Today is the tenth! As promised, here is my first 10 things on the 10th post. Since it’s a quick turnaround, I’m going to share with you about something I already know a bit about–my home state of Mississippi! While there are far more than ten interesting tidbits I could share with you about Mississippi, rules are rules. So sit back and get your learn on.

1. Many people know that Morgan Freeman, Jim Henson and Oprah Winfrey were originally from Mississippi, but you may not know that Lacey Chabert and James Earl Jones are also from Mississippi, and Parker Posey–while not born there–grew up in Laurel, MS.

2. Again, while many know that athletic stars such as Archie Manning and Brett Favre are from Mississippi, you may not know that Cool Papa Bell–said to be one of the fastest players to ever play baseball–, Steve McNair, Travis Outlaw, Walter Payton, and Jerry Rice were all born in MS too.

3. Musicians from the state include 3 Doors Down, Lance Bass, Brandy, Ray J, Jimmy Buffett, Bo Diddley, Faith Hill, Howlin’ Wolf, B.B. King, Denise LaSalle, Elvis Presley–he moved to Memphis as an adult, but is from Tupelo, MS–, Leontyne Price, Charlie Patton, Charlie Pride, LeAnn Rimes, Conway Twitty, Muddy Waters, Tammy Wynette, and Hayley Williams. This list is, of course, not all-inclusive.

4. Root Beer, as we know it today, was invented in Biloxi, MS in 1898 by Edward Adolf Barq.

5. The Teddy Bear gets its name from President Theodore “Teddy Roosevelt”. President Roosevelt was invited on a hunting trip in Mississippi. When the party caught a bear, they offered to let the President fire the kill shot, but he deemed the situation unsportsmanlike and refused to fire the shot. The toy, originally called “Teddy’s Bear” appeared on the market almost immediately after the story hit newspapers.

6. Burnita Shelton Matthews, the first woman appointed as a judge of a U.S. district court was from Mississippi.

7. Dr. James D. Hardy performed the first human lung transplant in 1963 in Jackson, MS.

8. The X-Men Comic Book character Rogue was a self declared Southern Belle from Mississippi.

9. S.B. Sam Vick from Oakland, MS played for both the Yankees and the Red Sox. He was the only player to ever pinch hit for Babe Ruth.

10. William Faulkner, John Grisham, and Eudora Welty are well known writers from Mississippi. However, you might not know that Richard Wright, Angie Thomas, Charlaine Harris, and–contrary to what his nickname might suggest–Tennessee Williams are also from Mississippi.

So there you have it. A lot of very talented and very smart people, not to mention some cute toys and delicious drinks, hail from Mississippi. There are many other interesting facts about the people and places of Mississippi. This doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface, but I thought I would share a few things with you to whet your appetite. Don’t let the drawl fool you. For all our faults, we’re a pretty interesting crowd.