Kentucky Trivia

The school children will be on spring break in a few weeks, and parents who are fortunate enough to be able to get vacation time off from work will be travelling with their kids for a week of rest and relaxation.  If any of my faithful readers from foreign lands are reading this and are planning on visiting Kentucky during spring break, we welcome you with open arms.  Yes, it's not quite as exciting as Panama City during spring break, but it's a very cool place nonetheless.  Here are some interesting facts about my home state:

1792 - Kentucky was the first state on the western frontier to join the Union

1816 - The first tour of  Mammoth Cave, with over 336  miles of mapped passages.  Mammoth Cave is the world's longest cave, and 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 & Patricia Hill.

Late 19th cent - 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. It's still in operation today.

 The world's largest baseball bat, a full one hundred twenty (120) feet tall and weighing 68,000 pounds, can be seen at the Louiville 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 US 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 US.

Christian County is 'wet', while Bourbon County is 'dry'.

Barren County has the most fertile land in the state.

One part of Kentucky is completely separated from the rest of the state by the Mississippi River.