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Trivia Nerds Guide to the History of the United States #6

The Great Book of Ohio: The Crazy History of Ohio with Amazing Random Facts & Trivia

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Want to learn more about the state of Ohio? How much do you really know about the Buckeye State? There’s so much to learn about the state that even natives don’t know! In this trivia book, you’ll learn more about Ohio’s history, pop culture, folklore, sports, and so much more!In The Great Book of Ohio, you’ll find the answers to the following Why is Ohio called the “Buckeye State”? Why is Ohio known as the “Mother of Presidents”? Which superhero originated from the state? Which Ohio musicians went to high school together? What urban legends haunt the state? Which national sports league was formed in Ohio?And so much more! This book is packed with trivia facts about Ohio. Some of the facts are surprising, some of them are strange, and some of them are goosebumps-inducing, but all of them are fascinating. You’ll learn everything you could have wondered about Ohio and then some. Whether you’re just learning about Ohio or you already think you’re an expert on the state, you’re bound to learn something new in each chapter. Your friends will be amazed at your knowledge during your next trivia night. Even your history teacher will be impressed! So, what are you waiting for? Dig in to learn all there is to know about Ohio!

182 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 3, 2018

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Bill O'Neill

149 books56 followers

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5 stars
23 (34%)
4 stars
21 (31%)
3 stars
17 (25%)
2 stars
5 (7%)
1 star
0 (0%)
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
Profile Image for Laura.
272 reviews2 followers
October 16, 2019
While there were some fascinating tidbits in this book, the author is clearly not a true Buckeye. He spent way too much time on “creepy Ohio” and totally missed more important things. For one Jesse Owens deserves more than a small paragraph. He completely left out Paul Brown, and Otto Grahams 10 straight championship games. No mention of Serpent Mound or Mound City. No Mention of The Battle of Lake Erie. No mention of Louis Sockalexis, or Larry Doby. There is so much more to the truly Great State of Ohio than what is in this book. I feel like I am being generous by giving it 2 stars. Seriously no mention of The Cleveland Orchestra, or Playhouse Square..., I could go on, but I am a Buckeye.
Profile Image for Brian.
336 reviews21 followers
May 24, 2024
Just a fun little audiobook of history trivia about my home state for doing yard and other chores today. I'm happy to report that, according to this book by frequency of citations, my hometown of Canton, OH, bears more historical and cultural weight than the entirety of NW Ohio.

Mispronunciations:
- Bellefontaine
- Massillon
- Dalton
- GlenOak HS in "Plains" Township (the very township where I grew up)
- Lima
- Milan
- Stan Hywet (understandable)
- "Pokey-man Go" (come on, man)
- Mantua

Things surprisingly pronounced correctly:
- Gallipolis
- Medina
- Lebanon
Profile Image for Grady.
Author 51 books1,846 followers
December 8, 2018
‘Ohio’s capital city was named after—you guessed it—Christopher Columbus!’

Author Bill O’Neill has authored many books on Trivia and stands as somewhat of an expert in this field! His topics include movies, football, baseball, wars, rock music, simply random trivia facts and now States. This volume is American trivia (a subset that grows broader my the hour these days!). To set the mood of this sixth volume (NEW YORK, TEXAS, CALIFORNIA, FLORIDA, and ALASKA were the first) on OHIO, Bill states, ‘How much do you know about the state of Ohio? Sure, you know it is home to Cleveland and the Ohio River. But, do you know how the state got its name? Do you know why its nickname is the “Buckeye State”? Do you know which famous U.S. President was visiting the state when he found out he was elected? Do you know why Ohio was sued over its state motto? Do you even know what its state motto is? Have you heard what makes the Buckeye State’s flag unique? Do you know which famous fast food chain got its start in the state? Do you know which childhood candy or which household cleaning tool was invented by Ohio natives? If you have ever wondered about the answers to any of these questions, then you’ve come to the right place. This book is filled with stories and facts about the state of Ohio. This isn’t just any book about Ohio. It will highlight some of the facts that have helped shape the state’s history and introduce you to facts you’ve never heard. Once you finish reading, you’ll know everything there is to know about the state of Ohio. Ohio is a state that’s rich in history. We’ll bounce around some as we take a closer look at some of the state’s most interesting historical facts. We’ll also explore the state’s pop culture, sports, attractions, and so much more! This book is broken up into easy to follow chapters that will help you learn more about the Buckeye State. Each chapter is followed by trivia questions and answers so you can test your knowledge on what you’ve just learned. Some of the facts you’ll read about are shocking. Some of them will give you goosebumps. But there’s one thing all of these facts have in common: they’re all interesting! Once you have finished this book, you’re guaranteed to walk away with a wealth of knowledge about the Buckeye State. This book will answer the following questions: Why is Ohio called the “Buckeye State”? Why is Ohio known as the “Mother of Presidents”? Which superhero originated from the state? Which famous children’s book author got his start in Ohio? Which Ohio musicians went to high school together? What fast food chains started out in the Buckeye State? What urban legends haunt the state? Which national sports league was formed in Ohio? What Halls of Fame are located in the state? And so much more!’

This book is broken up into easy to follow chapters that will help you learn more about this less famous state. The book is divided into fascinating sections – Ohio’s history and random facts, Ohio’s Pop culture, Ohio’s inventions, ideas and more, Ohio’s attractions and sports, Facts about Ohio's attractions (Roller Coaster capital of the world, one of the largest state fairs, etc) Ohio’s unsolved mysteries, urban legends and other weird facts, and Ohio’s sports facts.

