1

Paul Bunyan

Image: Abby Savage

Paul Bunyan , the colossal lumberjack of American folklore, is said to have cleared forests from the Northeast to the Pacific Northwest. With his blue ox, Babe , he performed incredible feats of strength, like carving out the Grand Canyon just by dragging his axe behind him, and creating the Great Lakes with his footprints.

Originating in oral traditions among lumberjacks, Bunyan’s exaggerated exploits gained momentum with the American westward expansion during the 19th century and soon became deeply ingrained in the popular imagination.

2

Johnny Appleseed

Image: Aarón Blanco Tejedor

Born John Chapman, Johnny Appleseed wandered the American frontier planting apple trees and spreading goodwill in the early 19th century. A devout Christian, he became a folk hero for his kindness, environmentalism, and pioneering spirit.

Contrary to the popular image of Johnny Appleseed randomly scattering apple seeds, he was a skilled nurseryman who meticulously planted apple tree nurseries. Each nursery was carefully fenced to shield the saplings from livestock and wildlife. After establishing these nurseries, he entrusted them to neighbors but revisited them periodically.

3

Pecos Bill

Image: JosephHershMedia

Pecos Bill , a fictional cowboy raised by coyotes in the wilds of Texas, became a larger-than-life figure known for taming cyclones and roping tornadoes. His adventures, first popularized in the early 20th century, embody the frontier spirit and Texas mythology, blending humor with tales of rugged individualism.

Among his many tales, one credits him with creating the Gulf of Mexico . According to legend, during a severe drought in Texas, Pecos Bill lassoed a storm cloud in California and brought it to Texas. The resulting deluge caused extensive flooding, ultimately forming the Gulf.

4

Davy Crockett

Image: Joseph Corl

Davy Crockett , known as the "King of the Wild Frontier," was a real-life frontiersman later turned politician whose exploits were mythologized even during his lifetime. Born in East Tennessee, he quickly gained fame for his sharp hunting skills and captivating storytelling.

During his time in the U.S. Congress, he staunchly opposed many of President Andrew Jackson’s policies, particularly the Indian Removal Act, and championed the rights of small landowners. Crockett’s life ended with valor at the Battle of the Alamo , solidifying his folk legend as a symbol of courage and patriotism. His legacy remains an enduring part of American history.

5

Calamity Jane

Image: Vidar Nordli-Mathisen

Martha Jane Canary, better known by her alias Calamity Jane, was a frontierswoman and scout famed for her sharpshooting skills and daredevil exploits. During her youth, she stepped up to provide for her large family, taking on various jobs, from ox team driver to scout for Fort Russell. Eventually, she embraced the rough and adventurous lifestyle that made her a legend.

Despite her fearsome reputation, Calamity Jane was compassionate and often helped those in need. Her adventures in the Wild West alongside figures like Wild Bill Hickok cemented her status as a legend of the American frontier.

6

Molly Pitcher

Image: Garry T

Molly Pitcher, the nickname given to Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley, became famous for her bravery during the American Revolutionary War. Although several historical figures are known by this moniker for similar deeds, Mary Ludwig Hays distinguished herself during the Battle of Monmouth in June 1778, where she served as a water carrier for the soldiers.

When her husband, an artilleryman in the Continental Army, fell to enemy fire, she took his place, swabbing and loading the cannon with such bravery and determination that she earned a commendation from George Washington.

7

Daniel Boone

Image: Scott Longerbeam

Daniel Boone was a legendary frontiersman and explorer who blazed trails through the Appalachian Mountains and into Kentucky. Born in 1734, Boone became famous for his expert hunting and survival skills, as well as his role in establishing the Wilderness Road, a trail that facilitated westward migration through the Cumberland Gap.

After serving as a militia officer during the Revolutionary War, he was briefly taken in by the Shawnees in the Northeastern Woodlands. After a few years, he returned and continued to help protect the Kentucky settlements.

