On April 22, 1889, land opened for white settlement in Oklahoma. Some people entered in "sooner" than they were supposed to. They became known as Sooners. Eventually that nickname spread to all Oklahomans.
Oklahoma has produced more astronauts than any other state. These include Major General Thomas P. Stafford (Weatherford); Gordon Cooper (Shawnee); Owen Garriott (Enid); Shannon Lucid (Oklahoma City) and William Reid Pogue (Okemah).