Julian Harper
Memphis is rich in history and was ground-zero for many "firsts" in the nation. Interested in learning more about Memphis or just want to settle a bet? See our big list of fascinating facts and Memphis trivia below.
Memphis is rich in history and was ground-zero for many "firsts" in the nation. Interested in learning more about Memphis or just want to settle a bet? See our big list of fascinating facts and Memphis trivia below.
Did You Know?
- "Memphis” is mentioned in more than 1,000 song lyrics and titles, according to Billboard Magazine – more than any other city in the world.
- Memphis is named after the ancient Egyptian city Memphis which was on the Nile like how the Mississippi River is to Memphis.
- Elvis Presley, the King of Rock 'n' Roll, made Memphis his home after his family moved to the city from Tupelo, Mississippi in 1948.
- Home to Graceland, home of Elvis Presley, the second most visited private home in the United States next to the White House in Washington, D.C.
- The name Memphis means Established and Beautiful.
- Memphis is the Pork Barbecue Capital of the World with 101+ BBQ joints.
- Memphis is home to FedEx, the world's largest overnight package delivery company.
- Memphis is home to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, founded in 1962, by entertainer Danny Thomas. St. Jude is one of the world's premier centers for research and treatment of catastrophic diseases in children.
- In 1879, Memphis lost its city charter due to a yellow fever epidemic. Robert R. Church, the South’s first African American millionaire, was the first citizen to buy a $1,000 bond to help restore the city’s charter.
- The largest maritime disaster in the history of the United States happened on the Mississippi River near Memphis. The Sultana, a side-wheel steamboat carrying Union soldiers, exploded killing an estimated 1,800 of the 2,427 passengers. The tragedy was widely overshadowed in the press because the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln occurred the day before.
- Memphis has one of the top urban park systems in the nation, Shelby Farms Park, covering 7,000 acres.
- Many celebrities have ties to Memphis such as Academy Award-winning actress Kathy Bates, Julien Baker, Justin Timberlake, Aretha Franklin, Cybill Shepherd, Michael Jeter, Tim McCarver, Morgan Freeman, The Bar-Kays, Tim Howard, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Isaac Bruce, Three 6 Mafia, NLE Choppa, William Eggleston, Lucy Hale, Moneybagg Yo, Al Green, and many more.
- Holiday Inn, the world’s first modern-day hotel chain, was founded in Memphis by Kemmons Wilson in 1952.
- Memphis was the largest spot cotton market in the world, with nearly half of the U.S. cotton crop going through Memphis.
The Traveling Child
Allen Gillespie
Andrea Zucker
- Piggly Wiggly, the first self-service grocery store opened in Memphis in 1916.
- Music producer Sam Phillips released the first rock ‘n’ roll record, “Rocket 88,” in 1951.
- Memphian “Machine Gun Kelly” was the nation’s first “Public Enemy Number One” and the first one captured by the FBI – in Memphis, in 1934.
- Stax Records was named after the brother and sister founders, Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton. Each took the first two letters of their last name to spell “Stax.”
- Memphis is the site for some major motion picture films: Great Balls of Fire, Silence of the Lambs, The Firm, The Client, A Family Thing, The People VS Larry Flynt, Cookie's Fortune, Cast Away, 21 Grams, 40 Shades of Blue, Walk the Line, Hustle & Flow and Black Snake Moan.
- Volney, the lion who roared at the beginning of all the old MGM movies, lived at the Memphis Zoo until his death in 1944.
- The four artists known as the Million Dollar Quartet are Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis. Recreate the famous photo at the same spot and patio at Sun Studio.
- At the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, you can currently see the Oscar that was awarded to Isaac Hayes for “Theme from Shaft.”
- WDIA, the first African American-formatted radio station, first reached listeners in Memphis and throughout the Mississippi Delta in 1954.
- Tom Lee Park, located on the bank of the Mississippi River (which recently underwent a $61 million facelift) is named after the hero that saved 32 people from drowning when the steamship Norman sunk in the Mississippi River.
Your Guide To
Downtown Memphis' Biggest Attractions
- On July 5, 1954, an unknown Elvis Presley recorded “That’s All Right” at Sun Studio, sparking the rock ‘n’ roll era and launching his career.
