Ohio’s State Symbols

Let’s learn about . . .

Hints and Tips

• Pay close attention to things written in blue.

• If the same thing is said more than one time, it’s probably important!

Just so you know . . .

• Ohio’s land area is 40,948.38 square miles.

• The state’s birthday is March 1, 1803

• The word “Ohio” means “Great River”

And the Capital of Ohio is . . .

The first capital of Ohio was Chillicothe.

And the Capital of Ohio is . . .

Zanesville served as the capital of Ohio for two years as well.

And the Capital of Ohio is . . .

• Finally, Columbus became the capital city of Ohio in 1816.

Here is an introduction to Ohio’s Symbols

The Ohio State Seal

The rising sun has 13 rays, one for each of the original states of the US.

The river in the middle is the Scioto river.

The mountain over which the sun is rising is Mount Logan.

and what it means

The sheaf of wheat represents agriculture and bounty.

Mimicking the sheaf of wheat is a bundle of 17 arrows, symbolizing Ohio as the 17th state to join the Union.

Check it out online at Netstate!

The Ohio State Flagand what it represents

This is the only state flag with the swallowtail shape, properly called a “burgee”.

The flag of Ohio was officially adopted in 1902.

In what year did Ohio join the US?

• 1703• 1776• 1803• 1816

Quick Quiz

1703

• No, you’re about a century off!

Back to the question . . .

1776

• No, 1776 is the year the United States was first formed. Ohio was not one of the first 13 colonies to become a state though, and its birthday is later.

Back to the question . . .

1803

• Yes, that’s right! Ohio joined the union on March 1, 1803.

Good Job! Let’s go on. . .

1816

• No, but it was in 1816 that Columbus was made the capital of Ohio!

Back to the question . . .

What is the capital of Ohio?

• Chillicothe• Columbus• Mansfield• Zanesville

Chillicothe

• No, but it was the first capital, from 1803-1810, and then again from 1812-1816!

Back to the question . . .

Columbus

• Yes, that’s right! Columbus has been the capital of Ohio since 1816.

Good Job! Let’s go on. . .

Mansfield

• No, it’s a great place to live and go to school, but it isn’t the capital of Ohio!

Back to the question . . .

Zanesville

• No, though it was the capital of Ohio for two short years in 1810-1812!

Back to the question . . .

Ohio was the ___ state to join the US.

• 7th • 16th

• 17th

• 26th

7th

• No, the first 13 states all joined at the same time!

Back to the question . . .

16th

• No, Tennessee was actually the 16th state to join the US.

Back to the question . . .

17th

• Yes, that’s right! The 17 stars on the state flag and the 17 arrows in a bunch on the state seal remind us of this fact.

Good job! Let’s go on . . .

26th

• No, actually Michigan was the 26th state to join the United States!

Back to the question . . .

The state flower

The Scarlet Carnation was adopted as the state flower in 1904.

The state bird

The cardinal was chosen as the state bird in 1933.

You can listen to the cardinal’s song online here!

The state tree

The Buckeye tree was made Ohio’s state tree in 1953.

The name of the tree comes from the nut’s similarity in appearance to a buck deer’s eye!

The state nickname

The nickname probably originated around the time of President Harrison’s political campaign.

“The Buckeye State”

The state motto

The motto was adopted in 1959.

The Ohio Legislature sponsored a contest to choose a motto. The winning one was chosen from the Bible by a 12 year old boy.It is taken from Jesus’ words in Matthew 19:26 and

Mark 10:27. He said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.”

What is the state flower?

• Bluebell• Scarlet Carnation

• Tiger Lily• Yellow Zinnia

Quick Quiz

Bluebell

• The bluebell is not a state flower at all, though Texas’ state flower is the bluebonnet.

Return to question . . .

Scarlet Carnation

• Yes, the Scarlet carnation is the Ohio state flower!

Good job!

Let’s go on . . .

Tiger Lily

• No, though the tiger lily does grow in Ohio, it is not the Ohio state flower.

Return to question . . .

Yellow Zinnia

• Sorry, the zinnia is not the state flower in any color, not even yellow.

Return to question . . .

What is the state bird?

• Bluebird• Redbird• Blue jay• Cardinal

Bluebird

• No, though it is the state bird of Missouri and New York!

Back to the question . . .

Redbird

• No, though the state bird does share the color with this bird!

Back to the question . . .

Blue jay

• No, and it isn’t the state bird in any of the states!

Back to the question . . .

Cardinal

• Yes, and not only is it the state bird of Ohio, but also of Illinois, Indiana, Virginia, and West Virginia too!

Good job!