Not only is the book entertaining – it is also very instructive for every reader. Have fun, learn, and be ready for the next gathering of very smart friends! You’ll be on top.
95 reviews
March 29, 2023
I hate to say it, but the author got some things totally wrong. For instance, he stated, "Akron was once known as the 'Rubber Capital of the World.' This is because Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, one of the world's top tire producers, was founded in the city back in 1899." First, Goodyear was not the first tire or rubber company to start up in Akron - BF Goodrich was the first (in 1870). Akron was (and still is) called the Rubber Capital of the World because at one time the headquarters of the major rubber companies (Goodyear, Goodrich, Firestone, General, Mohawk, Kelly-Springfield), along with a multitude of smaller companies, were in Akron. Of course, he missed the fact that the latex condom was invented and manufactured in Springfield Township, an Akron suburb. He also missed the fact that Purell hand sanitizer was invented in Akron.

Missing from the book are a large number of persons who were born in, grew up in, and/or lived in Ohio that were or are major forces in music, television/movie entertainment, crime, etc. How can you not include Eliot Ness or Jeffrey Dahmer (other than stating that he may or may not have lived in a dorm at The Ohio State University).

It's obvious the Bill O'Neill is not a Buckeye, but he should have at least had a Buckeye look at his material prior to publication.
Profile Image for Robin Morgan.
Author 5 books289 followers
December 9, 2018
Author, Bill O’Neill is back again with a book of trivia for another GREAT STATE of the United States. While President Trump uses the phrase “Make America Great Again, this author through his use of trivia shows his readers why Ohio is already great.

As stated in his description for this book, the number of historical tidbits is so huge that even many native-born citizens don’t have any knowledge of. The Great Book of Ohio covers such topics as historical factoids and oral traditions of Ohio, various young people’s pop culture, historical sports data, etc.

There’s a wide range of descriptions which covers the kind of trivia contained with the pages of this book: from amazing to weird to oddly frightening making each item rather captivating.

Once again for a state trivia book, Mr. O’Neill for each of the six chapters in the book. The author moves on to provide some additional random facts regarding the chapter’s topics, culminating with the testing of his readers on what they’ve just read in each chapter.

For giving his readers, not only those living in Ohio, but anyone who’s an aficionado of trivia of this nature, a quite informative reading experience, I’ve given Mr. O’Neill 5 STARS for his efforts here.
4,042 reviews15 followers
February 21, 2019
( Format : Audiobook )
"Did you know that...?"
The sixth in this fun series of facts and trivia about the different states of the USA. Perfect for people who go in for general knowledge whose competitions, enjoy collecting bizarre facts, or are just plain curious about people, places, ideas and things.
As with the other books in this series, the format remains the same: each chapter covers different aspects of Ohio- history, sport, pop culture, including famous people who were born of grew up there, (Did you know Paul Newman came from Ohio?), as well as ideas, inventions and attractions. Each chapter is the followed by a brief quiz.
The book is fun, fascinating and informative. The narration by Scott Miller is clear and enthousiastic. Altogether, a most enjoyable book. My one complaint is the frequent deletion of the phrase, 'Have you ever wondered...? ' as a header to different sections and which is then repeated when the facts begin to roll again. It works on written text but not on audio.

But that is a minor irritation. My thanks to the rights holder of The Great Book of Ohio, who, at my request freely gifted me with a complimentary copy, via Audiobook Boom.I have previously read others in the series and, like this one, enjoyed and benefited from each. Recommended.
Profile Image for Jan.
6,532 reviews101 followers
February 11, 2019
I got this one because I have close family in Ohio, but it's great fun for anyone who geeks history or trivia. Find out why you want to know trivia about Jerry Springer, Oberlin College, where the first police car patrolled and how it was powered, where Superman was created, and what movies were filmed in Cleveland. How about the law against hunting whales on Sunday, what is the state beverage, the first traffic light and speeding ticket, and the first paid fire department? Its also an easy book to use to drive family and friends nutz !
The audio is very ably narrated by Scott Miller.
I requested and received a free audio copy from the author courtesy of AudioBookBOOM.
6,371 reviews39 followers
July 4, 2019
This is very interesting. It includes lots and lots of facts about Ohio including:

Where the state got its name and its nickname from.
The fact that it's illegal to get a fish drunk.
The fact that's illegal for more than 5 women to live in the same house.
Pop culture influenced by Ohio including singers and movies.
Various fast-food chains that started in the state.
Unsolved mysteries such as the Loveland Frog Men.
Sports teams and people.

There's also loads more information. Really neat.
Profile Image for Matthew Snyder.
7 reviews1 follower
August 26, 2019
While I thoroughly enjoyed the information about Ohio (my home state), the many spelling and grammatical errors made it seem that the book was written by a 4th grader. Based on other reading I have done about some of the "Urban Legends" of Ohio, I wonder how thorough the author was with his research. All in all, a decent read.
Profile Image for Nancy Fondriest.
71 reviews
January 23, 2024
This book requires significant editing to correct errors and improve the writing. The format is too repetitive. The repeated questions to the reader become tiresome. The facts about Ohio are interesting and varied.
Profile Image for Sara Avrams.
310 reviews6 followers
December 25, 2018
Another Book of Fun Facts by Bill O'Neill

I look forward to reading about every state! This book made me want to go to Ohio to visit some of the places in the book!
Profile Image for Victoria.
792 reviews1 follower
March 18, 2025
Nice facts and trivia but the editing was awful. Constantly repeats within the same sentence at the beginning of the book. Really annoyed me.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews