New Orleans hosts Mardi Gras and the Super Bowl at the same time.
There were no celebrations during the Spanish possession of Louisiana.
Students danced through the streets of New Orleans imitating the revelry they'd experienced in Paris.
French explorers land in what will become Louisiana. They celebrate and name the spot, "Point du Mardi Gras."
Carnival (the same thing as Mardi Gras) dates back thousands of years to pagan festivals of Spring and fertility.