Alabama often gets a bad rap over many things, especially when it falls near the bottom of national rankings in some education and wellness metrics, for example. The good news? Alabama is both exceptional and extraordinary in many ways.

Far more compelling stories emerge when you look beyond numbers to our history, natural assets, economy, and most of all – people. That's where you'll find plenty to be proud of throughout history up to today. With that in mind, consider this round-up of unique facts about Alabama you might not have heard before.

1. Alabama was the first state to make Christmas a legal holiday.

In 1836, Alabama declared Christmas a legal holiday, which was not recognized as such at the federal level until 1870. It seems fitting that the now-classic Christmas film "A Christmas Story," released in 1983, has two significant Alabama connections. Director Bob Clark, who co-wrote the screenplay, grew up in Birmingham. Actress Melinda Dillon, who played Ralphie’s mom, grew up in Cullman.

2. Alabama – Birmingham, specifically – is the only place in the world where you'll find the raw, natural resources to make iron and steel all in one spot.

The central Alabama city and surrounding area are rich in iron ore, coal, and limestone, which made it the nation's leader in iron and steel production the late 19th century.

3. You can thank Alabamians for windshield wipers and automotive air bags.

Two of the most enduring automotive safety features came about because of innovative Alabamians. First, Greene County native Mary Anderson grew up to patent the windshield wipers in 1903. Anderson's invention grew in popularity along with the rise of automobiles. She was a 2011 National Inventors Hall of Fame Inductee. Fast forward many years later, and Montrose native George F. Kirchoff led teams that invented automotive airbags, which the industry began to roll out in the late 1980s.

4. The Wright Brothers initially chose Alabama for the first flight school in the country.

Seven years after their first successful flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, aviation pioneers Wilbur and Orville Wright opened the country's first flying school in Montgomery, Alabama. The site is now part of Maxwell Air Force Base. The goal was to train pilots to perform exhibitions to support plane sales. While the school only lasted a few months, some of the first night flights on record happened there.

5. Alabama is home to the nation’s oldest baseball park.

Birmingham's Rickwood Field opened in 1910, predating Boston's Fenway Park by two years and Chicago's Wrigley Field by four. The concrete and steel park was home to the Coal Barons Baseball team owned by Rick Woodward. Many of the sport's greatest players have graced the field, including Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, and "Shoeless" Joe Jackson.

6. Sylacauga marble, world-renowned for its purity and quality, can be found in some of the nation's most significant buildings.

Most of the U.S. Supreme Court Building interior, including its spectacular Grand Hall, is made entirely of marble that can only be sourced in the Talladega County city of Sylacauga. Discovered at the turn of the 19th century, it's our official state rock and considered the world's whitest. The court is one of many high-profile places you'll see it, from the glowing, translucent ceiling of the Lincoln Memorial to Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House in Manhattan.

7. Alabama's Tuskegee Institute revolutionized agriculture and education and trained the first U.S. African American military aviators during World War II.

The scope of the institute's economic and societal contributions is vast. Booker T. Washington founded the institute in 1881 and attracted elite educators, most notably scientist and inventor George Washington Carver. Known today as Tuskegee University, the campus has been a designated national historic site since 1974.

8. We have exclusive, endangered salamanders.

Alabama is the fourth most biodiverse state in the nation and at the top of the list for having the most of certain species, like snails. Meanwhile, we have some special salamanders you can only find here, and we go to great lengths to protect them for the sake of our unique ecosystem. On land, we have the Red Hills Salamander, endemic to a region of southwest Alabama near Monroeville. In the water, there are the Black Warrior Waterdogs, which confine themselves to the streams of the Black Warrior River Basin in the west-central to north-central sections of the state.

9. The first first 911 call happened in Alabama.

We have a lot of firsts in Alabama, so it may not surprise you we were first in emergency first response communications, too. In early 1968, Alabama Telephone Company President B.W. Gallagher didn't appreciate seeing it in the newspaper first that AT&T was working with the FCC to bring about a national 911 system. So they set up their own. A month later, State Senator Rankin Fite placed the first test call from the Haleyville mayor's office to the local police office, where U.S. Rep. Tom Bevill answered.

Did you know about these facts about Alabama? Tell us your favorites, and, by all means, share others with us. Plan an adventure to explore some of the noted cities and sites, and you're almost guaranteed to pick up a wealth of knowledge along the way.