Did you know? The Latin inscription on the “Pillar of Books” at the NW 11th and Couch St entrance is translated as “Buy the book, read the book, enjoy the book, sell the book.”
Did you know? This store has the largest children’s section on the West Coast! The first children’s book was published in 1658 by Comenius, a Czech educator. Today, thousands are published every year. Read more.
Did you know? Joseph B. Strauss, who engineered San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, also designed Portland’s Burnside Bridge. Read more.
Did you know? The oldest of Portland’s bridges; the Hawthorne Bridge is also the oldest vertical-lift bridge in the U.S. Read more.
Did you know? During World War I, out of fear that unique rose hybrids would be lost to the bombings in Europe, hybridists abroad sent plants to Portland to keep them safe. Read more.
Did you know? The Nickelodeon, the world’s first movie theater, opened in 1905. Kennedy Elementary School opened its doors ten years later in 1915, but wouldn’t become a movie theatre until 1997.
Did you know? Historians believe that bowling goes back 5000 years, to the ancient Egyptians. Read more about the game’s history: Read more.
Did you know? John Cyprian Stevens, a naturalist and civil engineer, first envisioned OMSI in 1896, but the museum didn’t officially open until 1944.
Did you know? There is an underground labyrinth of tunnels in Old Town that were used from 1850-1941 to “shanghai” unsuspecting men, and sell them to ships bound for the Orient. Read more.
Did you know? The Beverly Cleary Sculpture Garden in Grant Park (4 blocks from the real Klickitat St) immortalizes Cleary’s beloved characters, based in part on kids she knew growing up in NE Portland Read more.
Did you know? The Saturday Market is the largest continually-operating arts and crafts market in the U.S., but the tradition of buying goods from artisans in a marketplace goes back thousands of years
Did you know? The first ice skates were made of animal bone, and were likely used by ancient Scandinavians as a means of transportation, not recreation. Read more.
Did you know? The block that the square occupies was purchased by a shoemaker named Elijah Hill in 1849. It cost him $24 and a pair of boots Read more.
Did you know? Before it was a shopping center, Jantzen Beach was the site of a popular amusement park. While the roller coasters are gone, the 1927 carousel is a fun reminder of the area’s history. Read more.
Did you know? Western theatre traditions developed from Ancient Greece tragedies. The word theatre comes from a Greek word meaning “place for viewing.” Read more.
Did you know? The first museum designed specifically for children was founded in 1899 in Brooklyn, NY. Portland Children's Museum is the sixth oldest and the oldest on the West Coast.
Did you know? This is the oldest museum in the Pacific Northwest and the seventh oldest in the United States. The collection includes Native American, Asian, European and American art.
Did you know? The founder of Mill Ends Park claimed it was the site of the "only leprechaun colony west of Ireland" and often wrote of the leprechauns' activities in his column in the Oregon Journal. Read more.
Did you know? Central Library has more than a million books, and more than 17 miles of bookshelves to hold them all! Find events, programs and storytimes for kids and teens, at all 19 city libraries: Read more.
Did you know? Oregon’s state rock is the thunderegg – but it’s not actually a rock at all, it’s a structure. Read more.
Did you know? Portland could have been named Boston! The city’s founders flipped a coin to decide which of their hometowns their new city would be named after, Portland, ME or Boston, MA.
Did you know? Mt. Tabor is the only volcano within a major city in the United States. It’s an example of a cinder cone volcano. Read more.
Did you know? China’s 31,000 native plants, some of which can be found nowhere else on Earth, represent nearly 1/8th of the world’s total plant species.
Did you know? In 2009, excavations in Egypt unearthed the world’s oldest known zoological collection, dating from 3500 B.C. The collection of 112 animals included elephants, hippos, and baboons. Read more.
Did you know? Roller coasters are a great opportunity to feel the physics principles of gravitational, inertial and centrifugal forces at work in real life. Learn more about how roller coasters work: Read more.
Did you know? In 1806, William Clark (of Lewis & Clark fame) took a detour from their Columbia River journey to paddle up the Willamette, claiming for the U.S. the land that is now Forest Park. Read more.
