KENTUCKY HISTORY LESSON

 

 

 

 


For those of you who live in   Kentucky you might find this interesting.. 
And for those of you who don't, YOU might also find this interesting. 

Today's "history plus" lesson! 

1792 -   Kentucky was the first state on the western frontier to join the Union .
 
1816 - (first promoted)  Mammoth Cave , with 336+ miles of mapped passages, is the world's longest cave.  It is 379 feet deep and contains at least 5 levels of passages. It's second only to   Niagara Falls as the most popular tourist attraction in the US. It became a National Park on July 1, 1941. 
 
1856 - The first enamel bathtub was made in   Louisville ..

1883 - The first electric light bulb was shown in   Louisville .  
Thomas Alva Edison introduced his invention to crowds at the Southern Exposition. 
 
1887 - Mother's Day was first observed in   Henderson by teacher Mary S. Wilson .  
It became a national holiday in 1916. 
 
1893 - 'Happy Birthday to You', probably the most sung song in the world, was written by two   Louisville sisters - Mildred and Patricia Hill. 

Late 19th century - Bibb lettuce was first cultivated by Jack Bibb in Frankfort , Kentucky 
 
1896 - The first (known) set of all male quintuplets was born in   Paducah . 


1934 - Cheeseburgers were first tasted at Kaelin's Restaurant in   Louisville . 
 
1937 - The first Wigwam Village Motel, with units in the shape of a
'teepee', was built by Frank A. Redford in  Cave   City .  

The world's largest baseball bat, a full one hundred twenty (120) feet tall and weighing 68,000 pounds, can be seen at the Louisville Slugger Museum in Louisville (Jefferson Co.). 
 
Chevrolet Corvettes are manufactured only in   Bowling Green .  

Covington (St. Mary's Cathedral-Basilica of the Assumption) is home to the world's largest hand blown stained glass window in existence. It measures an astounding 24 feet by 67 feet and  contains 117 different figures. 
 
The world's largest crucifix, standing at sixty (60) feet tall, is in Bardstown (Nelson Co.).
 
Fort   Knox holds more than $6 billion worth of gold - the largest amount stored anywhere in the world.  

The JIF plant in   Lexington is the world's largest peanut butter producing facility. 
 
Kentucky has more resort parks than any other state in the nation. 
 
Middlesboro is the only United States city built inside a meteor crater.. 
 
Newport is home to The World Peace Bell, the world's largest free-swinging bell. 
 
Pike   County is the world's largest producer of coal. 
 
Pikeville annually leads the nation (per capita) in consumption of Pepsi-Cola. 
 
Post-It Notes are made exclusively in Cynthiana , Ky. 
 
Shaker Village ( Pleasant Hill ) is the largest historic community of its kind in the United States 
 
Christian County is 'wet', while Bourbon County is 'dry'. ('wet 'sells liquor; 'dry' does not) 
 
Barren County has the most fertile land in the state. 
 
Lake Cumberland has more miles of shoreline than the state of   Florida .. 
 
Kentucky is best known for its beautiful blue grass.

  
And, let us not forget about the basketball and the Race Horses !!


And Sunny California is no longer where the beautiful people come from, its from under the Blue Moon of Kentucky where many of em start!  Turns out us Hillbillies are Mighty Purdy to Y'all!! :


Celebrities Born and/or raised in KY: 
George Clooney (Sexiest Man Alive) 
Johnny Depp (Sexiest Man Alive) 
Tom Cruise (Sexiest Man Alive) 
Ashley Judd 
Nick Lachey 
Kevin Ricardson (Backstreet Boy) 
Brian Litrell(BAckstreet Boy) 
Lee Majors 
Muhammad Ali 
Victor Mature 
Annie Potts (Designing Women) 
Sean Young 
Dwight Yoakam (singer/actor;Slingblade, Roswell ,Panic Room) 
Daine Sawyer 
John Carpenter (Director) 
Ned Beatty (Back to School,Deliverance,Life) 
Harry Dean Stanton (Molly Ringwalds Dad in Pretty in Pink) 
Florence Henderson (Mrs Brady) 
Billy Ray Cyrus (thus his daughter "Hannah Montana"....once removed!) 
Chuck Woolery 
James Best (sheriff on Dukes of Hazard) 
Charles Napier ("Bureaucrat tryin to save his ass" in Rambo II) 
Don Everly 
Naomi Judd 
Winona Judd 
Bill Monroe (Father of Bluegrass ) 
Tom T. HAll 
John Michael Montgomery 
Loretta Lynn (First Lady of Country Music) 
Dwain Messer 
Patti Loveless 
Ricky Skaags 
Keith Whitley 
Rosemary Clooney 
Just to name a few... 
And then there more interesting things about this State..............
 
For example, below are some  'rules for rural ' Kentucky '.