Did you know Dallas is called the Big D?
Gotcha. We’re here for the deep cuts, and there are plenty of interesting factoids to go around.
As connoisseurs of the quirky and unconventional, we put together a list of Dallas’ history, oddest characteristics, and more. Maybe you’ve lived here your whole life and know some of this, or maybe you’ll learn something new.
Either way, these 20 interesting facts will have you winning “Jeopardy!” in no time.
Food
Dallas’ oldest standing restaurant is El Fenix, which claims to be the originator of “Tex-Mex” cuisine. Legend has it that folks still desired American food alongside traditional Mexican dishes, so steaks and fried chicken were just as common as enchiladas.
The frozen margarita machine was invented in Dallas — the world can thank us for that one. It was inspired by 7-Eleven’s slushee machine.
German chocolate is not actually German and Dallas is the reason it’s so popular today. The recipe for German chocolate cake was developed by an English baker named Samuel German in 1852. Then, 100 years later, a Dallasite named “Mrs. George Clay” sent a recipe featuring “Baker’s German’s Sweet Chocolate” into the Dallas Morning News, where it then became widely popular.
History
Do you know how Dallas got it’s name? That’s a serious question because the jury is out. It’s a bit of a local mystery on how our city was named with some speculating its after former Vice President George Mifflin Dallas, and others suggesting anything from baseball players to Navy-men.
The Dallas Public Library has one of the original copies of the Declaration of Independence (the only one west of the Mississippi River) on display and the First Folio of William Shakespeare’s “Comedies, Histories & Tragedies.”
The modern-day traffic light was created by Dallas inventor Henry “Dad” Garrett in 1937.
Built in 1931, Highland Park Village is the United States’ first planned shopping center.
Sports
Dallas is one of 12 cities in the US that has four major sports teams: Cowboys, Mavericks, Stars, and Rangers.
Investors and NBA league officials were reluctant about starting the Mavericks in Dallas. They feared that the Cowboys + the existence of the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs would deter fans from a Dallas-based basketball squad.
Before the Kansas City Chiefs became the football powerhouses that they are today, they were first the Dallas Texans in the late 1950s to early 1960s.
As of 2024, Forbes Magazine ranked the Dallas Cowboys as the most valuable sports team in the world with a valuation of ~$10.1 billion.
The term “Super Bowl” was famously coined by Dallasite + main founder of the American Football League Lamar Hunt. Inspired by his son’s “Super Ball” toy, the name was intended just as a placeholder until they figured out a better name, but Super Bowl stuck in the media and... well, you know the rest.
Pop culture
Barney the Dinosaur and his TV show “Barney and Friends” were created here in Dallas. Super-dee-duper.
Several celebrities are from Dallas, including: Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, Vanilla Ice, the Jonas Brothers, Mark Cuban, Robin Wright, and Sharon Tate.
Movies filmed in Dallas include: “Bottlerocket,” “JFK,” “Walker, Texas Ranger,” “Spy Kids 2,” and “Bonny & Clyde.”
Everything’s bigger
There are more people living in Dallas (1.3 million) than there are people living in Wyoming, Vermont, Alaska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Delaware, Montana, and Rhode Island.
Dallas is the largest US city not on a navigable body of water.
The Dallas-Forth Worth International Airport is bigger than Manhattan Island in New York City.
The entire Statue of Liberty could fit inside AT&T Stadium when its roof is closed.
The Texas Star Ferris wheel is the largest of its kind in the Western hemisphere.
