Hi there! I’m John Green, and welcome to Mental Floss. Did you know that Menominee National Park has a military background? It was the second national park in the U.S., created in 1875 because there was a military fort there. However, 20 years later, the fort was closed, and the park became Mackinac Island State Park in Michigan.
Let’s dive into some amazing facts about national parks in the United States, in celebration of the National Park Service’s 100th anniversary!
Some famous places you might not know are part of the National Park Service include the Statue of Liberty, the site of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, and Alcatraz Island. Mount Rushmore is also a national park. Fun fact: the original plan was to carve the presidents from the waist up, but they ran out of money.
In Hawaii, there’s a national park that was once a leprosy colony called Kalaupapa. It started in the 1860s, and as of 2015, six people still lived there by choice.
Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming might have a connection to America’s first mountain man, John Coulter, who was part of the Lewis and Clark expedition. A stone with “John Coulter 1808” was found there in 1931, suggesting he passed through the area.
The biggest national park in the U.S. is Wrangell-St. Elias National Park in Alaska, covering 8.3 million acres, which is larger than nine states! Its largest glacier is Hubbard, named after the first president of the National Geographic Society.
Roy Sullivan, a park ranger at Shenandoah National Park, was struck by lightning seven times between 1940 and 1976. Amazingly, he survived all of them!
In 1917, a woman dressed as a cavewoman entered Rocky Mountain Park twice as part of a publicity stunt. She was followed by a fictional “Adam” in front of a crowd of about 2,000 people.
Zion National Park is home to the tiny Zion snail, which has the largest foot-to-body ratio of any snail species. In 2006, a bald eagle chick hatched on Santa Cruz Island in Channel Islands National Park without human help, a first in that area.
Pinnacles National Park in California has the most bee species per unit area, with about 400 species. Meanwhile, the Everglades are dealing with a python invasion, with an estimated 10,000 pythons in the area.
Saguaro National Park in Arizona faces threats from buffelgrass, which increases wildfire risks. The National Park Service and volunteers work hard to manage this issue.
Yosemite National Park once bid for the 1932 Winter Olympics, leading to the construction of an ice skating rink, ski jump, and toboggan run. President Theodore Roosevelt visited in 1903 and later expanded the park in 1906.
Theodore Roosevelt has his own national park in North Dakota. He originally went there to hunt bison but ended up buying property and moving there after his wife and mother passed away.
Dolly Parton was named an official ambassador at Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Glacier National Park in Montana features Triple Divide Peak, which sends water to three oceans: the Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic.
The Grand Canyon’s rock walls are older than dinosaurs, so no dinosaur bones are found there, but many other fossils have been discovered. Supai Village in the Grand Canyon is the only place in the U.S. where mail is delivered by pack mule.
Congaree National Park in South Carolina has cypress trees with bases that some say turn into wood elves at night!
Yellowstone, established in 1872, is the world’s first national park. It’s famous for Old Faithful, a geyser that erupts about 15 times a day, with experts predicting its eruptions with 90% accuracy.
Arches National Park in Utah is constantly changing. In 1940, Skyline Arch doubled in size when a large rock fell out. Acadia National Park in Maine has roads lined with stones called Rockefeller’s Teeth, named after John D. Rockefeller Jr.
During World War II, Olympic National Park in Washington was a lookout point in case of attacks from the Pacific, although none occurred. A Russian shipwreck did wash up there in 1943, causing some excitement.
Denali, the highest mountain in North America, was known as McKinley until 2015 when it was officially renamed Denali. Kenai Fjords National Park includes the Harding Ice Field, which spans about 700 square miles.
Isle Royale National Park in Michigan has a fascinating feature: Moose Boulder, a micro-island in a pond on an island in a lake on an island in a lake, believed to be the only one of its kind in the world.
On New Year’s Eve 2016, a large piece of lava fell into the ocean at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, requiring a quick relocation of the viewing area.
Dr. John Kagan once tried to turn Mammoth Cave in Kentucky into a tuberculosis hospital, building 10 cottages inside the cave. Unfortunately, this experiment only lasted a few months, and all the patients passed away.
Thanks for exploring these fascinating facts about national parks with me. Let me know your favorite national park in the comments. Remember, don’t forget to be awesome!
