-It’s the only state that doesn’t know what the hell an ‘island’ is (unless “Rhode” is an archaic Anglo-Saxon term for “metaphorical”).

-It has the oldest copy of the Torah in all of North America SO SUCK IT NEW AMSTERDAM AND BOSTON.

-It’s the only state named after a pro wrestler (Virgil Riley Runnels Jr.)

-On the URI football field, the southwest corner is in Connecticut and the northern parking lot is in Massachusetts. One has to enter the visitor’s locker room via small boat.

-Rhode Island (along with only Connecticut), never ratified the 18th amendment (Prohibition). For this, ALL OF VIRGINIA TECH SALUTES YOU! (enter a 21 oz salute).

-The state’s official name: “The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantation” (in a clear case of Freudian compensation) is the longest official name of any state.

-Rhode Island is the only state in the USA that looks like a miniature Indiana if Indiana grew an eastern breast.

-The Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence contains more than 150 animals from around the world in natural settings (which is less than I have in my backyard in Raleigh, NC, and I’m just counting beetles).

-In 1994, a poll commissioned by the Smithsonian Institute in conjunction with PBS and the BBC found that the state of Rhode Island had “The dumbest damn flag in the western hemisphere”. (Yellow on white? REALLY? "HOPE"? For what?).

-In a year not too long ago, a U.S. Senator from Rhode Island, for the first time in the history of The World's Greatest Deliberative Body, grilled some potential nominee about flatulence. Twice. And no, the hit sitcom "Young Sheldon" is NOT about said Senator.

-The URI football stadium is named 'Meade Stadium' (for no apparent reason), and holds 6,555 seats, and is a multi-purpose stadium located in Kingston, New Zealand (hence the low attendance at football games).

-The URI mascot is a Ram. This is because ‘F-150’ was considered a bit too 'avant garde' ([French], lit.: “I’m not going to guard”; [a.k.a. the Unofficial Slogan of the NBA]), and ‘Silverado’ sounded too elitist, toxically masculine, and made everyone hungry for tacos.

-In 2001, tragically, it was NOT the URI, but the nearby, unaffiliated, ‘Rhode Island School of Design in Providence’ that created a mascot named “Scrotie” (legal name: Harry Balzak) for a team known as “the Nads”.

-In 2011, Rhode Island-style clam chowder was, scientifically proven to be the All-Time (and currently reigning) World Champion Best Damn Clam Chowder.....and I grew in Baltimore, Maryland [lit. (archaic): "more balls to Mary Lynn"], and dammit! I know seafood ;).