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Did You Know - Puerto Rico is a list that contains interesting but little known facts about Puerto Rico and its people.

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General

1. That the first opera in history to be recorded was Pagliacci by Ruggiero Leoncavallo and that the recording was made by tenor Antonio Paoli in 1907?
2. That the largest single-aperture telescope ever to be constructed is the Arecibo Observatory located near the city by the same name in Puerto Rico?
3. That "Why Do Fools Fall in Love", considered one of the greatest Rock and Roll songs, was written by Herman Santiago?
4. That Telemundo, the second largest Spanish language television station in the United States, was founded by Angel Ramos in Puerto Rico?
5. That the old lighthouse at Isla de Mona was designed by Gustave Eiffel?
6. That the world famous drink, the Piña Colada was invented in a house on Fortaleza Street in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico and that its main ingredient Coco Lopez was invented by Ramon Lopez Irizarry?
7. That Rafael Hernandez airport in Aguadilla used to be the Ramey Air Force Base and that it has the Caribbean's longest runway?
8. That San Juan is the largest home-based cruise port in the world?
9. That Puerto Rico is not an independent country, but is rather a Commonwealth of the United States?
10. That Puerto Rico has never been an independent country?
11. That there are more Puerto Ricans living in the rest of the United States than in the island of Puerto Rico itself?
12. That travel within the United States includes Puerto Rico, and no U.S. passport is necessary?
13. That by mutual agreement with Congress, Puerto Rico is an independent taxation authority, and therefore Puerto Rico residents do not pay federal income taxes? Puerto Ricans living on the island instead pay income taxes to the local taxation authority.
14. That as of 2003, twenty-five percent of all pharmaceutical products manufactured in the United States were shipped from Puerto Rico, and sixteen of the top twenty best selling prescription drugs in the United States were produced on the island?
15. That Puerto Rico enjoys one of the planet's highest productivity ratios? That value-added in manufacturing on the island totals $10.02 for every dollar of production worker wages, more than double the mainland US average of $4.64?
16. That the zip code 00601 is the lowest assigned to any geographic place in the United States or its territories and belongs to Adjuntas, Puerto Rico?

History

1. That Puerto Rico once had a President? Francisco Ramirez Medina, who participated in El Grito de Lares, was temporarily named President of the "Republic of Puerto Rico" on September 28, 1868 until the revolt was ended by the Spanish Colonial Government?.
2. That the Father of Black History was Arturo Schomburg?
3. That the island of Puerto Rico was originally christened as San Juan Bautista (St. John the Baptist), whose capital was called Puerto Rico? That over the years, the names of the island and the capital were exchanged, and San Juan Bautista became the name of the capital while Puerto Rico became the name of the island?
4. That the Commander of the Cuban Liberation Army, General Juan Rius Rivera, was a Puerto Rican who also participated in the Grito de Lares revolt?
5. That in 1596, Sir Francis Drake, the famed British Admiral who defeated the Spanish Armada, was defeated twice in his attempts to take San Juan and that he died of dysentery while attacking the island?
6. That Fort San Felipe del Morro was designated a World Heritage Site (a list that includes sites such as the Taj Mahal) by the United Nations in 1983, and a National Historical site by the United States?
7. That Puerto Rico has never had a civil war?
8. That La Fortaleza in San Juan is the oldest executive mansion in the New World?
9. That the Puerto Rican Coat of Arms is the oldest official national seal still used in the Americas?
10. That Jesus T. Piñero was not the first native Puerto Rican governor of Puerto Rico? That honor belongs to Juan Ponce de Leon II who in 1597 became the first native Puerto Rican to assume, temporarily, the governorship of Puerto Rico.

    File:Juan Ponce de Leon statue.jpg

    Statue of Juan Ponce de Leon

11. That the bronze statue of Juan Ponce de León in the center of the Plaza de San Juan was made from British cannons captured during Sir Ralph Abercromby's attack in 1797?
12. That Old San Juan has more than four hundred carefully restored 16th and 17th century Spanish colonial buildings?
13. That Gothic churches are rare in the New World, but that Puerto Rico has two: Porta Coeli, built in 1606 in San German, and Iglesia San Jose, built in the 1530's in Old San Juan?
14. That the Mita Religion is the first Protestant religion of Puerto Rican origin and that it was founded by Juanita Garcia Peraza?

    

    Puerto Rican Flag (1892 version)

15. That the public display of the Puerto Rican Flag was once considered a felony (from 1892 to 1954) and that anyone who did so could end up in jail?
16. That Puerto Rico has been a territory of the United States since 1898?
17. That Puerto Rico met the requirements to be defined a nation well before the Pilgrims came to the United States?
18. That Puerto Rico had official coins minted and in circulation in 1898, and that extant samples of these coins in pristine condition are extremely valuable?
19. That the state of Florida was discovered by Puerto Rico's first governor, Don Juan Ponce de Leon?

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Shackles used on slaves in Puerto Rico

1. That slaves in Puerto Rico were branded on the forehead with a stamp so people would know they were brought in legally and it prevented them from being kidnapped? The method of hot branding was no longer used after 1784.

Military and politics

1. That the first shot fired by the United States in World War I was in Puerto Rico and not in Europe? It was fired by Lt. Teofilo Marxuach.
2. That Major General Luis R. Esteves, the first Puerto Rican to graduate from West Point, graduated first in his class, which included Dwight D. Eisenhower and Omar Bradley?
3. That Puerto Ricans fought alongside the Continental Army during the American Revolution under the command of General Bernardo de Gálvez?
4. That along with Generals Eisenhower, Bradley, Patton and MacArthur, Lt. General Pedro del Valle played an important role during World War II?
5. That Sergeant Alexander Joseph Foley (U.S.M.C.), born in Hackersville, Pa. in 1866 and recipient of the Medal of Honor during the Boxer Rebellion is buried in the island municipality of Culebra?
6. That the Cathedral of San Juan, Puerto Rico, built in the 1520s, is one of the oldest Cathedrals in the Western Hemisphere, and that it contains the marble tomb of the island's first governor and discoverer of Florida Juan Ponce de León?
7. That Brigadier General Antonio Valero de Bernabe, who fought against Napoleon Bonaparte in Spain and later for Mexico's independence against Spain, helped liberate South America from Spanish Colonial rule alongside Simon Bolivar?
8. That Sergeant First Class Agustin Ramos Calero born in Isabela, was the second most decorated Puerto Rican soldier in the United States military during World War II?
9. That Humbert Roque Versace, was the first Army P.O.W. to receive the Medal of Honor for his actions in Southeast Asia during captivity?
10. That the mother of Medal of Honor recipient Humbert Roque Versace, Marie Teresa Rios was the author of the book The Fifteen Pelican for which the popular 1960's television sitcom The Flying Nun was based on?
11. That Tech4 Carmen Contreras-Bozak, was the first Hispanic to join the Women's Army Corps and that she served in Algiers during World War II?
12. That Linda Garcia Cubero, USNA Class of 1980, is the first female Hispanic to graduate from a United States military academy?
13. That ninety-five members of Puerto Rico's famed 65th Infantry were court-martialed in what is considered the largest mass court-martial of the Korean War?
14. That Admiral Horacio Rivero, Jr. was the first Puerto Rican and second Hispanic to become a four-star Admiral in the U.S. Navy? The first Hispanic full Admiral was David Farragut during the American Civil War.
15. That over 53,000 Puerto Ricans served in World War II?
16. That Colonel Virgil R. Miller, a native of San German, Puerto Rico, was the Regimental Commander of the 442d Regimental Combat Team, the most decorated unit in the U.S. military history, a unit which was composed of "Nisei" (second generation Americans of Japanese descent), during World War II?
17. That Staff Sgt. Modesto Cartagena, U.S. Army, is the most decorated Hispanic in history?
18. That Brigadier General Mihiel "Mike" Gilormini who served in the Royal Air Force and in the United States Army Air Force during World War II was also the founder of the Puerto Rico Air National Guard?
19. That Capt. Miguel Henriquez also spelled Enriquez, was a pirate in the latter part of the 17^th century who fought and defeated the British Navy in Vieques and was granted the privileges of privateer by the Spanish Crown?
20. That Brigadier General Antonio Maldonado, in 1965 became the youngest person to pilot a B-52 aircraft?
21. That Colonel Hector Andres Negroni, was the first Puerto Rican graduate of the United States Air Force Academy?
22. That Capt. Maria Ines Ortiz, was the first Puerto Rican nurse to die in combat and the first Army nurse to die in Iraq?
23. That Rear Admiral Frederick Lois Riefkohl, was the first Puerto Rican to graduate from the United States Naval Academy and the first Puerto Rican to be awarded the Navy Cross, military decoration second only to the Medal of honor?
24. That Capt. Angel Rivero Mendez, fired the first shot against the Americans in the Spanish-American War in Puerto Rico and later invented the "Kola Champagne"?
25. That Master Sgt. Pedro Rodríguez, was awarded two Silver Stars in one week?
26. That General Manuel Goded Llopis was a high ranking Puerto Rican in the Spanish Army, who was one of the first generales to join Spanish General Francisco Franco, in the revolt against the Spanish Republican government in what is known as the Spanish Civil War?
27. That Lieutenant Carmelo Delgado Delgado a member of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party, was amongst the first U.S. citizens to die in the Spanish Civil War?
28. That the U.S. Naval Station Roosevelt Roads was meant to be the Pearl Harbor of the Atlantic and that it was the largest naval installation in the world? Yes, in 1938, when Germany attacked Great Britain, the United States feared that if Germany controlled Great Britain, Mexico and the U.S. would be next. In 1940, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt ordered the construction of a naval base in the Atlantic similar to Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. The site was meant to provide anchorage, docking, repair facilities, fuel, and supplies for 60% of the Atlantic Fleet. The naval base, which was named U.S. Naval Station Roosevelt Roads’ became the largest naval installation in the world in land mass and was meant to be the Pearl Harbor of the Atlantic. The fate of the base was changed after the Germans were defeated and Navy's attention shifted from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
29. That in April 1944,Captian Marion Frederic Ramírez de Arellano, a native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, became the first Hispanic submarine commander in the United States Navy?
30. That during the Korean War, the Battle of Outpost Kelly accounted for 73 of the men missing in action from the total of 121 men reported MIA's of Puerto Rico's famed 65th Infantry Regiment and that out of the 73 MIAs suffered by the regiment in the month of September, 50 of them occurred on the same day, September 18? See: Puerto Ricans Missing in Action in the Korean War
31. That Colonel Raúl G. Villaronga (Ret.) was the first Puerto Rican to be elected as Mayor of a Texas city (Killeen)?

