938).
    200,000 attended the Mt Pocono rock festival (July 18, 1972).
    The largest banana split ever was made; 455 miles long (April 30, 1988).
    The Philadelphia Athletics beat Chicago for the first Natl Assn baseball pennant (October 30, 1871).
    They have two National League baseball teams, the Pittsburgh Pirates (1887- ) who won 5 World Series (1909, 25, 60, 71, 79) and the Philadelphia Phillies (1883- ) who won only one World Series (1980).
    Their NFL football team, the Pittsburgh Steelers (1933- ) won 4 Super Bowls (1974-75, 78-79) and the Philadelphia Eagles (1933- ) won 3 NFL Championship Games (1948-49, 60).
    Their current a NBA basketball team Philadelphia 76ers (1963- ) were formerly the Syracuse Nationals.
    The NHL hockey Philadelphia Flyers (1967- ), won 2 Stanley Cups (1974-75) and the Pittsburgh Penguins (1967- ), won 2 Stanley Cups (1991-92).
    TV series 'Boy Meets World,' 'thirtysomething,' 'Amen,' 'Sirens,' 'Skag' and 'Grand' were set in Pennsylvania.
    Although the second state, Pennsylvania had many firsts in the US:
    US hospital (founded May 11, 1751).
    Successful US daily newspaper; Pennsylvania Packet & Daily Advertiser (September 21, 1784).
    Law school (December 15, 1791).
    Homeopathic medical college (October 16, 1848).
    Female medical college (March 11, 1850).
    African-american college (May 24, 1854).
    Jewish college (October 28, 1867).
    Evangelical church (March 2, 1817).
    US building & loan association (January 3, 1831).
    Railroad tunnel (March 18, 1834).
    Coal-burning locomotive (February 19, 1831).
    Wire suspension bridge for general traffic (January 2, 1842).
    Successful oil well drilled (August 27, 1859).
    Underground oil pipeline (October 9, 1865).
    Crematorium (December 6, 1876).
    State to abolish slavery (March 1, 1880).
    Cattle tuberculosis test (March 3, 1892).
    College student govt (February 23, 1892).
    Night football game (September 29, 1892).
    Profession football game; Latrobe beats Jeanette 12-0 (September 3, 1895).
    Intercollegiate basketball game, Yale beats Penn 32-10 (March 19, 1897).
    Public demonstration of radio (January 1, 1902).
    Commercially produced Rayon (December 19, 1910).
    Allow girls to compete with boys in high school sports (March 19, 1975).
    State liquor stores authorized (November 29, 1933).
    Dried human blood serum prepared (December 21, 1933).
    High school auto driving course (February 17, 1934).
    Iconoscope TV system (December 20, 1938).
    Newspaper vending machine (March 20, 1954).

Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 71 Votes: 32.39% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 105 Votes: 36.19% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 108 Votes: 47.22% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 214 Votes: 45.33% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 31 Votes: 22.58% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 12 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 57 Votes: 52.63% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 21 Votes: 38.10% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 51 Votes: 58.82% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 67 Votes: 53.73% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 58 Votes: 63.79% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 62 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 51 Votes: 64.71% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 31 Votes: 51.61% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 68 Votes: 51.47% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 79 Votes: 46.84% Annoying
    In 2008, Out of 43 Votes: 48.84% Annoying
    In 2007, Out of 117 Votes: 49.57% Annoying
    In 2006, Out of 203 Votes: 50.25% Annoying
    In 2005, Out of 311 Votes: 53.38% Annoying
    In 2004, Out of 557 Votes: 42.37% Annoying
    In 2003, Out of 933 Votes: 46.52% Annoying