Kentucky History lesson

[f6john]

 

 Since SmokinJoe is planning a Ky ride for the future I offer the following. I can neither confirm nor deny any of this although I believe it to be mostly factual.

 


 

 

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!


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 then there more interesting things about this state.................For example,  below are some  'rules for rural Kentucky '.
                                   
         

THE  RULES  OF  RURAL  Kentucky 
ARE  AS  FOLLOWS: 

Listen  up  City  Slickers!   
 
1.  Pull your droopy pants up.  You look like an idiot. 
 
2.  Turn your cap right, your head isn't crooked. 
 
3.  Let's get this straight; it's called a 'dirt road..'  I drive a pickup truck because I want to.  No matter how slow you drive, you're going to get dust on your Lexus.  Drive it or get out of the way. 
 
4.  They are cattle. They're live steaks. That's why they smell funny to you.  But they smell like money to us.  Get over it.  Don't like it?  Rt. 80 goes east and west, I-75 goes north and south. Pick one. 
 
5.  So you have a $60,000 car. We're impressed. We have $150,000 corn pickers and hay balers that are driven only 3 weeks a year. 
 
6.  So every person in Southern Kentucky waves. It's called being friendly. Try to understand the concept. 
 
7.  If that cell phone rings while an 8-point buck and 3 does are coming in, we WILL shoot it out of your hand. You better hope you don't have it up to your ear at the time. 
 
8.  Yeah, we eat taters & gravy, beans & cornbread. You really want sushi & caviar? It's available, at the corner bait shop. 

9.  The 'Opener' refers to the first day of deer season. It's a religious holiday held the closest Saturday to the first of November. 

10...  We open doors for women. That is applied to all women, regardless of age.
 
11.  No,  there's no 'vegetarian special' on the menu.  Order steak.
Or you can order the Chef's Salad and pick off the 2 pounds of ham & turkey. 

12.  When we fill out a table, there are three main dishes: meats, vegetables, and breads. We use three spices: salt, pepper, and ketchup..
Oh, yeah....We don't care what you folks in Cincinnati call that stuff you eat...IT  AIN'T  REAL  CHILI!! 

13.  You bring 'coke' into my house, it better be brown, wet and served over ice. 

14.  You bring 'Mary Jane' into my house, she better be cute, know how to shoot, drive a truck, and have long hair. 

15.   College and High School Football is as important here as the Lakers and the Knicks, and a dang site more fun to watch. 

16.  Yeah, we have golf courses. But don't hit the water hazards- - it spooks the fish. 

17.  Colleges? We have them all over. We have State Universities , Community Colleges, and Vo-techs. They come outta there with an education plus a love for God and country, and they still wave at everybody when they come for the holidays. 

18.  We have a whole ton of folks in the Army,  Navy,  Air Force,  and  Marines. So don't mess with us. If you do, you will get whipped by the best. 

19.  Turn down that blasted car stereo! That thumpity-thump crap ain't music, anyway. We don't want to hear it anymore than we want to see your boxers. Refer back to #1. 

20.  4 inches isn't a blizzard - it's a flurry. Drive like you got some sense in it, and DON'T take all our bread, milk, and bleach from the grocery stores. This ain't Alaska , worst case you may have to live a whole day without croissants. The pickups with snow blades will have you out the next day. 


 

 
 

 

 


 

 

 
 
 
 
 

 


 

 

 

[Crazyhorse]

Thanks for the history lesson John  .

Mac

[Jack]

Also, my grandparents came to Arkansas from Blackie, Kentucky.  I still have kin there.  My great-grandfather was a Blair.  The coal miners of the region can tell you about the Blairs.  My grandfather taught me to make whiskey when I was 14.  He said I might need to know in case another depression hit.

[Michael K (Az.)]

And don't cha forget about the Everly Brothers!!

My friends Fred and Deb gettin wiggy wit it!

Ya can't beat "family" for smooth vocals!!

[fudgie]

I rode down there in 06 to see Mammoth Cave. Stopped by the Jim Beam place and then took some back roads to cave City. Was taking the long way home to NE Ind sat morning on the 2 scenic highways near Cave City. Stopped at a small diner for luch. They asked if I wanted any fried cornbread with my meal? Say what?  ??? Never heard of it. They could tell I was from outta State! But it was good! Took back roads all the way to L-ville. Really scenic. Found out some friends were going out back home so I be-lined home that night! 

[RP#62]

And then there's the John Prine song about Muhlenberg County (before it got hauled away)

John Prine : Paradise / Donald & Lydia	powered by Aeva

-RP

[bsnicely]

Very interesting stuff, only one point of contention.....

The modern Mother's Day holiday was created by Anna Jarvis in Grafton, West Virginia, as a day to honor mothers and motherhood; especially within the context of families, and family relationships. It is now celebrated on various days, in many parts of the world. Father's Day is a corresponding holiday honoring fathers.

The holiday became so commercialized that it's considered by many as a "Hallmark Holiday", i.e. one with an overwhelming commercial purpose, including its founder Anna Jarvis who ended up opposing the holiday she had helped to create.

Just had to stick up for a Homegirl!!     

[f6john]

Very interesting stuff, only one point of contention.....

The modern Mother's Day holiday was created by Anna Jarvis in Grafton, West Virginia, as a day to honor mothers and motherhood; especially within the context of families, and family relationships. It is now celebrated on various days, in many parts of the world. Father's Day is a corresponding holiday honoring fathers.

The holiday became so commercialized that it's considered by many as a "Hallmark Holiday", i.e. one with an overwhelming commercial purpose, including its founder Anna Jarvis who ended up opposing the holiday she had helped to create.

Just had to stick up for a Homegirl!!     

Can't get nothing past them West Virginia boys!

[Smokinjoe-VRCCDS#0005]

Thanks for posting John that was a cool read ...See you in the blue grass next year 

[Cruzen]

I spent some part of seven years working on an off a project in the lower part of Indiana.  I spent a lot of time in Louisville and "E" town.  Met some great people with a lot of common sense which seems to be missing from politicians these days.  The last half of that history lesson pretty much sums up those people.  I'll have to get back down there some time.  I would like to know it hasn't changed or sold out to progress.