A few basic facts about Alabama: Became the 22nd state on December 14, 1819. Date of Secession January 11, 1861 and Readmitted to Union July 13, 1868. The capital city is Montgomery. State nicknames have included “The Yellowhammer State”, “The Heart of Dixie”, and “Alabama the Beautiful”. The five largest cities are Birmingham, Montgomery, Mobile, Huntsville, and Tuscaloosa.
State BIRD: Yellowhammer FLOWER: Camellia GEMSTONE: Star Blue Quartz INSECT: Monarch Butterfly MINERAL: Hematite (Oxide of Iron) MOTTO: Audermus jura nostra defendere (“We dare defend our rights”) NUT: Pecan SONG: Alabama TREE: Longleaf Pine
A few (but not all) famous people with Alabama ties: Hank Aaron, Ralph Abernathy, Tallulah Bankhead, Nat King Cole, Bobby Goldsboro, Lionel Hampton, Kate Jackson, Helen Keller, Coretta Scott King, Joe Lewis, Willie Mays, Jim Nabors, Jesse Owens, Rosa Parks, Condoleezza Rice, Channing Tatum, Heather Whitestone, Hank Williams
