| | Having been previously a French and later a Spanish colony, it is the one part of Alabama where [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholicism]] is strong in the otherwise Protestant-dominated state (the Archdiocese of Mobile, which oversees all Catholic churches in Alabama and neighboring [[Mississippi]], is located there). | | Having been previously a French and later a Spanish colony, it is the one part of Alabama where [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholicism]] is strong in the otherwise Protestant-dominated state (the Archdiocese of Mobile, which oversees all Catholic churches in Alabama and neighboring [[Mississippi]], is located there). |
| − | It claims to have hosted the first [[Mardi Gras]] celebration in 1703, and to this day continues to host them; unlike the better-known ones in [[New Orleans]] (which are often filled with debauchery), most of Mobile's celebrations are family friendly. (The history of Mardi Gras between the two cities led [[Amtrak]] to name its train route that runs between them ''Mardi Gras Service''; the route also stops at [[Bay St. Louis, Mississippi|Bay St. Louis]], [[Gulfport, Mississippi|Gulfport]], [[Biloxi, Mississippi|Biloxi]], and [[Pascagoula, Mississippi}Pascagoula]].) | + | It claims to have hosted the first [[Mardi Gras]] celebration in 1703, and to this day continues to host them; unlike the better-known ones in [[New Orleans]] (which are often filled with debauchery), most of Mobile's celebrations are family friendly. (The history of Mardi Gras between the two cities led [[Amtrak]] to name its train route that runs between them ''Mardi Gras Service''; the route also stops at [[Bay St. Louis, Mississippi|Bay St. Louis]], [[Gulfport, Mississippi|Gulfport]], [[Biloxi, Mississippi|Biloxi]], and [[Pascagoula, Mississippi|Pascagoula]].) |
| | Five members of the Baseball Hall of Fame came from Mobile: [[Hank Aaron]], [[Willie McCovey]], [[Satchel Paige]], [[Ozzie Smith]], and [[Billy Williams]]. Only the much larger cities of [[New York City]] and [[Chicago]] have more. | | Five members of the Baseball Hall of Fame came from Mobile: [[Hank Aaron]], [[Willie McCovey]], [[Satchel Paige]], [[Ozzie Smith]], and [[Billy Williams]]. Only the much larger cities of [[New York City]] and [[Chicago]] have more. |