Let’s go on . . .

What is the state nickname?

• The Birthplace of Aviation• The Buckeye State• The Heart of It All

• Beautiful Ohio

The Birthplace of Aviation

• Though Ohio does hold this title, this is not the nickname, but a phrase you can read on license plates!

Back to the question. . .

The Buckeye State

• Yes, that’s right! Ever since General Harrison’s campaign for President, Ohio has since been known as “The Buckeye state”. The buckeye is also the state tree.

Good job! Now let’s go on . . .

The Heart of It All

• No, sorry. Ohio is in the mid-west, and a slogan that used to be on the license plates was “The Heart of it all,” But that is not the state nickname.

Back to the question. . .

Beautiful Ohio

• Wrong! Though the name of the state song is “Beautiful Ohio,” the state’s nickname is based on a different symbol!

Back to the question. . .

What is the Ohio State Motto?

• With God, All Things Are Possible• Disciplina in civitatum

• In God We Trust• E Pluribus Unum

With God, All Things Are Possible

• Yes, that’s right! The motto comes from Mark 10:27 in the Bible.

Good job! Let’s go on . . .

Disciplina in civitatum

• No, actually it’s the motto of the Ohio state University, and means, “Education for citizenship.”

Back to the question . . .

In God We Trust

• Sorry! Though this is the official motto of the United States and Florida, Ohio has a different motto.

Back to the question . . .

E Pluribus Unum

• Wrong! E Pluribus Unum means “Out of man, one” and appears on coins and the US seal. Though it is a US motto, it is not the Ohio state motto.

Back to the question . . .

The state gemstone

Flint was made the state gemstone in 1965.

The state juice

Tomato juice was chosen to be the state juice in 1965.

The state song

“Beautiful Ohio” was first adopted as the Ohio state song in 1969. However, in 1989, new words were adopted as the state song, though the music remained the same.

The original words were written by Ballard MacDonald, the current state song wording was written by William B. McBride.

The music for the song was written by “Mary Earl” which is a pseudonym (pen name) for Robert A. “Bobo” King

The state insect

The ladybug, also known as a ladybird, was selected as the state insect in 1975.

The state fossil

In the year 1985, the trilobite was selected as the Ohio state fossil.

The state rock song

“Hang on Sloopy” was chosen in 1985 as Ohio’s state rock song.

The song was written in 1965, and an arranger for OSU’s marching band wrote the now famous arrangement for the band the same year.

Listen here!

What is the Ohio state gemstone?

• Chlorastrolite • Diamond

• Flint• Quartz

Quick Quiz

Chlorastrolite

• Nope! You must be thinking of Michigan’s state gemstone!

Back to the question . . .

Diamond

• I’m sorry, Arkansas claims the diamond, but not Ohio.

Back to the question . . .

Flint

• That’s right! Flint is Ohio’s state gemstone.

Good job! On to the next question . . .

Quartz

• No, that would be Georgia’s state gemstone!

Back to the question . . .

What is the title of Ohio’s state song?

• “Beautiful Ohio”• “Cleveland Rocks”

• “On the Shores of the Ohio”• “O-H-I-O”

“Beautiful Ohio”

• Yes indeed! This song was first written in 1918, and was first adopted as the state song in 1969.

Good job! Let’s go on . . .

“Cleveland Rocks”

• Sorry! Though the song may be familiar, it is neither Ohio’s song, nor Ohio’s rock song.

Back to the question. . .

“On the Shores of the Ohio”

• No. There is a song by this title, but it is not Ohio’s state song.

Back to the question. . .

“O-H-I-O”

• No, this is not the state song. It is a cheer you may hear at OSU games though!

Back to the question. . .

What is Ohio’s state insect?

• The ladybug• The firefly

• The mosquito• The honey bee

The ladybug

• Yes, you got it! The ladybug is also known as the ladybird as well.

Good job! On to the next question. . .

The firefly

• Sorry! As pretty as they are, they were not chosen as Ohio’s state insect.

Back to the question . . .

The mosquito

• Nope, and though I’m sure someone might say they are Ohio’s state pest!

Back to the question . . .

The Honey bee

• No, they aren’t the state insect. Try again!

Back to the question . . .

What is the title of Ohio’s state rock song?

• Carmen Ohio• Eye of the Tiger• Hang on Sloopy

• Louie, Louie

Louie, Louie

• Hm. . . No. It’s a rock song, but not Ohio’s rock song.

Back to the question . . .

Carmen Ohio

• Sorry, not this one. It is a song played by the OSU marching band, though.

Back to the question . . .

