Tacoma, WA

A plaque marks the spot where, on Oct. 18, 1893, Gen. Rossell O'Brien began the custom of standing for the Star Spangled Banner.

Rossel was the mayor of Tacoma at the time, so his opinion carried some weight. Not only did he stand, he proposed that everyone else should stand, too. His Civil War veteran buddies quickly adopted the practice, and soon it became a national custom.