8

Buffalo Bill

Image: Judy Beth Morris

William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody was a legendary figure of the American West, known for his Wild West shows that toured the United States and Europe. Born in 1846, Cody was a skilled buffalo hunter, Army scout, and showman who brought cowboy skills and frontier life to audiences worldwide.

He earned his nickname after the Civil War by providing Kansas Pacific Railroad workers with buffalo meat, hunting record numbers of the animal. He even engaged in hunting competitions with his partner, Bill Comstock. His legendary figure has been frequently portrayed in film and television, especially during the height of the Western genre in the 1960s.

9

Wild Bill Hickok

Image: Pablò

James Butler Hickok, famously known as Wild Bill Hickok, was a legendary figure of the American Old West. Born in 1837, Hickok gained fame as a skilled marksman, gambler, and lawman.

Though his exploits were certainly exaggerated by the outlandish tales he told about himself, he was involved in several notorious gunfights during his life. Most notably, he dueled with Davis Tutt, a local gambler with whom he had various disagreements, particularly over their mutual affection for the same woman.

10

John Henry

Image: Lucio Patone

John Henry was a legendary steel-driving man whose man-against-machine tale epitomized the strength and resilience of the American worker. An African American freedman, his dangerous job involved hammering steel drills into rocks to create holes for explosives used to blast open railroad tunnels.

According to the legend, John Henry's prowess was tested in a race against a steam-powered drill. He won the race but tragically died after victory, hammer in hand when his heart gave out from the immense physical stress.

1

Appalachian Trail, Shenandoah National Park, Virginia

Image: Wes Hicks

Yes, the entire Appalachian Trail is extremely long. Actually, it is over 2,190 miles long. But, the Shenandoah National Park, 75 miles from Washington, D.C., has over 500 miles of hiking trails, including more than 100 miles of the Appalachian Trail ; You can tackle a small section in a day’s hike.

The park is the perfect place to explore the great outdoors in Virginia and it consists of 200,000 acres of protected land that are home to animals like deer and songbirds.

2

Burroughs Mountain Trail, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington

Image: Scott Longerbeam

More than 260 miles of maintained trails lead visitors through peaceful old-growth forests, river valleys, and subalpine meadows on the Mount Rainier National Park in Washington state.

The park is home to one of the most iconic mountains in the world: Mount Rainier rises 14,410 feet above sea level straight into the clouds. Check out the Burroughs Mountain Trail for stunning views of mountain peaks and the alpine landscape.

3

Rim Trail, Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah

Image: Tim Golder

Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah is home to the largest collection of odd-shaped pillars of rock left standing from the forces of erosion, known as hoodoos. Many of them can be viewed from the 5.5-mile Rim Trail .

The park also offers hikes for all levels, including backcountry options for those looking for a little added adventure and guided Full Moon Hikes for night-owl explorers.

4

Upper Emerald Pools Trail, Zion National Park, Utah

Image: Jamie Hagan

A park filled with hiking trails for all experience levels, Zion National Park, Utah's first national park , is famous for its massive cream, pink, and red sandstone cliffs, and freestanding arches.

Hikers should attempt to visit at sunrise and sunset to enjoy the breathtaking views of sunlight splashing off the cliffs and into the rivers below. And if it is an approachable trail they’re looking for, the Upper Emerald Pools Trail is an easy hike leading to sparkling waterfalls.

5

Grinnell Glacier Trail, Glacier National Park, Montana

Image: Aaron Clinard

Over 700 miles of hiking trails, including more than a dozen options around the Many Glacier area , like the popular Grinnell Glacier Trail , can be found at the Glacier National Park.

Lucky visitors can spot some of the park's varied wildlife, including 71 species of mammals, from the tiny pygmy shrew to one of the largest remaining grizzly bear populations in the country.

6

Charlies Bunion Hike, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee and North Carolina

Image: Leslie Cross

The Great Smoky Mountains are world-renowned for its animal and plant life diversity, as well as for its miles of official and backcountry trails with views of waterfalls and old-growth forests.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park spreads across two states and offers plenty of activities for hikers. For a particularly breathtaking vista, hike to Charlies Bunion, a popular outcropping along the Appalachian Trail.