Eye of the Tiger

• Nope! You may hear this one played by many marching bands, and a version of the state rock song is played by the OSU marching band, though.

Back to the question . . .

Hang on Sloopy

• That’s right! There is also a popular version of the song which is played often by the OSU marching band.

Good job! Keep going . . .

The state wildflower

The trillium was made the state wildflower in 1987.

The state mammal

The whitetail deer was made the state mammal in 1988.

The state snake

The black racer was chosen as the official state snake in 1995.

The black racer is a non-poisonous snake. It is primarily black, with white under its chin.

The state quarterThe airplane shown is a picture of the Wright brother’s 1905 Flyer III, which was the first airplane able to take off, land, bank, and turn.

The first men to fly, the Wright brothers, lived in Ohio though only Orville was born there, John Glenn, who was the first man to orbit the earth, was born in Ohio. Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon was also born in Ohio; thus, Ohio is the “Birthplace of Aviation Pioneers.”

1803 is the year Ohio joined the United States.

The state fruit

The tomato was made the Ohio state fruit in 2009.

The state native fruit

The pawpaw became the native fruit of Ohio in 2009.

Though you probably won’t find it in the store, because it spoils quickly, it is very nutritious and is said to have a somewhat tropical flavor.

What is Ohio’s state wildflower?

• Sweet pea• Jack in the pulpit

• Touch me not• Trillium

Quick Quiz

Sweet pea

• No, this hardy vining plant is not Ohio’s state wildflower.

Back to the question. . .

Jack in the pulpit

• Sorry, this unique flower is found in Ohio, but is not the Ohio wildflower.

Back to the question. . .

Touch me not

• Nope! Not only does this plant not like to be touched, it isn’t the state wildflower either.

Back to the question. . .

Trillium

• That’s right. This three-petaled white flower is Ohio’s wildflower.

Good job! On to the next question. . .

What is Ohio’s state mammal?

• Opossum• Raccoon• Skunk

• White tail deer

Opossum

• No, this nocturnal rodent is not the state mammal.

Back to the question . . .

Raccoon

• Not this one. Though it is found in Ohio, and was even a symbol used in President Harrison’s campaign, it is not the state mammal.

Back to the question . . .

Skunk

• Ew! No, this smelly critter was not chosen as a state representative. Our noses thank us!

Back to the question . . .

White tail deer

• That’s right! The white tail deer is Ohio’s state mammal. It is also the state mammal in Arkansas, Illinios, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Michigan, South Carolina, and Wisconsin!

Good job! Let’s go on . . .

What kind of snake is Ohio’s state snake?

• Black racer• Garter snake• Ribbon snake

• Water moccasin

Black racer

• Yes, that’s right. The black racer, a non-venomous snake, is Ohio’s state snake.

Good job! Next question . . .

Garter snake

• Nope, this common snake is great to have around, but it wasn’t chosen as Ohio’s state snake.

Try again . . .

Ribbon snake

• Sorry, this snake is not the state snake of Ohio.

Try again . . .

Water moccasin

• No, the water moccasin is not Ohio’s state snake. In fact, unlike the water moccasin, the state snake is non-venomous.

Try again . . .

What fruit makes Ohio’s state juice and is the state fruit?

• Apple• Grape

• Orange• Tomato

Apple

• No, sorry. The apple tree does have history in Ohio, thanks to Johnny Appleseed, but it is not Ohio’s state fruit or juice.

Go back to the question . . .

Grape

• No, grapes are not the state fruit. They do make a delicious juice though!

Go back to the question . . .

Orange

• Sorry, oranges don’t even grow in Ohio.

Go back to the question . . .

Tomato

• Yes, that’s right! Tomatoes are a fruit and both their juice and the fruit itself are Ohio symbols.

Good job! Keep going. . .

What is Ohio’s native fruit?

• Blackhaw• Elderberry• Pawpaw

• Persimmon

Blackhaw

• Sorry, the blackhaw is not the one chosen as Ohio’s native fruit. It is a native fruit in Ohio though. Have you ever tried it?

Try again . . .

Elderberry

• No. This berry grows on trees and is in Ohio, but it was not chosen as Ohio’s native fruit.

Try again . . .

Pawpaw

• That’s right! The tropical-tasting pawpaw was chosen as Ohio’s native fruit in 2009!

You got it . . .

Persimmon

• Wrong . . . The persimmon is a native fruit, but not in Ohio.

Try again . . .

Do you remember . . .

• When Ohio became a state?• The capital of Ohio?• The state motto?• The shape of the Ohio flag?• At least 5 of Ohio’s state symbols?• What number Ohio was of the states

to join the US?