Design a poster for a national park of your choice. Include interesting facts, historical tidbits, and unique features of the park. Use images and creative designs to make your poster visually appealing. Share your poster with the class and explain why you chose that park.
Participate in a trivia game where you answer questions about the fascinating facts and historical events related to national parks. Work in teams to compete for the highest score. This will help reinforce your knowledge of the parks and their unique stories.
Imagine you are visiting one of the national parks mentioned in the article. Write a short story about your adventure, including encounters with wildlife, geological wonders, or historical sites. Share your story with classmates and discuss the different experiences each park offers.
Choose a national park and conduct a research project on its history, wildlife, and conservation efforts. Present your findings in a report or presentation format. Highlight any challenges the park faces and propose solutions to help preserve its natural beauty.
Take a virtual tour of a national park using online resources. Explore the park’s landscapes, wildlife, and visitor attractions. Write a reflection on what you learned and how the virtual experience compares to visiting in person. Share your insights with the class.
Here’s a sanitized version of the provided YouTube transcript:
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Hi, I’m John Green. Welcome to Mental Floss. Did you know that Menominee National Park has military origins? The second national park in the country was created in 1875, largely because there was a military fort in the area to manage it. However, 20 years later, the fort was deactivated, and the national park was transferred to the state of Michigan, where today it is known as Mackinac Island State Park.
That’s just the first of many facts about our amazing national parks here in the United States that I’m going to share with you in this video, in honor of our National Park Service turning 100 this year.
There are some pretty famous sites that you might not even know are managed by the National Park Service. For instance, the Statue of Liberty, the location of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, and Alcatraz Island are all part of the national parks. Mount Rushmore National Memorial is also counted as a national park. Fun fact: the presidents were originally going to be depicted in the monument from the waist up, but there wasn’t enough funding.
There’s also a leprosy colony that is a national park in Kalaupapa, Hawaii. It was started in the 1860s, and as of 2015, there were six people still living there voluntarily.
America’s first mountain man possibly has a history in a current national park, Grand Teton in Wyoming. His name was John Coulter, and he was part of the Lewis and Clark expedition. A stone engraved with “John Coulter 1808,” found in 1931, has led some to believe that he passed through Grand Teton.
At 8.3 million acres, the largest national park in the U.S. is Wrangell-St. Elias National Park in Alaska, which is larger than nine states. Its biggest glacier is Hubbard, named after the first president of the National Geographic Society.
Between 1940 and 1976, a man named Roy Sullivan was a park ranger at Shenandoah National Park, and while working there, he was struck by lightning seven times. The odds of that happening to you are 4.15 in 100,000. Remarkably, he did not die from those lightning strikes; he passed away later due to unrelated circumstances.
In 1917, a woman went into the forests of Rocky Mountain Park twice to act as a modern Eve, followed by a fictional Adam in a publicity stunt. She dressed like a cavewoman and headed into the woods in front of a crowd of about 2,000. The second time, it turned out she just stayed at a lodge in the park.
At Zion National Park, you can find the Zion snail, which is 1/8 of an inch in size but has the largest foot-to-body ratio of any snail species. Speaking of cool animals found in national parks, in the spring of 2006 on Santa Cruz Island in Channel Islands National Park in California, a bald eagle chick hatched without human assistance, marking the first occurrence in that area.
Pinnacles National Park in California has the most bee species per unit of area of anywhere studied, with about 400 in total. The Everglades face a major python invasion problem, with an estimated 10,000 pythons in the area, which are not native and likely started from pets that were released into the wild.
Moving on to plant life, saguaro cacti can be overtaken by species like buffelgrass, which increases the risk of wildfire. Saguaro National Park in Arizona relies on the National Park Service and volunteers to manage this issue.
Yosemite in California had a bid for the 1932 Winter Olympics, which didn’t work out, but an ice skating rink, ski jump, and toboggan run were built as part of the endeavor. President Theodore Roosevelt visited Yosemite in 1903, which prompted him, with encouragement from naturalist John Muir, to expand it through a law he signed in 1906.
Speaking of Teddy, he has his own national park in North Dakota. He initially came to the area to hunt bison but eventually bought property there and moved there for good after the passing of his wife and mother.