7

Billy Goat Trail, Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, Maryland

Image: Eduardo Gutierrez

Considered a moderate-difficulty trail, Maryland's Billy Goat Trail has three sections totaling eight miles, though portions are strenuous and challenging . Outdoor enthusiasts can experience the raging Potomac River and the rocky crags of Great Falls. The hike is very popular, so early hours are advisable to beat the crowds.

8

Chautauqua Trail, Chautauqua Park, Colorado

Image: Leslie Cross

An old park, Chautauqua Park in Boulder, Colorado, has been around since 1898. The 80-acre park has miles of hiking, much of which are uphill . But there are less strenuous hikes, too, like the Chautauqua Trail, which offers views of the Flatiron mountains and Boulder.

9

Canyon to Rim Loop, Smith Rock State Park, Oregon

Image: Alex Diaz

Hikers of every level can find an appropriate trail at Smith Rock State Park, in Oregon. These vary in length and difficulty, but they all offer beautiful views of the Central Oregon landscape**.**

The park offers hundreds of miles of hiking and biking trails, and visitors may spot golden eagles, prairie falcons, river otters, and beavers throughout the day.

10

Petroglyph Wall Trail, Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, Nevada

Image: Kristin Melville

As visitors to the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area can testify, not all short-distance hikes are the same. Many are labeled difficult, and it can take four to five hours to complete a five-mile hike.

Along the different routes, desert wildlife can be spotted, including lizards, toads, and hawks. One of the park's most beginner-friendly hikes is the 0.2-mile Petroglyph Wall Trail , where centuries-old rock art can be appreciated.

1

Network executives thought Desi Arnaz was "too foreign" for TV

Network executives initially hesitated to cast Desi Arnaz as Ricky Ricardo, Lucille Ball’s husband on I Love Lucy (which aired on CBS from 1951 to 1957) because they doubted that viewers would accept an American woman and a Cuban man as a believable suburban pair.

To prove the concept worked, Ball and Arnaz took a live vaudeville act on the road in 1951, receiving overwhelmingly positive feedback from audiences. The public's reaction helped persuade CBS to give the show a chance with Arnaz in the starring role. And as we all know, the couple was married in real life too and eventually had two children: Lucie, born in 1951, and Desi Jr., born in 1953. It doesn’t get more "real" than that.

2

The word "pregnant" was strictly forbidden on air

On the show, CBS banned the word "pregnant" in 1952, considering it too explicit for family living rooms . Writers therefore relied on euphemisms such as "expecting," "with child," or "having a baby."

When Lucille Ball became pregnant with her second child in 1952, Desi Arnaz pushed for her pregnancy to be written into the show's storyline, despite initial resistance from CBS and its sponsors. The resulting plot became a landmark moment in television history: although the show could portray Lucy expecting a baby, its writers still couldn't use the forbidden word. That’s why the episode in which she breaks the news to Ricky was titled "Lucy Is Enceinte," using the French word for pregnant.

3

More people watched Lucy give birth than the president’s inauguration

On January 19, 1953, the episode "Lucy Goes to the Hospital", in which she gives birth to Little Ricky, drew an estimated 44 million viewers (about 72% of U.S. television households). In an extraordinary coincidence, Ball gave birth to her real-life son, Desi Arnaz Jr., by scheduled cesarean section on the same day.

The next day, President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s inaugural address drew an estimated 29 million viewers. That means the episode attracted roughly 15 million more viewers than the president's address, according to the commonly cited estimates.

4

The candy factory episode had a real-life expert in it

In the beloved "Job Switching" episode, the Season 2 premiere which aired on September 15, 1952, Lucy and Ethel (Vivian Vance) take jobs at Kramer’s Kandy Kitchen to prove to their husbands, Ricky and Fred (William Frawley), that they can handle the demands of working outside the home.

