Alabama

Alabama had four other capitals before Montgomery. Saint Stephens was the first capital of the territory of Alabama which was founded in 1817. This was followed by Huntsville two years later when Alabama became the 22nd state in the Union. Cahaba became the state capital one year after that, then, in 1826, Tuscaloosa took its place. Montgomery has been the state capital since 1846. It was also the capital city of the Confederate States of America for a brief period during the American Civil War

The Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus) is a native of Alabama. It is also the official insect of Minnesota, Illinois and Idaho

The original flag, which was adopted in 1861, was blue and depicted the goddess of liberty holding a sword and a banner marked with the word "Alabama". Above this were written the words "Independent Now and Forever". The reverse of the flag differed from the front, showing a cotton plant, a rattlesnake and the words "Touch Me Not" written in Latin.

The current flag was adopted in 1895. The cross of Saint Andrew is reminiscent of the cross on the Confederate flag. It might also be inspired by the Spanish flag of Burgundy (which had been used in Alabama before the 19th century) or the flag of Scotland, as at one time one third of inhabitants of the South Eastern part of the USA were descended from Scottish ancestors

Condoleezza Rice was born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1954. She was a professor of political science at Stanford University before she joined President GW Bush's administration as National Security Advisor. She succeeded Colin Powell as the US Secretary of State in 2005 and she remained in that position until 2009

The building is owned by the Retirement Systems of Alabama and it was constructed between the 7th of November 2003 and the 16th of September 2006. It replaced the Wells Fargo Tower in Birmingham (which is 454 feet or 138 m tall) as Alabama's tallest building

The belief that Alabama means "here we rest" comes from an 1842 article in the Jacksonville Republican. However, experts have been unable to find any connection. It is now thought that the words come from the Choctaw language and is best translated as "thicket-clearers"

The Yellowhammer's correct name is the Northern Flicker and Alabama is often called the Yellowhammer State. The Western Meadowlark is the state bird of Wyoming, Oregon, North Dakota, Nebraska, Montana and Kansas, whilst the Eastern Goldfinch is the state bird of Iowa and New Jersey. The Canary is not native to the USA

The motto is derived from a 1781 poem written by the British philologist Sir William Jones, part of which says:

"Men, who their duties know,
But know their rights, and, knowing, dare maintain,
Prevent the long-aimed blow,
And crush the tyrant while they rend the chain."

The Director of the Alabama Department of Archives and History, Marie Bankhead Owen, together with Professor WB Saffold, of the University of Alabama, changed these lines into the current motto

She was born in Tuscumbia, Alabama in 1880, but when she was just 19 months old Helen suffered from an illness which left her both deaf and blind for the rest of her life. Despite this (and with the help of her tutor who was also blind) she not only gained her degree, but also went on to become an author and a political activist. Her birthday on the 27th of June 27 commemorated as Helen Keller Day in the state of Pennsylvania

Birmingham, Alabama, was founded in 1871 as a centre for mining, railways, iron and industrialisation. It was named after the city of Birmingham in England which was well noted as a major industrial site