FamousLouisiana

Selected famous natives and residents:
Louisiana has a rich, colorful historical background. Early Spanish explorers were Alvárez Piñeda, 1519; [|Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca,] 1528; and [|Hernando de Soto] in 1541. [|Sieur de la Salle] reached the mouth of the [|Mississippi] and claimed all the land drained by it and its tributaries for [|Louis XIV of France] in 1682. Louisiana became a French crown colony in 1731 but was ceded to Spain in 1763 after the [|French and Indian Wars]. (The portion east of the Mississippi came under British control in 1764.) Louisiana reverted to France in 1800 and was sold by [|Napoleon] to the U.S. in 1803. The southern part, known as the territory of Orleans, became the state of Louisiana in 1812. During the [|Civil War], Louisiana joined the [|Confederacy] , but [|New Orleans] was captured by Union [|Adm. David Farragut] in April 1862. The state's economy suffered during [|Reconstruction] ; however, the situation improved at the turn of the 20th century, with the discovery of oil and natural gas and the growth of industry. Louisiana is a leader in natural gas, salt, petroleum, and sulfur production. Much of the oil and sulfur comes from offshore deposits. The state also produces large crops of sweet potatoes, rice, sugar cane, pecans, soybeans, corn, and cotton. Leading manufactured items include chemicals, processed food, petroleum and coal products, paper, lumber and wood products, transportation equipment, and apparel. 
 * **[|Louis Armstrong] ** //musician;//
 * **[|Truman Capote] ** //writer;//
 * **[|Fats Domino] ** //musician;//
 * **[|Bryant Gumbel] ** //TV newscaster;//
 * **[|Al Hirt] ** //trumpeter;//
 * **[|Mahalia Jackson] ** //gospel singer;//
 * **[|Jean Laffite] ** //privateer;//
 * **[|Jerry Lee Lewis] **<span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> //singer;//
 * **<span style="color: black; font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">[|Huey P. Long] **<span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> //politician;//
 * **<span style="color: black; font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">[|Wynton Marsalis] **<span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> //musician;//
 * **<span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Paul Prudhomme **//<span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">chef; //
 * //<span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Al Copeland - founder of Popeye's //
 * //<span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Britney Spears - singer //
 * //<span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Todd Graves - founder of Cane's //
 * //<span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Terry Bradshaw - football player //
 * //<span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Tyler Perry - actor //
 * //<span style="font-family: Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Reese Witherspoon - actress //