Another famous person associated with national parks is Dolly Parton, who was named an official ambassador at Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee and North Carolina. Further west is Glacier National Park in Montana, where Triple Divide Peak contributes water to three oceans: the Pacific, the Atlantic, and the Arctic.
The rock walls and canyons of Grand Canyon National Park are actually older than dinosaurs, so you won’t find any dinosaur bones there, but many other types of fossils have been discovered. Interestingly, the only place in the U.S. that still gets its mail by pack mule is in the Grand Canyon, specifically in Supai Village, where there is no road access.
Cypress trees at Congaree National Park in South Carolina have a legend that their odd-looking tree bases transform into wood elves at night.
Probably the most famous park on this list is Yellowstone, established in 1872, making it the world’s first national park. Yellowstone is home to Old Faithful, a geyser that erupts about 15 times per day, and experts can predict its eruptions within 10 minutes with 90% accuracy.
The arches in Utah’s Arches National Park change frequently; for instance, in November 1940, Skyline Arch doubled in size when a large rock fell from within the current arch. In Acadia National Park in Maine, there are roads lined with stones of various sizes acting as guardrails, known as Rockefeller’s Teeth, named after John D. Rockefeller Jr., who financed the project.
Olympic National Park in Washington state served as a lookout point during World War II, established in case of attacks from the Pacific, but none ever occurred. A Russian shipwreck did wash up there in 1943, causing some excitement.
A couple of facts you might not know about Denali, the highest mountain in North America, which is also a national park in Alaska: it was known as McKinley from 1975 through 2015, but it was officially renamed Denali in 2015.
Kenai Fjords National Park in Alaska includes parts of the Harding Ice Field, which spans around 700 square miles. For a while, many people who tried to cross the field either failed or took over a week, but in 1983, two men made it in 4 days and 21 hours.
Isle Royale National Park in Michigan is home to a very interesting island: Moose Boulder, which is technically a micro-island in a pond on an island in a lake on an island in a lake, believed to be the only island with this specific honor in the world.
On New Year’s Eve of 2016, a large piece of lava fell into the ocean at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, requiring the closure of their viewing area. The staff impressively scrambled to put together a new viewing area by January 3rd.
Finally, I want to tell you about Dr. John Kagan, who tried to turn Mammoth Cave in Kentucky into a tuberculosis hospital. He constructed 10 cottages inside the cave for patients, thinking the cave air would be beneficial. Unfortunately, this only lasted a few months between 1842 and 1843, and all the patients died.
Thank you for watching Mental Floss, made with the help of all these lovely people. Let me know in the comments what your favorite national park is. Mine is not Denali, but as we say in my hometown, don’t forget to be awesome!
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This version removes any inappropriate language and maintains a respectful tone throughout.
National – Relating to a nation or country as a whole – The national museum displays artifacts from the country’s rich history.
Park – A large public green area in a town, used for recreation – Yellowstone National Park is famous for its geothermal features and diverse wildlife.
History – The study of past events, particularly in human affairs – Learning about the history of ancient civilizations helps us understand how modern societies developed.
Geography – The study of the physical features of the Earth and its atmosphere, and human activity as it affects and is affected by these – In geography class, we learned about the different climates and landscapes around the world.
Wildlife – Animals that live and grow in natural conditions – The wildlife in the Amazon rainforest includes a wide variety of species, from jaguars to toucans.
Glacier – A slowly moving mass or river of ice formed by the accumulation and compaction of snow on mountains or near the poles – The melting of the glacier has raised concerns about climate change and its impact on sea levels.
Mountain – A large natural elevation of the Earth’s surface rising abruptly from the surrounding level – Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world, attracting climbers from all over the globe.
Island – A piece of land surrounded by water – The Galápagos Islands are famous for their unique wildlife and were studied by Charles Darwin.
Canyon – A deep gorge, typically one with a river flowing through it – The Grand Canyon is a breathtaking natural wonder carved by the Colorado River over millions of years.
Volcano – A mountain or hill with a crater or vent through which lava, rock fragments, hot vapor, and gas are being or have been erupted from the Earth’s crust – Mount Vesuvius is a famous volcano that erupted in AD 79, burying the city of Pompeii under ash.
