Ohio Oddities

The Buckeye State has no shortage of strange, silly, goofy, quirky, eccentric, and just plain weird places, people, and things--if you know where to look. Discover the World's Largest Cuckoo Clock, the nation's only vacuum cleaner museum, Balto the Wonder Dog, the "bottomless" Blue Hole of Casalia, and lots more hard-to-believe stuff!

The definitive collection of Ohio's odd, wacky, and most offbeat people, places, and things, for Ohio residents and anyone else who enjoys local humor and trivia with a twist.

State Oddities takes a different kind of look at the American nation, spotlighting the fun foibles, peculiarities, and twists in each of the 50 states that are (mostly) united under the Stars and Stripes. State Oddities is a fascinating trip through the 50 states for students studying America, teachers planning classroom activities, and general readers who will enjoy an eye-opening journey through the nation's fun side. It offers a compelling look at the character of America through the individuality of 50 very distinct states that together form the USA. This book paints a picture of the broad sweep of the American story, offering a gateway to the country as it developed into one nation filled with individual states that can be remarkably different from each other, yet unified under such national symbols as the American flag and "The Star-Spangled Banner." The author of State Oddities has become known as a master of "painless history," telling America's story in a sparkling style along with the historian's eye for fascinating detail. On the book's cross-country journey, the reader will find that it differs from other works by taking a fresh look at stories we think we know.

Ohio history can get pretty strange! Meet Ashtabula's famed Headless Chicken, who lived without his noggin for 38 days. Was Ohio really bombed by the Japanese in WWII? Introducing the inventor of disposable diapers . . . For anyone who enjoys history with a twist, here are 75 tales of the Buckeye State's most unusual people, places, and events.

Tragedy and courage walk hand-in-hand in these gripping true tales from Ohio’s past… These ten disasters from Ohio’s past are worth remembering for both their tragic lessons and their inspiring examples of heroism. Includes: • The horribly destructive Xenia tornado, part of the most violent “super outbreak” ever recorded, which wiped out entire neighborhoods … • The sudden and shocking Silver Bridge collapse, during rush hour, into the Ohio River near Gallipolis … • An ill-fated group parachute jump over Lake Erie that landed in watery disaster near Huron … • The Golden Age Nursing Home fire in Fitchville, one of the deadliest such fires in U.S. history … • Cleveland’s great balloon launch fiasco, which earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records—and infamy … • The Blizzard of ‘78—a roaring “White Hurricane” that swept across Ohio and buried the state … • The panicked demise of trained animals during the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus fire in Cleveland … • The Roger Blough inferno—a giant, 833-foot-long Great Lakes freighter engulfed in flames while dry-docked in Lorain … • The frenzied and deadly Who concert stampede at Cincinnati’s Riverfront Coliseum … • The bizarre exotic animal escape in Zanesville, where dangerous beasts including lions, tigers, and bears stalked the community. Veteran journalist Neil Zurcher reported many of these news stories firsthand, and for this book interviewed survivors, heroes, and other eyewitness.

Thirty episodes from the history of the Buckeye State, including memorable events such as the Kent State Riots, but also featuring lesser-known tales.

Your round-trip ticket to the wildest, wackiest, most outrageous people, places, and things the Hoosier State has to offer!