Ohio – The 17th State

Born from the frontier. Forged by industry. Loved by legends.

Ohio didn't just make history — it shaped it.

The Flag

Ohio is the only state in the union with a non-rectangular flag. The Ohio Burgee — its swallowtail pennant — is as distinctive as the state itself. The 17 stars honor Ohio's place as the 17th state admitted to the Union in 1803. The red circle and white center represent the eye of the buckeye — bold, unmistakable, and uniquely Ohio.

8 Presidents Called Ohio Home

No state has produced more U.S. Presidents per capita than Ohio. Eight commanders-in-chief walked these grounds:

• Ulysses S. Grant — Point Pleasant
• Rutherford B. Hayes — Delaware
• James A. Garfield — Orange Township
• Benjamin Harrison — North Bend
• William McKinley — Niles
• William Howard Taft — Cincinnati
• Warren G. Harding — Blooming Grove
• Warren G. Harding — Blooming Grove

Ohio didn't just send people to Washington — it sent leaders who defined eras.

Ohio Vice Presidents

Ohio didn't just produce presidents — it produced the men who stood one heartbeat away:

• Thomas A. Hendricks — Born in Muskingum County, Ohio. Vice President under Grover Cleveland in 1885. A respected statesman who made his mark on the Democratic Party, Hendricks tragically died in office just nine months into his term — but his Ohio roots were never forgotten.
• Charles W. Fairbanks — Born in Unionville Center, Ohio. Vice President under Theodore Roosevelt (1905–1909). A conservative statesman and U.S. Senator from Indiana, Fairbanks was one of the most influential political figures of his era — and Ohio gave him his start.

Music Born in Ohio

Ohio's soundtrack runs deep. The state gave the world:

• The Isley Brothers — Born and raised in Lincoln Heights, Cincinnati. From Shout to Between the Sheets, their music spanned decades, genres, and generations. Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees and architects of soul, funk, and R&B.
• Nancy Wilson — Chillicothe, Ohio. Three Grammy Awards. A voice that moved effortlessly between jazz, blues, pop, and soul across five decades.
• Shirley Murdock — Toledo, Ohio. Best known for the smoldering R&B hit As We Lay. A gospel-rooted powerhouse whose voice left a permanent mark on 1980s R&B.
• Roger & Zapp — Dayton, Ohio. Masters of the talk box, architects of electro-funk. From More Bounce to the Ounce to Doo Wa Ditty — a groove that never fades.
• Boz Scaggs — Ohio-rooted. Silk Degrees — one of the best-selling records of the 1970s. Lowdown and Lido Shuffle still hit.
• Bootsy Collins — Cincinnati funk legend, Parliament-Funkadelic icon
• The Deele — Cincinnati R&B group that launched Babyface and L.A. Reid
• Midnight Star — Cincinnati's electro-funk powerhouse, Freak-a-zoid
• Ohio Players — Dayton's funk titans. Fire. Love Rollercoaster. Blueprint of 1970s funk.
• Devo — Akron's art-rock pioneers
• The O'Jays — Canton's soul group, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees
• Dean Martin — Steubenville crooner, Rat Pack royalty
• Nine Inch Nails — Trent Reznor, Cleveland-raised, genre-defining
• Tracy Chapman — Cleveland, voice of a generation
• John Legend — Springfield, EGOT winner

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame isn't in Cleveland by accident.

Silver Screen & Stage Ohio

Hollywood and the entertainment world have deep Ohio roots:

• Tim Conway — Willoughby, Ohio. One of the greatest comedic talents in television history. His work on The Carol Burnett Show is the gold standard of live sketch comedy — six Emmy Awards and a legacy of laughter that never gets old.
• Phyllis Diller — Lima, Ohio. Trailblazing stand-up comedian who shattered the boys' club of comedy and paved the way for every female comic who followed. Fearless, hilarious, and completely original.
• Phil Donahue — Cleveland, Ohio. The godfather of daytime talk television. Before there was Oprah, there was Donahue — a pioneer who brought serious conversation, audience participation, and real issues to the living room screen.
• Paul Newman — Cleveland. Icon.
• Halle Berry — Cleveland. Oscar winner.
• Drew Carey — Cleveland. Comedy legend.
• Steven Spielberg — Cincinnati-born, world-renowned director
• Clark Gable — Cadiz. Hollywood's original leading man.
• Arsenio Hall — Cleveland. Late-night trailblazer.

Ohio Sports Legends

Ohio doesn't just produce history — it produces champions.

• Pete Rose — Cincinnati's own Charlie Hustle. Baseball's all-time hits leader with 4,256 career hits, a World Series champion, and three-time batting champion.
• Edwin Moses — Dayton-born. Two Olympic gold medals and 122 consecutive undefeated races from 1977 to 1987.
• Paul Warfield — Warren, Ohio. Hall of Fame wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins.
• Archie Griffin — Columbus, Ohio. The only two-time Heisman Trophy winner in college football history — 1974 and 1975 with Ohio State.
• Jerry Lucas — Middletown, Ohio. Led Ohio State to the 1960 NCAA Championship. Seven-time NBA All-Star and Basketball Hall of Famer.
• Ben Roethlisberger — Findlay, Ohio. Two-time Super Bowl champion quarterback. Ohio made him first.
• LeBron James — Akron, Ohio. Four-time NBA champion. Came back and delivered Cleveland its first championship in 52 years.

The History

Ohio entered the Union on March 1, 1803 — the 17th state, carved from the Northwest Territory. It was the first state formed from that territory, a gateway between the original colonies and the expanding American frontier.

Ohio built America's backbone — steel mills in Youngstown, rubber in Akron, aviation in Dayton where the Wright Brothers first dreamed of flight. Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, was born in Wapakoneta, Ohio. John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth, called New Concord home.

Ohio is where ambition meets grit. Where history doesn't just happen — it's made.

• Premium heavyweight cotton — structured fit, built to last
• Bold Ohio state graphic — proud, editorial, unapologetic
• For natives, transplants, and everyone who knows Ohio hits different

Birthplace of aviation. Home of presidents. State of legends. This is Ohio.