1

Hoosier

Image: Corbin Mathias

Until recently, the United States Government Publishing Office (or USGPO) still recommended Indianian as the demonym for the state of Indiana, but its residents have been calling themselves Hoosiers for nearly two centuries. While no one really knows where the term originated, it was popularized by John Finley’s poem "The Hoosier's Nest", and Indiana has long been known as "The Hoosier State".

2

Bay Stater

Image: Pascal Bernardon

The USGPO might recommend the use of Massachusettsan , but the people of Massachussets strongly disagree. State laws and regulations officially refer to its residents as Bay Staters , after a common nickname for the state. Given that Massachusetts is formally a Commonwealth, the law also uses the phrase Citizen of the Commonwealth , but it's kind of a mouthful for everyday purposes. We’ll stick with Bay Stater.

3

Accidental

Image: Jeff McLain

One of the earliest settlements in Maryland, the town of Accident is not very big, but it makes up for it with its peculiar name. Naturally, the corresponding demonym for its residents is Accidental , though some sources also claim that the citizens of Accident are to be called Accidents .

4

Granite Stater

Image: Mark König

Much like Bay Staters, the residents of New Hampshire tend to disagree with the USGPO when it comes to their demonym. The official version is New Hampshirite (for the Federal Government, at least ), but locals favor the term Granite Stater , derived from New Hampshire’s nickname, "The Granite State".

5

Truth-or-Consequencesan

Image: Lachlan Donald

When the town of Hot Springs, New Mexico, decided to change its name to Truth or Consequences for a radio show contest, they either forgot to consider their new demonym or didn’t really care. While they are technically Truth-or-Consequencesans , they refer to the town as T or C, so they say that they are Residents of T or C .

6

Phoenician

Image: iStrfry , Marcus

Weren’t the Phoenicians an ancient civilization that created the earliest form of our alphabet? Yes, but those lived in ancient Phoenicia. The Phoenicians we are talking about are the residents of Phoenix, Arizona. Some claim that Zoner and Zonan are also common nicknames, but those could be used for any Arizona resident.

7

Nutmegger

Image: julio angel berroa

Connecticut might be officially known as "The Constitution State", but it’s also called "The Nutmeg State". The origin of this nickname varies according to the sources, but most point to a common scam where Connecticut peddlers would sell wooden nutmegs as the real thing. No matter the story, many Connecticut residents favor the demonym Nutmegger over the USGPO-recommended Connecticuter .

8

Yoopers

Image: Brad Switzer

Let’s be frank, some of the less-used variants for Michigan’s demonym sound really funny: think Michiganese , Michigine , and Michigoose (as a female version for Michi_gander_). But official names aside, residents of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula commonly refer to themselves as Yoopers , a derivative of U.P. (Upper Peninsula). Rumor has it that they call those from the Lower Peninsula Trolls , because they live ‘under the bridge’, but we can’t attest to this being true.

9

Jayhawk

Image: Nils Huenerfuerst

Nowadays, Jayhawk is a common way to refer to residents from Kansas, but this term didn’t always have a positive connotation. Its original form, Jayhawker, used to refer to thieves, and was used derogatively by Confederates to talk about the anty-slavery militias from Kansas. After the Civil War, Kansans appropriated the term as a memento of their state’s contributions to the war.

10

Lanstronaut

Image: Mick Haupt

Officially, if you live in Lansing, Michigan, you are a Lansingite . However, many Lansing residents have taken to using the term Lanstronaut in recent years, despite Lansing having more to do with the car industry than with space.

1

Federal Style

Image: Khay Edwards

It emerged after the American Revolution. The Federal style gave the young nation its first distinctly American architectural voice. You can recognize it for its symmetry, fanlights above doors, delicate columns, and Palladian windows.

Famous examples include the Massachusetts State House in Boston and early townhouses in Washington, D.C.

2

Greek Revival

Image: Wilmer Olano

The U.S. Capitol is a hallmark example of the Greek Revival style. In the early 19th century, Americans embraced this design as a symbolic nod to democracy , borrowing the grandeur of ancient temples.

Tall Doric or Ionic columns, triangular pediments, and white-painted façades became common in courthouses and banks.

3

Gothic Revival

Image: Joseph Barrientos

Pointed arches, steep gables, and intricate wooden trim turned homes and churches into miniature medieval castles. The Gothic Revival style brought a romantic, storybook quality to American landscapes in the mid-1800s.

New York’s Trinity Church is a famous example of this style’s grandeur.

4

Italianate

Image: Nikhil Mistry

By the mid-1800s, Italianate houses became a staple in American cities, drawing from the romantic look of Italian villas. They feature low-pitched or flat roofs, wide eaves with ornate brackets, and tall arched windows.

San Francisco’s "Painted Ladies" rowhouses are iconic examples. This style was rooted in European design, but it flourished in the U.S. as an urban favorite for middle-class families.

5

American Craftsman

Image: Sieuwert Otterloo

Born from the Arts and Crafts movement, the Craftsman style celebrated simplicity , natural materials, and honest workmanship. Low-pitched gabled roofs, exposed beams, wide porches, and built-in furniture became trademarks.

