{"id":58902,"date":"2020-02-05T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-02-05T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.npdodge.com\/blog\/?p=58902"},"modified":"2020-02-05T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2020-02-05T00:00:00","slug":"13-weird-interesting-facts-omaha","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/npdodge.blog\/2020\/02\/13-weird-interesting-facts-omaha\/","title":{"rendered":"13 Weird + Interesting Facts About Omaha"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here in Omaha, we are famous for many things\u2014our delicious steaks, our thriving business scene, friendly locals, an intense love of sports, and so much more. But there are a few things about our city that aren\u2019t so well known.<\/p>\n

In fact, there are a ton of interesting (and somewhat weird) facts that you may not have heard before. That\u2019s why we rounded up a few of our favorites\u2014from the Reuben sandwich origin location to a hidden garden of bronze heads in Old Market<\/a>. Read on to learn some new things about the Big O and to arm yourself with valuable information for your next trivia night!<\/p>\n

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A bomb exploded over Dundee during WWII<\/h2>\n

It wasn\u2019t just Pearl Harbor that was hit during WWII. On April 18, 1945, a Japanese balloon bomb exploded in the sky over\u00a0Dundee<\/a>. Fortunately, it didn\u2019t do much damage, and the attempt was kept hush-hush until after the war was over. Today, a plaque commemorates where the bomb exploded and sits surrounded by the neighborhood\u2019s trendy restaurants, bars and shops.<\/p>\n

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We love corn so much that we made it an actual ice cream flavor<\/h2>\n

\"Weird<\/p>\n

Photo courtesy of\u00a0Jeanne Ohira via\u00a0Ted and Wally’s<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

While Nebraska may not be the nation\u2019s top corn-producing state\u2014that honor goes to Iowa\u2014but the stuff is everywhere. As the \u201cCornhusker State\u201d, we passionately embrace that moniker anyway we can. Dishes such as corn fritters, corn chowder and corn pudding are a staple on many Omaha menus, and our local ice cream shop,\u00a0Ted and Wally\u2019s<\/a>, takes corniness to a whole new level with flavors including sweet corn, honey cornbread and caramel popcorn.<\/p>\n

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Omaha is part of the \u201cSilicon Prairie\u201d<\/h2>\n

Over the past few years, Omaha has gone from a \u201cfly-over\u201d city to a major technological hub for huge corporations like Microsoft, Google, Paypal and more. This is partially due to the fact that we\u2019re in the middle of the country, but also because it\u2019s so darn\u00a0affordable to live here<\/a>! Because corporations can make their dollars stretch further in Omaha than they can in bigger cities like Los Angeles or New York City, they can afford to own more space and hire more employees. All of this, plus\u00a0Nebraska\u2019s Angels<\/a>\u00a0(a group of approximately 60 investors that help fund local startups) and our state\u2019s focus on innovation, has garnered us the nickname \u201cSilicon Prairie.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Omaha is home to the Largest Indoor Desert & the Largest Indoor Rainforest<\/h2>\n

\"Desert<\/p>\n

Photo courtesy of Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Our local zoo, Omaha\u2019s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium<\/a>, is consistently ranked as one of the best in America. But it has more than just amazing interactive exhibits and interesting shows going for it! Our zoo also happens to be home to the largest indoor desert, the Desert Dome, which spans 84,000 square feet on two levels and features a unique mix of desert plants and animals from all over the globe. It is hosts the largest indoor rainforest, the Lied Rainforest, an 80-foot-tall, 1.5-acre, interactive rainforest full of monkeys, tapirs, macaws and pygmy hippos.<\/p>\n

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Johnny Carson got his start right here<\/h2>\n

In 1950, Carson started his broadcasting career at WOW Radio and Television in Omaha. His first TV show was titled \u201cThe Squirrel\u2019s Nest\u201d and his routine was to interview pigeons on the rooftops of the courthouse to comment on the shady dealings of the politicians they witnessed from their perch. He later started another show titled \u201cCarson\u2019s Cellar\u201d on the CBS-owned KNXT. It was from this show that comic Red Skelton sought him out and asked him to work as a writer for his show on another channel\u2014kicking off his career and skyrocketing him to fame.<\/p>\n

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We have the world\u2019s largest coffee pot<\/h2>\n
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