- Overton Park Shell in Overton Park, home to the city’s mega popular free concert series, is the venue where Elvis Presley gave his first professional rock ‘n’ roll performance. Take a Backstage Experience Tour to learn about all the famous performers that took this stage.
- A. Schwab, a famous dry goods store is the only original remaining business on Beale Street.
- The original Duckmaster at The Peabody Hotel was Edward Pembroke a former animal trainer in the circus, who marched the ducks for more than 50 years.
- The Peabody Ducks do not have individual names. However, the very first team of ducks were Peabody, Gayoso, and Chisca - named for the three hotels owned by the Memphis Hotel Company in 1933.
- Duck is not served anywhere at The Peabody, and has not been seen on the hotel's menus since its 1981 reopening, quite possibly making the hotel’s restaurant, Chez Philippe, the only French restaurant in the world that does not serve duck.
- Sun Studio, is still an active recording studio today. The studio offers tours during the day and rents out the studio to bands in the evening.
- Justin Timberlake was born in Millington, TN, a suburb of Memphis. He attended E. E. Jeter Elementary school in Millington. Today, he established a golf course, Mirimichi, which is located in his former neighborhood.
- Memphis is home to Willie Mitchell’s Royal Studios, where Al Green, one of the most popular and successful recording artists in Memphis music history, recorded.
- Drake recorded his music video, “Worst Behavior” at Royal Studios in 2013. In 2014 Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars used the studio to record Grammy-winning tune “Uptown Funk.”
- Rock legend, Boz Scaggs, recorded his new album Memphis at legendary Royal Studios in Memphis, Tenn.
- The Metal Museum in Memphis is the only institution in the United States devoted exclusively to the art and craft of fine metalwork.
- The annual Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest hosts visitors from all 50 states and numerous countries.
- The American Queen, the largest paddlewheel steamboat on the Mississippi River, calls Memphis its home port.
- The Green Beetle, located in South Main, is the oldest tavern in Memphis. Legend has it that former Memphian, Machine Gun Kelly, had a shoot-out here and bullets are still lodged in the walls.
- The Chisca Hotel was the broadcasting home of WHBQ’s world famous radio program, “Red, Hot, and Blue” hosted by Dewey Phillips. The first ever radio broadcast of Elvis Presley’s “That’s All Right” occurred at Hotel Chisca in 1954.
- Central Station, located in South Main, is the train station where Elvis Presley returned to Memphis after his army stint in Germany. Today, Central Station has been converted into a stylish hotel with Eight & Sand bar & lounge, home to a one-of-a-kind, Memphis inspired vinyl record collection, listening room, and live DJ’s.
- Earnestine & Hazel’s, located in South Main, is a gritty juke joint that used to be a brothel. Esquire Magazine named it the second coolest bar in America.
- The Arcade Restaurant, located in South Main, is the oldest restaurant in Memphis, which opened in 1919. Because of its authentic décor, it’s served as the backdrop in more than 40 films.
- The Memphis Redbirds, which play in downtown’s AutoZone Park, are the AAA baseball affiliate to the St. Louis Cardinals.
Want More? Memphis has
60+ Unique Attractions
- In 2013, ESPN the Magazine named the Memphis Grizzlies the No. 1 sports franchise.
- The National Civil Rights Museum, located at the site of the Lorraine Motel where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated on April 4, 1968, is noted as one of the nation's premier heritage and cultural museums.
- The Memphis Music Hall of Fame, founded in 2012, honors many of the greatest musicians of all time who created the city’s musical legacy. Inductees include Elvis Presley, Rufus Thomas, Otis Redding, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and B.B. King.
- Memphis' Blues Hall of Fame is the only museum of its kind in the world.
- The 9th tallest pyramid in the world can be found in Memphis. The Memphis Pyramid is 32 stories tall. Originally opened as a concert venue, today it is home to a wilderness-inspired Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid.
- Memphis has one of the largest artesian well systems in the world. This aquifer contains more than 100 trillion gallons of water that fell to the earth as long as 2,000 years ago. It first became available to the city in 1887.
- Memphis' Official City flower is a shrub, the crepe myrtle.
- Memphis' Official City tree is the dogwood.
- Memphis is the home of the first Greyhound and Continental Trailways bus lines.
- Memphis is the only five-time winner of the nation's cleanest city award.
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