Pasadena’s Gamble House is one of the best-known examples.

6

American Foursquare

Image: Praswin Prakashan

Practical and no-nonsense, the American Foursquare dominated neighborhoods from the 1890s through the 1930s. Its hallmark was a simple boxy shape with four rooms per floor, a wide front porch, and a hipped roof with a central dormer.

Chicago and Midwestern towns saw countless examples rise quickly thanks to mail-order kits from Sears. It became the quintessential "everyman’s house."

7

Prairie School

Image: WOKANDAPIX

Frank Lloyd Wright and his contemporaries pioneered the Prairie School, reshaping American architecture at the turn of the 20th century. Its designs emphasized horizontal lines, low-pitched roofs, open interiors, and harmony with the landscape.

Wright’s Robie House in Chicago is a textbook example. The style was deeply tied to the Midwest, reflecting its wide, flat horizons.

8

Mission Revival

Image: Jim Witkowski

Inspired by California’s Spanish missions , Mission Revival emerged in the late 19th century with stucco walls, red tile roofs, arches, and bell towers. Iconic examples include the Mission Inn in Riverside, California, and numerous railway hotels in the Southwest.

It became especially popular in California and the Southwest for homes and public buildings.

9

Art Deco

Image: William Wachter

Though the Art Deco style was born in France, some of the world’s most famous representative buildings stand in America. The details of New York’s Chrysler Building are a clear example, with sleek, geometric forms, vertical emphasis, and stylized ornamentation.

The Empire State Building and the Miami Art Deco District are other remarkable examples.

10

Ranch

Image: Brian Wangenheim

The Ranch style spread across postwar suburbs, focused on casual, single-story living with long, low profiles and open floor plans. Large windows and sliding glass doors connected indoor spaces to backyards.

Classic examples appear throughout California, such as Eichler homes in the Bay Area.

1

Banana duct‑taped to a wall

The world was shocked in 2024 when an infamous piece consisting of a banana stuck to a wall via a piece of tape was sold… for $6.24 million !

The buyer was Justin Sun, a crypto mogul who saw it as a powerful statement of art and cryptocurrency culture. It was the certificate of authenticity he cared for, not the fruit itself.

2

Britney Spears’ chewing gum

Pop stars do drive their fans crazy. Apparently, people are willing to pay any sum for anything they allegedly touched. That was made sufficiently clear when a piece of chewing gum, reportedly chewed by Britney Spears , sold on eBay for $14,000.

3

A Virgin Mary grilled cheese sandwich

You might remember this story spreading through the internet many years ago. In 2004, a grilled cheese sandwich became famous because someone noticed, halfway through eating it, that it bore the burnt image of the Virgin Mary .

GoldenPalace.com, an online casino notorious for quirky purchases, bought it on eBay for $28,000.

4

Princess Diana’s sweatshirt

How much would you pay for a fleece sweatshirt worn by beloved Princess Diana ? In an auction held in Beverly Hills in 2025, a buyer paid $221,000 for it. The sale of several of her old belongings totaled around $5 million.

5

A ghost town

A ghost town named Buford, Wyoming, was sold for $900,000 in 2012. Its population was one person, and it was nicknamed "the smallest town in America."

The winning bidder was Vietnamese entrepreneur Pham Dinh Nguyen, who purchased the 10-acre hamlet to launch PhinDeli Coffee. It might have all been a very expensive marketing stunt.

6

Wallace Hartley’s Titanic violin

A relic from the Titanic’s fateful maiden voyage fetched a remarkable $1.7 million in 2013. It was the violin that belonged to bandleader Wallace Hartley , who famously played music to calm passengers as the ship sank.

This one is not an odd object, but it shows how much value a well-told story can add!

7

Darth Vader’s mask

Darth Vader’s original screen-worn helmet sold for around $1 million. The iconic mask came up for auction along with several other Star Wars treasures, each piece triggering nostalgic gasps among wealthy fans. Of all the memorabilia sold, this one fetched the highest price .

8

Olivia Newton-John’s jacket and pants from Grease

In a Beverly Hills auction, Olivia Newton-John’s iconic black jacket and pants from the legendary film Grease sold for a cool $405,700. The dark uniform represented the rebellious transformation of her character, Sandy Olsson. Pop culture and movie magic combined!

9

The "Del Monte Note"

Back in 2003, a curious item known as the "Del Monte note" sold on eBay for $10,100. It was a piece of currency featuring a rare, collectible Del Monte label, famous for its canned fruits and vegetables.

What made it stand out was the mystery surrounding the random tag, which intrigued collectors. Another example of an inflated myth summoning a fortune!

10

Lincoln’s last gloves

Dark and gory. In 2025, a pair of white leather gloves worn by Abraham Lincoln the night he was assassinated at Ford’s Theatre, sold for $1.52 million at a Chicago auction.

The gloves were the top lot among 144 items aimed at helping the Lincoln Presidential Foundation repay an $8 million loan.