    

    U.S. Schooner Grampus (1821-1843)

32. That the ship which captured El Pirata Roberto Cofresi and his crew in 1825, the U.S. "Grampus", was lost at sea with all its crew in 1843?
33. That on October 1918, Dr. Dolores Piñero, a native of San Juan, became the first Puerto Rican woman doctor to serve in the United States Army under contract during World War I?
34. That Sergeant First Class Jorge Otero Barreto (Ret.) a.k.a. "The Puerto Rican Rambo", was the most decorated soldier in the Vietnam War with a total of 38 military decorations?
35. That Private First Class Domingo Arroyo, Jr., a United States Marine, was the first Puerto Rican and American serviceman to be killed in Operation Restore Hope during the Somalian Civil War?
36. That Captain Manuel Rivera, Jr., was the first Puerto Rican and U.S. serviceman to die in Operation Desert Shield?
37. That LTJG (Lieutenant Junior Grade) Maria Rodriguez Denton was the first Puerto Rican female who became an officer in the United States Navy as member of the WAVES and that it was LTJG Denton who forwarded the news (through channels) to President Harry S. Truman that World War II had ended?

Natural sciences

1. That the Camuy River is the third longest underwater river in the world?
2. That the Puerto Rican Spindalis is the national bird of Puerto Rico and often participates in mobbing, a behavior in which it attacks predators to defend hatchlings?
3. That El Yunque National Forest, is the only rainforest in the U.S. National Forest System and that more than a billion gallons of precipitation fall each year?
4. That the Elfin-woods Warbler, an endemic bird of Puerto Rico first observed in 1968, is the last New World warbler species to be discovered?
5. That the world's highest concentrations of Bioluminescent waters are in Puerto Rico?
6. That the Puerto Rico Trench, roughly parallel to the island and 75 miles north, is home to the deepest submarine depression in the North Atlantic Ocean, and that the deepest point in the Atlantic Ocean, the Milwaukee Depth (27,493 ft / 8,380 m), lies within the trench?
7. That the El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico is one of the oldest protected areas in the Western Hemisphere by virtue of having been set aside by the Spanish Crown in 1876 while Puerto Rico was still part of the Spanish Empire?
8. That Flamenco Beach located in Culebra, Puerto Rico was rated the second most beautiful beach in the world?
9. That the Guánica State Forest was designated a United Nations Biosphere Reserve in 1981 and is considered the best preserved, most virgin subtropical forest in the Caribbean?

