The current state insect, pie, and folk dance are only a few of the things that would lose official status if this Illinois bill were to become law.

I now return to the critical project of covering the often-ridiculous official stuff of all 50 U.S. states, and, I have now decided, all our non-states as well. This time, it’s the District of Columbia. Although D.C. only has four…

Official nickname: "The First State" (it was the first to ratify the Constitution, on Dec. 7, 1787). Official state tree: the American holly. Official state flower: the peach blossom. Official state bird: the "Blue Hen chicken." From Delaware.gov: "Adopted on April 14,…

Official state flower: The white and lavender columbine. Actually, the identity of the Colorado state flower is not entirely clear. Section 24-80-905 does say it's "the white and lavender columbine," but that turns out to be a description, not a…