Assigned to wrap and dip chocolates on an assembly line, the pair fall hopelessly behind as the conveyor belt speeds up. Desperate to avoid letting any unwrapped candy pass by, they begin stuffing chocolates into their mouths, hats, and blouses. The resulting chaos became one of television's most beloved comedy scenes. But here's a fun backstage detail: to prepare for the sequence, Ball and Vance spent half a day learning to dip chocolates and work on the production line at a real See's Candies location in Los Angeles. Even more interesting, the woman working alongside Lucy in the scene was an actual See's Candies candy maker, Hazel Pierce .

5

Fred and Ethel viscerally despised each other in real life

Playing married couple Fred and Ethel onscreen, Frawley and Vance clashed throughout the show's six-season run. Vance was 42 and Frawley was 64 when the show started. She reportedly resented being cast opposite a man 22 years older and famously complained: "How will anyone believe I’m married to that old man?" Frawley overheard her complaints and was reportedly offended. He later made this pointed remark about Vance, "She's one of the finest girls to come out of Kansas, but I often wish she'd go back there."

Despite their bitter off-screen feud, both remained professional on set and delivered the comedic chemistry that made Fred and Ethel such a memorable couple. Vance later reportedly turned down a lucrative spin-off featuring the pair, along with a $50,000 bonus, because she didn't want to work with Frawley again.

6

Desi Arnaz’s deal that changed TV reruns forever

Desi Arnaz’s production decisions helped establish reruns as a profitable part of the industry. He insisted that I Love Lucy be filmed rather than broadcast live, helping shape the modern sitcom format. In the early 1950s, television shows were preserved only as low-quality kinescopes, recordings made by filming television screens.

Ball and Arnaz wanted high-quality recordings, so they were shot on 35mm film using a three-camera setup in front of a live studio audience. As part of their landmark deal with CBS, their production company, Desilu Productions, retained ownership of the film negatives, allowing the episodes to be rebroadcast. By 1955, I Love Lucy had become the first television series to be broadcast as reruns , helping pave the way for modern syndication.

7

Ricky Ricardo was almost named "Larry Lopez"

During the development of I Love Lucy, Ricky Ricardo was initially called Larry Lopez, but the name was changed for two main reasons.

First, the producers wanted to avoid confusion with Vincent Lopez, a well-known bandleader of the era. Second, they reportedly preferred the sound of "Lucy and Ricky" to "Lucy and Larry," since it sounded overly alliterative.

8

Lucy was not a natural redhead

Lucille Ball wasn't a natural redhead. Instead, she was a brunette who kept her brown hair during her early career, and also experimented with blonde shades before adopting the fiery red look that became her trademark.

Around 1943, she famously went red for her role in the Technicolor musical Du Barry Was a Lady. MGM hairstylist Sydney Guilaroff helped create the look , which Ball later maintained with a custom blend of henna and dye. Ultimately, her signature color was a carefully crafted Hollywood style, not her natural shade. And it worked.

9

Desi Arnaz used cushions to appear taller than Lucy

Desi Arnaz reportedly wore Cuban heels or other elevated footwear to help him appear taller alongside Lucille Ball. Although he stood around 5 feet 9 inches tall and Ball about 5 feet 7 inches in her stocking feet, her high heels could make her look taller than him.

The production team reportedly used another trick when the couple sat down : specially arranged cushions on the Ricardos’ couch and chairs helped maintain the desired height difference on screen and made it easier for Arnaz to stand up.

10

Lucy’s mother left her mark on the show’s soundtrack

Lucille Ball's mother, DeDe Ball, was a devoted supporter who reportedly attended the filming of almost every episode. Whenever her daughter landed in a comically awkward situation, DeDe would let out a distinctive "Uh-oh!" from her seat in the studio audience.

Sound engineer Glen Glenn reportedly liked the exclamation so much that he recorded it and incorporated it into the show's laughter track . Because the same recording was reused, DeDe's distinctive voice became part of the show's familiar soundtrack. The story even suggests that her "Uh-oh!" may have made its way into the soundtracks of other classic sitcoms over the years.