Baseball Hall of Famers from 40 States, Nine Countries

It’s Hall of Fame weekend in Cooperstown, New York. Craig Biggio, Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, and John Smoltz will join an exclusive club of just over 300 former baseball players, managers, umpires, and executives elected by baseball writers over the last 79 years. With the help of Baseball Reference, we’ve compiled the birthplaces of every Hall of Famer, from Aaron (Hank) to Yount (Robin). Explore the map below and use BatchGeo’s group selection feature to narrow by election year, type, and role.

View Baseball Hall of Famers by Birthplace in a full screen map

The Hall of Fame originated in 1936. The first inductees were mostly from the northeast. The exceptions were Walter Johnson (1936, Kansas), Ty Cobb (1936, Georgia), and Tris Speaker (1937, Texas). The next 30 years saw a midwestern and southern expansion, with a handful of Californians thrown in here and there.

There are only 17 people elected from outside the US, including only one player from the eastern hemisphere (Bert Blyleven, born in The Netherlands). The first foreign induction overall was in just the third year of the Hall. Henry Chadwick, famous for cultivating America’s interest in baseball, was born in England and voted in posthumously. It would take until 1973 for a foreign-born player to be elected to the hall. Roberto Clemente was born in Puerto Rico in 1934, and elected in special circumstances after he died in an off season airplane crash.

The only other player who entered the hall with a special election is Lou Gehrig. The Iron Horse abruptly retired early in the 1939 season due to weakened muscles from ALS, now commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. The typical five year waiting period was waived, and Gehrig was elected during December meetings of baseball writers that year.

Gehrig was born in New York City, along with seven other Hall of Famers. That city is second only to Chicago, which produced nine members of the Hall. If you consider the boroughs of Brooklyn (six) and Bronx (Frankie Frisch), the Big Apple is the leader. As a whole, The Empire State is tops with 31 Hall of Famers. Predictably, another populous state, California, comes in second at 24, followed by Illinois and Pennsylvania, both with 22.

Ten states have no natives in the Hall: Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, Utah, and Wyoming, you have some work to do.

One Does Not Simply “Live in Washington”

George Washington was the first president of the United States, but that was not his last official role in government. Just over a year into retirement, the nation’s second president, John Adams, asked Washington to return to his military roots. On July 13, 1798, the former president became Senior Officer of the Army, a role he kept until his death in 1799. This lesser-known role is probably not responsible for the more than 350 cities, towns, and peaks named after Washington, as plotted on the map below.

View Places Named After George Washington in a full screen map

One Does Not Simply Live in WashingtonAs you can see, one does not simply live in Washington, with so many places containing that name. Almost every state has a Washington to call home, though I’m not sure life on one of the 15 Mount Washingtons has the comforts most seek.

Remarkably, a supermajority of states have a Washington County. The 31 represented states are mostly in the eastern half of the country, though Colorado, Utah, Idaho, and Oregon represent in the west. Washington County is the most common county name, with four more states than Jefferson County.

Of the original 13 colonies, 11 have one or more place named after Washington. Delaware and South Carolina are the colonies that come up empty. Pennsylvania has several dozen, mostly townships, by far the most of any of the original colonies. Iowa has the most of any state, with 50 places, bolstered by 48 Washington Townships, including one in Washington County, Iowa. Indiana (49) and Ohio (48) are right behind, also mostly townships, often unincorporated or too small to be considered cities.

The state with the most places named after Washington that don’t include townships is Wisconsin, with 11. Still, that state has eight towns named Washington, Wisconsin, which is at best confusing. Undoubtedly the most interesting Washington, Wisconsin, has to be the one on an island at the mouth of Green Bay.

It’s not enough that the state of Washington is named after our first president. The state also is home to four different Mount Washingtons in different counties. The eponymous state also has a city with the president’s full name: George, Washington.

Alaska and Hawaii have no places named after our first president. Perhaps that’s expected since they’re both geographically remote and were not states until 1959. That said, their immediate predecessors in statehood, Arizona and New Mexico (both 1912), each have a Mount Washington.

However, if you’re in a state well over 100 years old, you may need to consult the map above the next time someone says, “let’s go to Washington.”

Every US Shark Attack Fatality Since 1900 on a Map

It’s that time of the year again. No, not 4th of July. It’s Shark Week. The annual Discovery Channel event is now aired all over the world. This summer in North America also marks the 40th anniversary of the shark-themed movie Jaws, so this seems a good time to look at a record of shark attacks over time in the United States. There’s really no better way to visualize these reported fatalities by shark than on a map.

View US Shark Attacks in a full screen map

Obviously, this phenomenon is restricted to coastal states—you’re safe from this disaster, Kansas! Hawaii leads the way, with its reputation for surfing and other water sports. Logically, the next two states, Florida and California, are likely to also have a lot of people in the water.

Despite the many markers that adorn this map, these are relatively few shark attack fatalities given that the data goes all the way back to 1900. There are only about 108 shark attacks worldwide, with a very few being fatal, according to World Animal Foundation. That said, the trend is rising, with the number previously well below 100.

New Jersey has relatively few attacks, with only 15 attacks ever, according to the International Shark Attack File (ISAF). However, the Jersey Shore became synonymous with sharks during a two week stretch 99 years ago. The series of four fatalities over 12 days in 1916 put panic into residents and became the inspiration for the movie Jaws.

The 1975 movie created a fear of the Great White Shark, which can grow up to 20 feet long. Most shark attack victims, especially the fatalities plotted on this map, cannot identify specific. The Great White’s 17 confirmed fatalities is second to the Tiger Shark’s 26. Most Tiger Shark attacks are in Hawaii. The Great White tends to live in colder waters, with most attacks occurring in California. There is some speculation that Great Whites are mistaken for Bull Sharks, which account for nine of the fatalities mapped. The ISAF also tracks fatal and non-fatal attacks by species.

Shark Fatalities by Year

When you consider the shark fatalities per year, as shown in the graph above, you realize just how rare it is for a human to have encounters with these large predatory fish. Most years see between zero and three shark fatalities. The blips in the chart showing more than usual attacks are 1905 (10), 1916 (4, all in New Jersey), and 1981 (4).

So, enjoy the shark-related programming this week, but don’t let it keep you from enjoying some time at the beach in the future.