5 Facts About Kansas's Capital: How Well Do You Know Topeka?

Topeka is only the fourth-biggest city in Kansas, but it's certainly one of the most important. It's the state's capital, and it's where one of this country's most important Supreme Court cases (Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka in 1954) originated. For those who don't know much about Topeka, here are five facts about Kansas' capital city:

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1. Topeka has been the capital of Kansas since the state entered the Union in 1861, and according to various sources, its name, as translated from the local Native American dialect, means, "A good place to dig potatoes." It's also possible that it means "smoky hill" instead. As far as the potatoes are concerned, does Topeka still produce them? "I don't think we grow that many potatoes anymore," former mayor Bill Bunten told CNN in 2010 about the city's crop history. "The crops we have out here are wheat and corn and soybeans and alfalfa."

2. Cedar Crest, where the governor lives, is the smallest occupied governor's residence in the country, according to the Topeka Chamber of Commerce. Making matters more interesting is the fact that it actually sits on the country's largest piece of property for a governor's residence. The entire property is measured at 244 acres and overlooks the Kansas River.

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3. In 2010, Topeka temporarily changed its name to Google, Kansas, in order to curry favor with the powerful search engine giant. "It's just fun. We're having a good time of it," Bunten told CNN. "There's a lot of good things that are going on in our city." At the time, Bunten made sure to let his residents know that Google would not replace Topeka on a permanent basis. Google responded on that April Fool's Day by saying it would rename the company "Topeka."

4. The iconic mascot of MAD Magazine – Alfred E. Neuman with his "What, me worry?" grin – originated in Topeka. As the story goes, the kid whose face appeared on the cover of the magazine for decades was originally an advertising gimmick for a local dentist who billed himself "Painless Romaine" in the late 1800s.

5. In 1931, Topeka High School was erected, and it was the first high school ever to cost at least $1 million to build. The total cost was $1.75 million. At the time principal Willard Van Slyck said, "A million-dollar student body for a million-dollar high school."

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