Science

1. That According to an article written by Margarita Santori Lopez for the official newspaper of the University of Puerto Rico's Mayaguez Campus, "Prensa RUM", as of 2003, of the 114 Hispanics working at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, 70 were Puerto Ricans or of Puerto Rican descent?
2. That on May 6, 2004, Joseph M. Acaba became the first person of Puerto Rican descent to become an astronaut and that on October 2008, will be the first to go into space?
3. That Dr. Nitza Margarita Cintron, is the first Hispanic to be named Chief of Space Medicine and Health Care Systems Office at NASA's Johnson Space Center?
4. That Dr. Felix Soto Toro is the scientist who developed an electronic 3D measuring system (APTMS) for the Space Shuttle?
5. That Dr. Juan R. Cruz, Ph.D., is a Puerto Rican scientist who played an instrumental role in the design and development of the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) parachute.
6. That Dr. Enectali Figueroa, is astrophysicist at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) who pioneered the development of position-sensitive detectors, and currently an astronaut applicant?
7. That Dr. Orlando Figueroa a.k.a. NASA Mars Czar was Director for Mars Exploration and the Director for the Solar System Division in the Office of Space Science at NASA Headquarters?
8. That Olga D. Gonzalez-Sanabria is the highest ranking Hispanic at NASA Glenn Research Center, a member of the Ohio Women's Hall of Fame and that she played an instrumental role in the development of the "Long Cycle-Life Nickel-Hydrogen Batteries" which helps enable the International Space Station power system?
9. That Amri Hernandez-Pellerano is a scientist who designed the power systems electronics for the WMAP mission. WMAP is a NASA Explorer mission satellite which measures the temperature of the cosmic background radiation over the full sky with unprecedented accuracy?
10. That Mercedes Reaves is responsible for the design of a viable full-scale solar sail and the development and testing of a scale model solar sail at NASA Langley Research Center in Virginia?
11. That Dr. Miriam Rodon-Naveira;is the first Hispanic woman to hold the Deputy Directorship for the Environmental Sciences Division within the National Exposure Research Laboratory and that she is now responsible for developing, coordinating and maintaining research and educational activities in support of NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center mission?
12. That Dr. Pedro Rodriguez, the Director of a test laboratory at NASA and inventor of a portable, battery-operated lift seat for people suffering from knee arthritis is the son of salsa singer Pellin Rodriguez?
13. That Monserrate Roman, a Puerto Rican scientist in NASA, helped NASA build part of the International Space Station. She is the Chief Microbiologist for the Environmental Control and Life Support System project which determines how microbes will behave under different situations and in different locations, such as the nooks and crannies of the Space Station?

People

1. That in 1919, Luisa Capetillo was the first woman to publicly wear pants in Puerto Rico and that she was sent to jail for it?
2. That world renowned religious minister and member of the Honorary Committee of The Presidential Prayer Team, Rev. Nicky Cruz was once the leader of a notorious New York City street gang called The Mau Maus?
3. That the dentist who discovered the bacteria that causes dental caries was Dr. Fernando E. Rodriguez Vargas, a native of Adjuntas?
4. That Felisa Rincón de Gautier (also known as Doña Fela) was the first woman to be elected as the mayor of a capital city in any of The Americas?
5. That Antonia Novello, a native of Fajardo, Puerto Rico, was both the first female and the first Hispanic Surgeon General of the United States (1990-1993)?
6. That Juan Mari Brás is the first and only person to receive a Puerto Rican citizenship certificate from the Puerto Rico State Department since the establishment of the Commonwealth in 1952, an action which has been since questioned by the United States Department of State?
7. That one of the most popular Christmas songs in the United States "Feliz Navidad" was written by a Puerto Rican, Jose Feliciano?
8. That Jesús Maria Sanromá earned the position of official pianist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, becoming the first person ever to receive such an honor?
9. That Rafael Alers became the first Puerto Rican to compose the music score for a Hollywood movie, when he was hired for such a task for the 1956 movie "Crowded Paradise", directed by Fred Pressburger?
10. That when Benicio del Toro and Joaquin Phoenix were nominated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Best Supporting Actor in 2001, it was the first time that two actors born in Puerto Rico were simultaneously nominated for such an honor?
11. That Dr. Carlos Albizu Miranda is the first Hispanic Educator to have a North American University renamed in his honor and one of the first Hispanics to earn a Ph.D. in Psychology in the United States?
12. That in 1947, Marquita Rivera became the first Puerto Rican actress to appear in a major Hollywood motion picture when she appeared in Road to Rio, opposite Bob Hope, Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour? .
13. That Samuel A. Ramirez, Sr. made Wall Street History by becoming the first Hispanic to launch a successful investment banking firm?
14. That Father Francisco Ayerra de Santa María (1630 – 1703) is considered to be Puerto Rico's first native born poet?
15. That Bishop Juan Alejo de Arizmendi (July 17, 1760-October 12, 1814) was a patriot and the first Puerto Rican to be consecrated Bishop and that he was immortalized by Puerto Rican artist Jose Campeche in a painting in 1803?
16. That Father Diego de Torres Vargas, was the first person to write a book about the history of Puerto Rico?

