What and Why RI: It's filled in now, but in its prime Rocky Point pool hosted Olympians. Here's the story. A Rhode Island Red chicken — the official state bird — roams a backyard in Middletown.

In the end, the Rhode Island Red won the day with a clear majority. There are no reports of tourists being offended by the bird, which is often used as a business logo.

That was the 1930s, when the Rhode Island Red ruled the roost. The buff-chested bird was the fowl of choice at America’s dinner table from the turn of the 20th century through World War II.