New Hampshire makes the news during the national primaries, but the value of this state goes far beyond politics. Here are seven facts about New Hampshire that highlights something besides exit polls and elections.
1. New Hampshire started humbly as a fishing colony.
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Many U.S. colonies provided safe havens for people escaping religious persecution.
New Hampshire, however, was built for profitable fishing, a state website said. The first settlement was built near the mouth of Piscatqua River with stone storehouses, fish drying racks, and systems of effective fish-catching nets. The town of Rye now sits where this first colony started.
2. It was also once named North Virginia.
The original residents liked the name North Virginia because they found the land similar to the description of Virginia written by Captain John Smith, the website said. Despite their insistence of likeness between the two colonies, King George designated the area New England hoping to keep it as British as possible. New Hampshire would become the namesake of the original Hampshire County in England.
3. New Hampshire shared a governor with Massachusetts.
The one settlement grew into several towns and, seeing a potential jewel, the British crown designated it as a "royal province" in 1679. Later, it was integrated into Massachusetts with a shared governor. It continued with this status until 1741 when it reverted back to provincial status. Facts about New Hampshire revealed it would change between provincial status and near independence until the beginning of the Revolutionary War.
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4. Its fields featured the first domestic potatoes.
Scotch-Irish immigrants settled in Nufield, New Hampshire, in April 1719 and planted their primary staple food, potatoes. While potatoes were indigenous to the New World, they were previously harvested as wild root vegetables—making these
the first domestic potato crops, according to History.com.
5. New Hampshire was the first state with its own constitution.
While there is dispute whether independence from England was the intention, there is no doubt that
New Hampshire was the first to design its own constitution. Despite any intentions at that time, it later became the ninth and final necessary vote for American independence.
6. Paul Revere's first ride occurred in New Hampshire.
The famous ride of Paul Revere in Lexington, Massachusetts, features prominently in American folklore. However, his first ride in New Hampshire was no less significant. Four months before Lexington, Revere completed a 55-mile ride from Boston to Portsmouth to warn of the imminent attack against Fort William and Mary, History.com said. Thanks to that warning, 400 New Hampshire citizens were able to seize the fort before the British and keep it in American hands.
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7. New Hampshire produced two well-known astronauts.
Alan Shepard Jr. and Christa McAuliffe considered New Hampshire home. Shepard was the first astronaut who successfully completed a 15-minute flight 116 miles into the atmosphere on May 5, 1961. McAuliffe, who was to be the first civilian in space, perished in the Challenger accident on January 28, 1986.
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