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Things you didn’t know about New Orleans (thread)
New Orleans used to have a overnight ferry that could take you to Havana, Cuba.
New Orleans was home to Standard Fruit (now Dole) and United Fruit (Chiquita). They exerted so much pull in Latin America that the term "banana republic" was born.
The Cuban flag, as we know it today, was first flown on Poydras St. There& #39;s a plaque outside the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Ska came about largely through the influence of New Orleans radio stations. Their powerful signals would reach all the way into the Caribbean.
Most of the architecture in the French Quarter is actually Spanish. After the French built the original city, the territory passed into Spanish hands. The city was almost totally destroyed by fire, and so it was rebuilt under Spanish rule.
The current site of Metairie Cemetary (not in Metairie) was originally a race track. Also, Race Street in the lower Garden District was named because it was planned to be one end of a racetrack in that neighborhood. The track was never built.
New Orleans is where opera was first performed in the U.S back in 1796.
Poker was invented in New Orleans in the 1700s.
Antoine& #39;s, is the oldest continously operating resturant in New Orleans, established in 1840.
Canal Street was once the widest street in the world and was supposed to have a canal running through it, thus the name Canal Street.
The term neutral ground, used to describe grassy medians of busy streets in New Orleans, originated because of the significance the Canal Street median had during the 1800& #39;s. On the Downtown side lived mostly French speaking inhabitants.
Uptown side had newer arrivals from the other parts of the United States who spoke English. There was a good deal of tension between the two groups, so this median served as a buffer zone between the two sides. People from both sides, however, would socialize on the median.
New Orleans was actually twice named the state capital. The title of capital city was moved from New Orleans to Donaldsonville in 1825, to Baton Rouge in 1846, to New Orleans in 1864 (during the Reconstruction period), and then again to Baton Rouge in 1879.
In 1813, Governor Claiborne offered a $500 reward for the capture of legendary pirate Jean Lafitte; Lafitte countered by posting a $1,500 reward for the capture of Claiborne.
The St. Louis Cathedral is the oldest continually operating cathedral in the United States.
Tulane& #39;s school of business is the oldest college of commerce in the U.S.
When ice got too expensive, some Creole families who loved to entertain would crush glass and sew it into cheesecloth bags, floating the bags in water pitchers to mimic the tinkle of ice.
Grits probably originated from sagamite, a mixture of Indian corn boiled in water with butter or bacon fat.
In 1872, the official colors of Mardi Gras were chosen based on an honored visitor to New Orleans: Russian Grand Duke Alexis Romanoff. The purple stands for justice, the green for faith, and the gold for power.
The Ursuline Convent, the oldest brick-and-post building of the French Colonial style in America, also housed the nation& #39;s first girls& #39; school.
The largest municipal park in the country, New Orleans& #39; City Park was also home to the famous Duelling Oaks, where Creole gentlemen frequently met to settle scores with swords, pistols, and sometimes even Bowie knives.
