12 Cool Things I Just Learned About Cleveland

We’ve combed the Internet for some cool Cleveland facts we think you’ll enjoy. We ended up finding WAY more than that. Here are 12 of our favorite discoveries:

• Cleveland is known as a rock n’ roll city, but it also plays host to the Cleveland Orchestra, widely considered one of the top 10 best orchestras in the world.

• “Cleveland” is spelled wrong. The city is named after Moses Cleaveland. The “a” was dropped by the Cleveland Advertiser newspaper, which didn’t have room in the masthead for the whole word, so they purposely misspelled it to make it fit. The misspelling stuck, and now we have a city with a misspelled name.

• The city’s official anthem is not “Cleveland Rocks,” it’s “Hang on Sloopy” by The McCoys.

• Cleveland’s Coburn Haskell invented the rubber core golf balls in use today. Prior to his invention, golf balls were filled with boiled feathers.

• Superman was invented in Cleveland by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, who created the character while they were still in high school.

• Cleveland was the first city in the United States to get free mail delivery. It also the first city with postal uniforms.

• The Care Bears, the colorful bears from the 1980s, were created right here in Cleveland by American Greetings.

• Cleveland is a bigger theater town than you realize. The city’s Playhouse Square is actually the largest performing arts center in the U.S. outside of Manhattan.

• When the Terminal Tower was completed in 1930 it was the second tallest building in the world. By the time it was officially dedicated, though, it had dropped to #4.

• The 1899, Cleveland Spiders were one of the worst baseball teams in history, going 20-134.

• Lake Erie is the most biologically productive of the Great Lakes, producing more fish than any of the others and boasting more fish than all the other Great Lakes combined.

• Live Savers candy, called that because they look like little life preservers, were invented by Clevelander Clarence A. Crane. He created them so he could have candy that wouldn’t melt in the summer.

Come See The Goonies for $1

Please RSVP to our Facebook event

The Goonies is an all-time classic and we wanted to present it in a theater so families could experience it together as it was meant to be seen. Please come out and enjoy this great movie with us for just $1 per ticket. Every dollar collected will be donated to the Chagrin Valley Jaycees Charitable Foundation.

This special screening is brought to you by Lyndall Insurance, Henry Real Estate Group - Chagrin Valley Real Estate, and the Gertsburg Law Firm Co., LPA 

Why those local businesses? All the principals - Craig Lyndall, Mike Henry, and Alex Gertsburg - wanted to create this fun family event for our own families as well as yours.

In addition to the movie, we'll be giving away Goonies prize packs and other goodies before the movie begins.

THERE WILL BE NO PRESALES. 

All admittance will be on a first-come, first-served basis, BUT between RSVPing to our Facebook Event (click/tap that link or the button toward the bottom of this page) and signing up below, we'll be sure to remind you ahead of time and let you know how crowded it looks like it could get.

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Your Name

First Name

Last Name

Email Address *

Number of Adults *

Number of Kids *

Thank you!

5 "Semi-Famous" People You Didn’t Know Were From Cleveland

In a big, rich city like Cleveland, it’s no surprise that more than a few famous names and faces have come from here. Chances are, you know many of the big ones already.

We bet there are a few you don’t know about, though. These are folks worth some attention, so here are five of our favorite famous folks you may not realize are from Cleveland:

Thurston Howell III

The name Jim Backus may or may not ring a bell, but we bet the name Thurston Howell III does. Backus played the lovable rich goofball from Gilligan’s Island, as well as voicing Mr. Magoo, playing James Dean’s dad in Rebel Without A Cause, and many more.

For a few decades, his face was one of the most recognizable in Hollywood. He’s also a Cleveland native! He was born here in 1913 and was raised in Bratenahl before getting into show business. Sadly, Backus, aka Thurston Howell, passed away in 1989.

That Guy From All Those Movies

No, not that guy...THAT guy (pictured above). You may not know Bill Cobbs’ name, but you certainly know his face. Cobbs is a journeyman actor who has had dozens of roles in movies you’ve seen, from Night at the Museum to Get Low, That Thing You Do, New Jack City, Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead, The Color of Money, and loads more, plus many TV appearances.

Cobbs was born in Cleveland in 1934, and even at 82 years old he’s still working today. The man is a workhorse! Google his name, you’ll recognize him.

That Gal From All Those Movies

No, not that gal, THAT gal. Kathryn Hahn is one of those actresses who you know when you see her, even if you can’t remember her name.

You’ve seen her in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, and other comedies, as well as Bad Moms, Tomorrowland, and more. Hahn wasn’t born here, but she grew up in Cleveland Heights and went to Beaumont School, making her a local through and through. Again, Google her and you’ll say, “Ooooh, HER!”

The Father of Neurosurgery

If you know someone who survived brain surgery, or who had brain tumors diagnosed via X-ray, chances are they have Cleveland native Harvey Cushing to thank for that. Born here in 1869, he was eventually hailed as the “Father of Neurosurgery” thanks to his pioneering insights and techniques.

He won Pulitzer Prizes, made major contributions to World Wars I and II, and did work that lead to countless lives being saved.

Not George R.R. Martin

Before George R.R. Martin set the world of fantasy on fire with Game of Thrones, there was Stephen R. Donaldson, whose wildly popular and often controversial Chronicles of Thomas Covenant series spanned 10 books of high adventure, magic, and unexpected deaths.  

Born in Cleveland in 1947, he knows the area well, even living under martial law in the days following the Kent State incident. He’s still working today.