Historical Note:

"The world will very little note
nor long remember what we say here . . . "

How wrong Abraham Lincoln was about his Gettysburg Address; his words are perhaps the most remembered and oft-quoted in American history. Yet, after giving his speech to a crowd of 15,000 who only mildly responded with polite applause, Lincoln said to an aide, "It is a flat failure and the people are disappointed." The Chicago Times agreed, calling the speech "silly, flat, and dishwatery." But the Chicago Tribune predicted it would "live among the annals of man." The test of time proves the Chicago Tribune correct.

Name Origin: English. (Named after founder, William Penn)

Capital: Harrisburg

Population: 12,052,000

Area: 45,308 square miles

Statehood: December 12, 1787 (2nd)

Nickname: The KeystoneState

Motto: "Virtue, liberty and independence"

Famous For: Liberty Bell, Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, Constitution, Gettysburg Address, Valley Forge National Historical Park, Poconos, Hershey Chocolate World, Amish Homestead, Steel, Pumpkins, Glass