Popular culture

1. That in 2003 José Miguel Agrelot's radio show, Alegre Despertar (Joyful Awakening), held the world's record for the longest running still active radio show, running non-stop for 53 years?
2. That in the classic film West Side Story, an epic Romeo and Juliet tale about the rivalry between a Puerto Rican and Anglo-American gang, the only actual Puerto Rican casted was Rita Moreno?
3. That the reggaeton was developed in Puerto Rico and has since then spread to other places around the world?
4. That aside from a strong presence in music, sports, literature, politics, television, radio, etc., Puerto Rico also has a presence in the voice acting industry with voice actors such as Tony Oliver?
5. That the myth of the Chupacabra has its origins in Puerto Rico?
6. That after the United States, Puerto Rico is tied with Mexico in hosting the most Miss Universe contests and has the second most titleholders following the United States?

Sports

1. That youngest person ever to have won a world boxing championship is Wilfred Benitez?
2. That John Ruiz, a Puerto Rican, was the first Hispanic world Heavyweight boxing champion?
3. That Puerto Rico ranks third in the world with the most boxing champions in history, after the United States and Mexico?
4. That Dick Versace is the first person of Puerto Rican descent and the first Hispanic to become head coach of an NBA team?
5. That the winning pitcher in the first ever Major League Baseball game played west of Kansas City was Rubén Gómez?
6. That Teófilo Cruz is the first player from the Americas to be inducted to the FIBA International basketball Hall of Fame?
7. That Carly Colón, known internationally by his ring name Carlito is the first professional wrestler to ever win a title in two separate debuts in WWE history?
8. That Carlos Beltrán has the smallest ratio of at-bats between homeruns in playoff contention in Mayor League Baseball's history with a total of eleven homeruns in twenty two games and that he holds the record of consecutive playoff games with a homerun with five consecutive games?
9. That Wilfredo Gómez won thirty two straight fights by knockout thus making him the World Champion with the longest knockout streak in boxing history?
10. That Jesse Vassallo lost the opportunity to defend his world records (200 and 200 meters individual medley) when the United States boycotted the Olympics in Moscow?
11. That Juan Evangelista Venegas was the first Puerto Rican to win an Olympic medal?
12. That Ernesto Pastor Lavergne was the first, and so far only, Puerto Rican bullfighter (torero) to gain international fame?

See also

• List of Puerto Rico-related topics

Missing articles DYK

The following subjects have notable and important facts; however, they do not have an article written on them. You can create the article by clicking on the red link and adding the subject's information.

File:SANTISIMATRINIDAD.gif

Iglesia Santísima Trinidad of Ponce

• That the first non-Roman Catholic Church established in the Spanish Colonies was the Anglican Church Iglesia Santisima Trinidad founded in 1872 by German settlers in Ponce?
• That the holder of the current Guinness Record for the World's Smallest Jet, the Bede BD-5J Microjet is a native of Puerto Rico?
• That, even though Puerto Rico has never been an independent country, there once was a Puerto Rican citizenship? Every Puerto Rican born between December 10, 1898 (after the United States and Spain signed the Treaty of Paris) and March 2, 1917 (when the Jones Act was signed into law by United States President Woodrow Wilson) was a Puerto Rican citizen.
• That the "San Carlos" selection of Café Rico, grown and brewed in Puerto Rico, used to be the official coffee of the Vatican?
• That the medical term Menuditis, a diagnosis for girls who need medical attention after attending a concert, came about after Menudo (considered Puerto Rico's most popular boy band) gave a concert?
• That Puerto Rico's beaches come in every size, color, and form, from the pure white dunes of Isabela to the black volcanic sands near Punta Santiago?

Contested DYK

• That Puerto Rico ranks 6th in the world when it comes to college graduates?
• That Puerto Ricans are the only people in the world who regularly applaud when a plane lands and when it reaches the gate?[2] (better reference needed)
• That more than 200 Puerto Rican baseball players have played in the US Major Leagues?
• That the profit-to-sales ratio for manufacturing in Puerto Rico has been measured at 34.8 percent, close to seven times higher than the ratio for the mainland United States of 4.8 percent for the same period?
• That Puerto Rico is the World Capital of Rum, and more than 80 percent of the rum consumed in the United States comes from Puerto Rico?
• That the Plaza Las Americas mall in San Juan is the most profitable mall per square foot in the world?
• That the busiest and highest grossing Radio Shack store in the world is in Puerto Rico, located in the Plaza Las Américas mall?
• That the biggest JC Penney in the world is located in Plaza Las Américas mall in Puerto Rico?