Mississippi Miscellaneous Topics

The state takes its name from the Mississippi River, which flows along the western boundary. The name itself comes from either the Ojibwe, a Native American language spoken around the river's headwaters, or some other closely related Algonquian language, meaning "great river." Other nicknames attached to Mississippi are the Magnolia State and the Hospitality State.

It is common for young children in the United States to count "One-Mississippi, two-Mississippi" during games like hide and seek to approximate counting by seconds.

The Teddy Bear gets its name from a hunting trip in 1902, to Sharkey County Mississippi, by President Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt, when Roosevelt refused to shoot a captured bear.

In 1936 Dr. Leslie Rush, of Rush Hospital in Meridian, performed the first bone pinning in the United States. This led to the development of the "Rush Pin" which is still in use to this day.

The first woman federal judge in the United States was Burnita Shelton Matthews of Burnell (Hazelhurst) MS, Appointed by Harry S Truman on October 21, 1949.

The first human lung transplant was performed in 1963 by Dr. James D. Hardy of the University of Mississippi in Jackson. In 1964, Dr. Hardy performed the first chimpanzee to human heart transplant with some success, the heart continued to beat for 90 minutes after transplant.

Former astronaut and administrator of NASA Richard H. Truly is from Fayette. Educated in Mississippi and Georgia, Truly was in charge of reforming NASA (1989 to 1992) in the era immediately following the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. He was the first former astronaut to head NASA.

The world-renowned USA International Ballet Competition takes place in Jackson, MS quadrennially.

State motto: "Virtute et Armis" (By Valor and Arms) State song: "Go, Mississippi", adopted 1962 Patron saint: Our Lady of Sorrows State flower and state tree: Magnolia State bird: Mockingbird State beverage: Milk State fish: Largemouth Bass State insect: European honey bee State water mammal: Bottlenose Dolphin State shell: Oyster State fossil: A whale fossil nicknamed "Ziggy" State land mammals: White-tailed Deer and Red Fox State waterfowl: Wood duck State stone: Petrified wood State wildflower: Coreopsis State butterfly: Spicebush Swallowtail State dance: Square Dance Statehood Quarter was minted in 2002.

Pledge to the Flag: "I salute the flag of Mississippi and the sovereign state for which it stands with pride in her history and achievements and with confidence in her future under the guidance of Almighty God."

Several warships have been named USS Mississippi in honor of this state.

Mississippi has produced a number of notable and famous individuals, including:

Authors

• novelist William Faulkner
• writer and photographer Eudora Welty
• novelist Richard Wright
• novelist John Grisham
• novelist Thomas Harris
• playwright, poet, and novelist Tennessee Williams
• playwright and actress Beth Henley
• novelist Rick Bass
• novelist Donna Tartt
• poet and artist J. E. Pitts
• author Willie Morris
• author Wyatt Anderson
• journalist Kevin Sessums
• sweet potato queen and author Jill Connor Brown

Musicians/Singers

• rock-and-roll singer Elvis Presley
• star and comedian David L Cook
• singer and writer Jimmy Buffett
• blues musician B.B. King
• blues musician Charlie Musselwhite
• blues musician Muddy Waters
• blues pioneer Robert Johnson
• rhythm and blues singer and actress Brandy Norwood
• rap artist Afroman
• rap artist David Banner
• rap artist Rich boy
• opera singer Leontyne Price
• Country and Western singer Jimmie Rodgers
• Country and Western singer Conway Twitty
• Country and Western singer Tammy Wynette
• Country and Western singer LeAnn Rimes
• Country and Western singer Charlie Pride
• Country and Western singer Faith Hill
• Tom Malone of the CBS Orchestra
• Rhythm and blues singer Al Wilson
• composer William Grant Still
• blues singer Dorothy Moore
• rhythm and blues singer Jackie Bell
• singer, composer, and actor Van Dyke Parks
• singer and composer Jim Weatherly
• singer and composer Parker McGee
• Rhythm and Blues singer Mary Wilson
• Rhythm and Blues singer David Ruffin
• Rhythm and Blues singer Jimmy Ruffin

Musical Groups/Bands

• Punk metal band The Cooters
• Alternative rock band 3 Doors Down

Entertainers/Actors

• Oprah Winfrey
• Muppets creator Jim Henson
• performer Lypsinka
• actor and producer Morgan Freeman
• actor and narrator James Earl Jones
• actress Mary Alice
• actress Finn Carter
• actress Lacey Chabert
• actor/playwright Gary Grubbs
• actress Alice Haining (IMDb)
• actor Eddie Hodges
• actor Don Jeffcoat
• actress Diane Ladd
• actor/playwright John Maxwell
• actor Gerald McRaney
• Miss America 1959 and actress Mary Ann Mobley
• actress Carrie Nye
• actor Contree Pipes
• actor Wesley Pipes
• actress Parker Posey
• actor Eric Roberts
• actress Sela Ward
• actress and writer Beah Richards

Athletes

• Justin Mapp, professional soccer (football) player for the US Men's National Team and Chicago Fire in Major League Soccer.
• NFL star Brett Favre
• NFL star Jerry Rice
• NFL star Archie Manning
• NFL star Walter Payton
• NFL star Steve McNair
• Antonio McDyess
• Roy Oswalt
• wrestler and minister Ted DiBiase
• wrestler King Cobra

Artists

• Alex Loeb
• artist Walter Anderson
• George Ohr, popularly known as the "Mad Potter of Biloxi"

Cooks

• Cook Mckee Wadlington
• Iron Chef Cat Cora

Political arena

• Wayne Dowdy
• Evelyn Gandy
• Governor Haley Barbour
• Lt. Governor Amy Tuck
• Rickey Cole
• former Governor Ronnie Musgrove
• former Governor Ray Mabus
• former district attorney Gerald Chatham Sr.

(See List of people from Mississippi)