Saints win. But who is the biggest loser?

After Green Bay, New Orleans is the smallest city to have won a Super Bowl. And given that the Green Bay Packers are Milwaukee's team too, New Orleans really ranks as THE smallest city to have won the big game. So here's the quiz: What is the largest U.S. city to have never had an NFL franchise? Los Angeles is the biggest city that currently has no NFL team, but what's the biggest city to never have had an NFL team? The map above is a hint. Answer: San Antonio.

Conan and Jay: coincidence or conspiracy?

The Conan and Jay conspiracy must be brought to light. Consider this: The two grew up down the road from each other (see map). The mascots of both of their high school teams are the "warriors." At about the time Jay was asked to leave the Tonight Show, the two high schools played in a major championship game. Jay's Andover Warriors were upset by Conan's Brookline Warriors 65-58. The name of the game: The Comcast Tournament Championship. Comcast of course, is trying to buy NBC. Is Jay's takeover of the Tonight Show simply payback for a stunning upset in a major basketball grudge match? I'm not sure, but the conspiracy theorists now have a lot of material to chew on.

Wolfman, Dracula, and Transylvania

With the new Wolfman movie coming out... and the neverending Twilight saga, it's worth revisiting the traditional home of the baddies: Transylvania. But you don't have to go to eastern Europe; look no further than Kentucky. It's true, Transylvania was the proposed name of a state that overlays much of Kentucky and Tennessee. This quite-serious statehood proposal was originally the idea of Daniel Boone. And yes, Boone was a real person, while Dracula and the Wolfman are not.... I hope. The full story is explained in Lost States--now available for pre-order (at right).

Presidential curiosity

OK, so which American president(s) never saw a new state added to the map in his lifetime? Note that I didn't say during his "term in office"... rather during his entire lifetime. The answer: only one president holds that honor: Barack Obama. Every other president lived through the addition of at least one new state. Insignificant trivia? Maybe. But adding new states was long a part of the American psyche. Now we live in a different America. Or do we? In a little-reported story, the Obama administration has advocated for discussing Puerto Rico's statehood. You can read more about it here

Haiti statehood

Haiti as the 51st state? That's what Rush Limbaugh thinks Democrats are angling for. You can listen to his theory here. As far-fetched as that is, a little historical perspective is in order. Haiti's island, Hispaniola, may be the only major island in the Caribbean that hasn't been considered for statehood. Cuba was quite seriously considered for statehood in the early 1900s. Puerto Rico continues to flirt with statehood. Many in the U.S. Virgin Islands would like to become the 51st state—but they know their population is too low. Even the Yucatan Peninsula wanted to join the United States back in the 1840s. Admittedly, Haiti doesn't have much of a shot in 2010, but if history is our guide, pretty much every Caribbean nation will get proposed at one time or another.