> > History Lesson On Kentucky
> >
> >
> >
> > 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 lesson:
> >
> >
> > * The bloodiest civil war battle was fought in Perryville, Kentucky.
> >
> >
> > *The first town in the United States to be named for the first president
> > was Washington, Ky. It was named in 1780.
> >
> >
> > *1792 - Kentucky was the first state on the western frontier to join the
> > Union *In the War of 1812 more than half of all Americans killed in
> > action were Kentuckians.
> >
> > *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..
> >
> >
> > *The first American performance of a Beethoven symphony was in Lexington
> > in 1817.
> >
> > *Begun in 1819 the first commercial oil well was on the Cumberland River
> > in McCreary County.
> >
> >
> > *Kentucky is the state where both Abraham Lincoln, President of the
> > Union, and Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederacy, were born.
> > They were born less than one hundred miles and one year apart.
> >
> > *1856 - The first enamel bathtub was made in Louisville
> >
> >
> > *In 1873, Louisville druggist John Colgan invented something that you can
> > find in any just about every grocery store in the world, chewing gum.
> >
> > *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.
> >
> >
> > *The radio was invented by a Kentuckian named Nathan B. Stubblefield of
> > Murray in 1892. It was three years before Marconi made his claim to the
> > invention.
> >
> >
> > *Pike County the world's largest producer of coal is famous for the
> > Hatfield-McCoy feud, an Appalachian vendetta that lasted from the Civil
> > War to the 1890s.
> >
> >
> >
> > *1893 - 'Happy Birthday to You', probably the most sung song in the world
> > 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.
> >
> >
> > *Carrie Nation the spokesperson against rum, tobacco, pornography, and
> > corsets was born near Lancaster in Garrard County.
> >
> > 1926 - A Hot Brown is a hot sandwich originally created at the Brown
> > Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky, by Fred K. Schmidt.
> >
> >
> > *.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 "Old Fashion" drink was created in Louisville KY
> >
> >
> > *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 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.
> >
> >
> > *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 U.S.
> >
> >
> > *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.
> >
> >
> > *Cumberland is the only waterfall in the world to regularly display a
> > Moonbow. It is located just southwest of Corbin.
> >
> >
> > *Thunder Over Louisville is the opening ceremony for the Kentucky Derby
> > Festival and is the world's largest fireworks display.
> >
> >
> > *The only monument south of the Ohio River dedicated to Union Soldiers
> > who died in the Civil War is located in Vanceburg.
> >
> >
> > *High Bridge located near Nicholasville is the highest railroad bridge
> > over navigable water in the United States.
> >
> >
> > *The Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption in Covington has 82
> > stained-glass windows including the world's largest hand-blown one. The
> > window measures 24 feet wide by 67 feet high and depicts the Council of
> > Ephesus with 134 life-sized figures.
> >
> >
> > *The Lost River Cave and Valley Bowling Green includes a cave with the
> > shortest and deepest underground river in the world. It contains the
> > largest cave opening east of the Mississippi.
> >
> >
> > *The Kentucky Derby is the oldest continuously held horse race in the
> > country. It is held at Churchill Downs in Louisville on the first
> > Saturday in May.
> >
> >
> > *Kentucky is the horse capitol of the world.
> >
> >
> > *Mohammed Ali, The Greatest and most recognized face in the world was
> > born in Louisville, KY.
> >
> >
> > *There are only three things that matter in the state of Kentucky -
> > Bourbon, Basketball, and Horseracing.